Let’s hear about their Merlot on the Water wedding from both of them.

Wedding Date

October 15, 2021

How did you two meet?

T: We matched on Tinder in April of 2018. Our first date was in West Hartford Center where we had great pizza, craft beers, and ice cream!

M: We met online.Despite not wanting to meetup for our first date,and wanting to cancel on Tony day-of, he convinced me to come and I am so glad I did.

How did he pop the question?

M- Tony and I had bought our first house together in Wilbraham, after spending 2 years in Boston. We were so happy to be back in the area near our family and friends, so we planned to have a small housewarming. We were grilling and drinking, and everyone was just enjoying the company of one another. It was actually the first time Tony’s family was meeting my family. After many hours of socializing, Tony wanted everyone to gather for a group photo. Before the photo was taken, Tony began to give a little speech expressing our appreciation for everyone taking the time to be with us, and for just being in our lives in general. He seemed so nervous and jumpy, he even took a shot that was out of character. I didn’t understand why until his speech quickly turned into a proposal. He said “Megan can you join me up here?” and before I knew it, he was down on one knee asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was the easiest ‘yes!’ of my life. Everyone cheered, and I just tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened. T: In the summer of 2020, we bought a house together in Western Mass, reuniting us with our families who live in the area (prior to this, we were renting an apartment in Boston). We decided to throw a small outdoor housewarming party with our families. On the day of the party, we were both anxious and nervous, wanting everyone to have a good time at our new home, wanting everyone to stay safe regarding Covid, and the general anxiety of making a large amount of food without messing it up. I, however, had the added anxiety of knowing I was going to propose in front of 20 of our family members. I planned on proposing right after lunch and before dessert. When the time came, I whisper to my sister (who knew the plan) that I was really nervous, so we took a shot of tequila together so I can calm my nerves a bit. After we finished eating our wood-pellet smoked burgers, which came out amazing, I gathered everyone in the backyard, saying I wanted to take a group photo of everyone. I started a quick speech about how much it meant to us that everyone was here to celebrate our moment of taking the next step and buying a house together. I then segue that into the proposal, to everyone’s shock!

What was your favorite moment(s) from the wedding?

M- I really enjoyed exchanging letters before the ceremony. It put me in the right mind set I also loved seeing him waiting at the end of the aisle for me with tears in his eyes. My absolute favorite moment was the choreographed dance we surprised everyone with !!

T- Among my favorite parts were seeing Megan in her dress coming down the aisle to me, and the first dance. I will also never forget the last two pump up songs of the night, we were just belting the songs with all of our friends and family. Another very special moment was seeing my grandparents on the dance floor for the entirety of the “anniversary dance” and hearing their marriage advice.

How would you describe your overall wedding experience?

M- absolutely perfect, better than I could have ever expected. I would not change a thing.

T- FUN & exhilarating. Everything I could have dreamed for. It felt like complete bliss- like an emotional high that lasted for hours, I’ve never been happier in my life.

What advice would you offer to other couples planning a wedding

M- Enjoy the planning process together, the wedding goes by so fast, so try and be present in everything that leads up to it. Only control what you have to, the rest will fall into place.

T- Don’t stress the small stuff because no one pays attention to it anyway. Focus on enjoying what is to come.

What photography-related advice would you offer to a couple?

M- if you have ideas, share them with the photographer. All of my input was welcomed. Also give them creative liberties because they know exactly what they are doing.

T- trust the photographer.

Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?

M- my dress was a tiered ball gown. I found it at Alexandria’s boutique in Fall River. As soon as I put it on, I had my ‘bridal moment’. My mom cried so that sealed the deal for me.

How was your experience taking photos/working with me on your wedding day?

M & T – Fun, we love Greg and Lesley. They know how to keep us laughing and how to make us look our best. It felt like they had a real understanding of who we are as a couple.

Did you see each other before the wedding? If not, did you like waiting or would you have rather done it differently? Tell me why or why not!

M & T- no we didn’t see each other. As much as we wanted to do a first look to save time and enjoy more of cocktail hour, we really wanted to see each other for the first time, walking down the aisle.

Any tips on how to prepare for the wedding photos?

M & T – express any concerns or insecurities you have, know your best angles, and take care of your skin !

Any tips that you have about preparing your wedding party for the photos? What did you tell them, how did you get them to cooperate, what did you do or what would you have done differently?

M & T- be strict about the amount of alcohol you are comfortable with them having before pictures, but mostly just let them be themselves. Our friends are naturally fun and didn’t need much guidance. But if you have concerns, address them because you will be looking at these pictures for the rest of your lives !

We love to hear about vendors you love. List any vendors here and feel free to share your experience. Be sure to include the name of the vendor, their profession, city/state, site or Facebook page, and how your experience was!

Did you find a store/site that had everything you were looking for? Use this space to talk about favorite shops. You can include where you got your dress, sites you got your veils/décor/accessories, etc

M- I highly recommend using Etsy for personalized touches to your wedding. I also used a Cricut cutting machine to make many of my own personalized projects.

What were you most anxious, nervous, or fearful about regarding your wedding day, and what was the outcome?

M- executing our dance without missing a step, but it really went smoothly.

T- I was worried that I would repeat the vows incorrectly. But there were no slip ups!

What’s one piece of advice you would give to other couples for planning their wedding?

M & T- enjoy each other and take little moments throughout the night to look around at everyone, and notice little things that can easily be missed.

What was the first song you danced to as husband and wife? Father-daughter dance? Mother-son dance?

We created a medley of songs together as a couple and then did a choreographed dance. Tony danced to ‘Forever Young’ by Rod Stewart with his mom. I danced to ‘ Brother’ by Kodaline with my Brother.

Click here to check out Megan and Tony’s engagement session blog post and photos.