Sarah & Steven | Skylands Manor | Ringwood, NJ

“We Loved Everything”

My college roommate, Emma Herschman, told me she had the perfect guy for me, a friend from high school. Our friend groups collided and we all had a night out at Grasshopper Bar in Morristown, NJ. Steven asked me out on our first date, for the next weekend, at Hops Craft Bar, also in Morristown. From there, we went bowling, to the movies, concerts, karaoke, skiing, drive-in movies, and more.

Separately, we both moved to Hoboken, NJ. Steven attended college in the city and I used to waitress at my parents’ pancake house and always saw myself living in Hoboken after college. Steven and I moved in together at the start of the pandemic in April 2020. We got engaged on November 13th, 2021 on Court Street in Hoboken.

Knowing I’m a sucker for Hoboken’s cobblestone streets, it was only natural for that to be where he asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. Court Street is hidden, picturesque, and makes you feel like you’re on vacation in Europe.

The second we stepped into Skylands Manor, we were stunned! The huge castle is so beautiful, but also feels so homey and welcoming. We loved that Skylands Manor is in the NJ Botanical Gardens. The absolutely gorgeous grounds are an incredible backdrop for photos and an outdoor ceremony. The cocktail hour wowed us too. We had four different rooms with a different food station in each, allowing guests to walk around and explore the castle. We also liked how in the reception room, each table touches the dance floor, so everyone can have easy access to the party.

We had many calls and emails with Michelle Frungillo and Linda Pergola. They were extremely attentive and always willing to hop on the phone no matter what day or time it was. The day of our wedding, Linda was our maître d’ and she was incredible! The girls arrived around 8 am to start hair and makeup and Linda already had everything set up! She made sure the bar had all the ingredients for our signature drinks. She set up our special “in memory” memorial table and our escort card display on Skyland’s vintage desk. Linda also has a very calming demeanor and made the entire day run so smoothly.

Our ceremony was outside in the tree-lined “Magnolia Lane.” Gerry from The Jersey Joint was on guitar and with his pianist they played our processional songs. My parents surprised us by getting Rabbi Don Rossoff to officiate the wedding. He had performed my Bat Mitzvah and had since moved to Chicago but my parents flew him in to make our ceremony so special!

We had four different cocktail stations: a seafood station, an Asian fusion station, a carving station, and a Tuscan table. Linda put samples of our cocktail hour dishes aside for Steven and me to try before attending our cocktail hour. Many of our guests raved about the mussels, paella, Asian noodles served in take-out cartons, and the baby lamb chops, a special request by us that Linda made happen. We also had mini grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup shooters, mini Cuban sandwiches, and tuna cones. We loved everything! Everyone loved our signature drinks, especially the apple cider cosmo.

The table settings were decorated by Meghan from Made of Leaves. We did a simple bud vase design with beautiful stems going down the center of each table. We also had gorgeous green vines on the fireplace behind our sweetheart table and cascading vines and florals on our table. The bar was easily accessible and there was an option to go outside on the patio from the ballroom too.

Dinner was amazing! We will not ever be over the short ribs! We received tons of comments on our wedding cake, a chocolate cake with a cannoli filling and vanilla icing. Best cake we’ve ever had! There were also assorted Italian pastries on each table which were also amazing!

Our goal on our wedding day was to be able to relax and enjoy our day and we were able to do just that because of all the people who made it possible for us.

Special thanks to Linda for making the wedding flow so seamlessly. Special thanks to both our parents, Scott and Laurie Handler and Bob and Wendy Weis for being there at every step, attending a tasting, dress and tuxedo shopping, planning the seating chart, late night phone calls, and their endless support. Special thanks to my matron of honor, Melissa Sukennikoff, for going above and beyond to make our wedding flawless.

Thank you to Ben and Jordan Handler, my brothers, for making our wedding day full of laughter and questionable dance moves.Thank you to Kyle and Kevin Weis, Steven’s brothers and best men for their support from our engagement to our wedding day. Thank you to my bridesmaids, Jessica, Courtney, and Emma who are all like sisters to me. Thank you to all our groomsmen for being the most fun people to celebrate with.

Skylands Manor, Ringwood, NJ, 973.256.9380, www.frungillo.com