"Kevin and I met in February of 2003, at Brother Jimmy’s, a restaurant on the Upper East Side. I was out with some friends and Kevin was entertaining out-of-town guests. On our first date, he took me to an Italian restaurant in Alphabet City.

"During dinner we talked about our love of music, our favorite restaurants, and our jobs. I am a pediatric occupational therapist and Kevin is a financial analyst. After dinner, we walked 25 blocks to where I had parked my car. It was February, freezing, and there was snow on the ground, though I barely noticed.

"After three and a half years we joked around about starting 'Date Night.' We would take turns planning a night out each week. Kevin insisted on planning the first one. It was July, and he planned for dinner and then a walk on the beach in Long Beach. Later that evening, during our walk, Kevin proposed.

"We knew we wanted a summer wedding. The first place we visited was The Carltun. We immediately knew it was perfect and loved the beautiful grounds, the amazing food, and the elegant ballroom. Our event planner at The Carltun was Caryn Rude. She answered all our questions and arranged it so that we could see the ballroom set up before other weddings. This helped us envision how we wanted to decorate the room. My absolute favorite thing about The Carltun’s Grand Ballroom is the size of the dance floor. Kevin and I both have friends and families who love to dance.

"The vendor list The Carltun supplied also helped us narrow down the photographers, florists, and bands, and I was happy to see that all my top choices were on their lists. From that point on, planning went smoothly, and the year went by quickly.

Tara Mitchell & Kevin Lynch Ceremony: St. Aidan Church Reception: The Carltun Gown: Bridal Accent Bridesmaids: Lazaro Hair &Makeup: Studio B Florist: Pedestals Floral Decorators, 516.248.5300 Cake: The Carltun Photographer & Videographer: Sherwood Triart Photography Band: Hank Lane Music Honeymoon: Nevis, West Indies The Carltun Eisenhower Park, East Meadow Park, NY 11554 516.542.0700 www.thecarltun.com

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"From the moment I woke up on our wedding day, everything went well. After our ceremony, we were greeted at The Carltun with champagne with fresh raspberries. The Carltun’s staff took care of everything for us. The perfect weather let us hold our cocktail hour outdoors. The great assortment of food, drinks, and spectacular views from the patio blew our guests away. Our menu for the cocktail hour consisted of petite beef Wellington, spanikopita, baby lamb chops, and a varieity of captain stations.

"Before the reception, Kevin and I took a peek at the Grand Ballroom. Everything looked amazing. The ballroom is already spectacular, so we didn’t need to add many decorations. For dinner our guests had a choice of either grilled filet mignon with merlot roasted shallots and vidalia onions, roasted Chilean sea bass served over a bed of baby spinach, or roasted chicken in a porcini mushroom sauce with roasted potatoes.

Our wedding cake, which was provided by The Carltun, was a three-tier white cake with chocolate cake and white chocolate mousse filling. Guests were also served chocolate flourless cake, fresh fruit, and creme bruleé.

"I cannot say enough nice things about the staff and our experience at The Carltun. They did whatever it took to make our reception everything we hoped it would be. The ballroom was stunning, the music was just right, and our guests couldn’t have enjoyed themselves more. The entire evening was perfect."