Luke and Cammy's Wedding

Get ready for a serious amount of photos…

Last week, I headed down to Ocean City, New Jersey for my brother’s wedding. Luke and Cammy have been dating since they were 16, so it was no surprise when they got engaged a year and a half ago!

Everything was held at the Flanders Hotel, a gorgeous spot right on the Ocean City boardwalk. Our bridesmaids’ suite looked straight onto the rides!

After a hectic day of last-minute preparations, the festivities began with the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening.

Once the actual rehearsal was over, everyone dug into an Italian meal. The grilled veggie antipasto was my favorite part- I loaded up my plate several times with portobello, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, roasted red peppers, asparagus and garlic crostini.

Dinner was served buffet-style. There was green salad with vinaigrette and bow-tie pasta with pesto:

Tricolor tortellini stuffed with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese:

And a carving station with rolls:

I filled up my plate with everything but tortellini and roast. Give me carbs and veggies and I’m one happy camper J

While everyone ate, I “roasted” my brother with a slideshow of the most embarrassing childhood pictures I could find. He may be bigger and stronger, but I definitely have the upper hand in our relationship…

Dessert was a mouthwatering spread of tiramisu, cannoli and chocolate mousse in mini ice cream cones. Obviously, I was powerless before this assortment and sent myself into a sugar coma with a slice of tiramisu, two chocolate mousse cones and two cannolis. That’s how it’s done, my friends.

* * *

Saturday morning, the bride and five of us bridesmaids had hair appointments at a local salon. Muffins and mimosas kicked off the big day!

It took nearly four hours to complete six updos, but the results were worth it. Approximately three cans of hairspray and two hundred bobby pins later, my hair looked like this:

All the pretty ladies:

By the time we arrived back at the hotel, it was time to get ready! The florist delivered our bouquets, a combination of blue hydrangeas and white rosebuds.

It’s definitely true that everyone looks radiant on their wedding day. Cammy was beautiful!

Before the ceremony, Cammy gave each of the bridesmaids a sapphire earring and pendant set in a different shade of blue. Mine was the palest- it almost looks white. I love it!

The ceremony itself was short and sweet. I walked down the aisle with Nic, Cammy’s older brother. We both commented on how surreal it was to watch our siblings get married- I was tearing up at the altar.

While the wedding guests headed off to cocktail hour, the bridal party went to the beach and boardwalk for photos.  It was adorable how many little girls stopped to stare at Cammy in her gown!

Though we missed out on the hors d’oeuvres, the wedding coordinator brought us a few before we made our entrance. We had mini slices of Mack and Manco’s pizza (a shore favorite), plus vegetables and crackers in Romanian eggplant dip (one of Cammy’s family recipes). After stuffing ourselves (seriously, I didn’t know 14 people could annihilate two pizzas that quickly), we headed into the ballroom for the reception.

The rest of the night was one of the best times of my life!

Dinner began with a green salad topped with fried goat cheese and walnuts.

The entrée choices were Chilean sea bass and crab-stuffed fillet mignon. Guess what I picked?

It was perfection- the fish was baked with breadcrumbs and came with a mountain of mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. Instead of serving an individual dessert, each table got several platters of mini-pastries.

Of course, the real piece de resistance was the wedding cake! Four tiers of red velvet, topped with vanilla buttercream.

I only had a few bites between songs before my plate was whisked away. Definitely a bummer, but the fun was definitely more important than the food.

The reception was over at 11:30, but the party definitely was not. The bridal party had rented a suite to keep the fun going all night. 

More Mack and Manco’s pizza. To put it into perspective, that table seats eight people, and the box took up half of it.

Overall, it was an incredible night. My brother will only get married once, and I was so touched and happy to be able to celebrate with him. I’m glad to welcome a new sister into our family J