Liz & Josue | Birchwood Manor | Whippany, NJ

“We Loved Everything”

I was serving at my local church, Soul Purpose Church, for over nine years. Josue came to the church one day because he had heard some Christian music on the radio which he liked and then heard the same song coming from the church. I was the one welcoming people that day. A year later he asked me to have some coffee and from there it just grew. We started dating and then we were married in four months!

Every year Josue would have a Memorial Day barbecue with his family and at the first one I attended, I met the kids and the sisters. We had a really good time and then his sisters had me join in a favorite game. While I was playing it, I turned around and Josue was on his knee, with my favorite cake (velvet) that said, “Will you marry me?”

I don’t really like attention, so I couldn’t react right away and I was kind of shocked about what was going on. But of course I said yes. We took a lot of pictures. It was very special, and I said, “You should have given me some kind of clue!” He said, “If I did, you would have known!”

We went online looking for venues. The ones in our area seemed pretty expensive for what they were offering. When we visited Birchwood Manor, driving up and seeing their big white gates, I said, “Beautiful!” Josue saw my reaction and said, “This is it, “ I loved everything. We worked with Michael Marino III. He was awesome. He comes from a family that walks the same walk we do. There was even a beautiful scripture from the bible on one of the oldest pictures he had from his grandmother. To us, it was further confirmation. He knew what we wanted and communicated with us about everything.

We had almost 200 people at our ceremony. My son, who at the time was serving in the Marines, was there, and my dad, who lives in Orlando, Florida, also was there. He walked me halfway down the aisle and then from there my son, who was very handsome dressed in his Marine uniform, walked me to my husband and I took my husband’s hand. It was very special to have my dad and my son walk me down the aisle and for my son to give me away to my husband.

My husband’s son and daughter and my two boys and my daughter were all part of the bridal party. My daughter was a bridesmaid and my boys were groomsmen. His daughter was also one of my bridesmaids and his granddaughter was my flower girl. My best friend, Amy, was my Maid of Honor. The cocktail hour was awesome.

Our passed hors d’oeuvres included Cantonese egg rolls, potato pancakes, cocktail franks, chicken quesadillas, and mushroom caps stuffed with sweet Italian sausage. We also had chafing dishes with penne alla vodka, Swedish meatballs, miniature potato pierogies, and sesame chicken and broccoli.

Amy and I were good friends since we were six years old and we did the flowers and the floral headpieces for the girls. For the ballroom décor, Michael let us come in early to decorate. A couple of sisters from the church helped us. There’s a place called The Barn at Twiggys which hadn’t opened yet, where a good friend of mine, Chrissy, was getting things prepared for their opening. She donated decorations with a rustic look and brought in flowers and colorful decorations. Ultimate Entertainment was great with the music. They kept people going and interacted with everyone. We had such a good time dancing. I think I forgot I was in my forties.

For dinner, our guests chose garlic herb-crusted prime ribs, chicken marsala, or grilled salmon with an orange ginger glaze. Our vanilla wedding cake had a strawberry-custard filling and was provided by Birchwood. The cake was served with an almond tuile cup with vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache, and chocolate-covered strawberries. A woman from my church sang for our guests. She was phenomenal and people were crying. There was a special dance performance as well and you could feel a very beautiful spirit.

We first want to thank the Lord. I also want to thank my husband for giving me my dream wedding and my sisters, who really helped me. They would be there in the morning and stay late to help. Chrissy helped me with the decor. My photographer is actually my pastor. I also want to thank our children, Eunice, Joshua, Jaiden, Joli, the baby of the family, and Gregory, my oldest and my Marine. It was a sacrifice for him to get there for us and I am so glad he did.

Birchwood Manor, Whippany, NJ, 973.887.1414, birchwoodmanor.com