Brie + Andrew

How did you meet?

I am a chef and when you are a chef and you go for a job interview you basically work for free for a day, it’s called a stage. So in 2014 I finally set up a stage at this restaurant in Newport Rhode Island where I was dying to work and the first day they had available was Valentine’s Day. So we met on Valentine’s Day in 2014 !!

When did you know they were the one?

Honestly, as soon as Andrew and I locked eyes that day I think we both knew. I will never forget that moment, it’s embedded in my brain forever. I opened the door to join the crew for service and he was walking down the line and we locked eyes and that was it.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner

Andrew is the most driven and goal-oriented person I have ever met. If he says he will do something. He always accomplishes it.

I love Andrew’s style. It’s honestly terrible but it’s “so him” that it makes me love it so much. His go-to outfit is Denim jeans and a cut off tank top with a silver Irish cross dangling on a chain. Obsessed.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

I saw the dress on Instagram at least a year before I got engaged and knew it was the one for me. I love the simplicity but the wow factor of the sparkle and the design. I also knew it would suit my body type. I’m not skinniest girl on the world and I knew this would be flattering on me.

Who proposed and how?

Andrew proposed! We were together for over 3 years at this point living in Chicago and I have been waiting for it basically since we started dating (when you know you know) and basically Andrew had been designing this ring with a designer on the east coast and communicating back and forth with my mother for 3 months. They finally felt they made the perfect ring so they planned this big ordeal proposal for when we were going back to the east coast in January. Well, Andrew got the ring in the mail on December 1st and was so excited and nervous that 30 minutes later (after getting bagels) he asked me to grab his wallet out of his jacket and the ring box was in there!!!! I was so shocked because I honestly assumed it was coming in January and I always spoil a good surprise so to be so caught off guard and natural and sweet it was perfect. We celebrated the rest of the day with fireball and champagne and getting an ornament made of the day at a Christmas market in Chicago and drinking on a rooftop bar and getting dinner at our neighborhood favorite Indian restaurant. It was perfect.

What was the best moment for you at the wedding?

The best moment for me was the ceremony. We got married basically on the beach in Newport Rhode Island (where we met) and my godmother officiated the wedding and the weather was perfect and the sun was shining and my godmother made the ceremony so personal and I just remember thinking I’m the luckiest girl in the world to marry Andrew and couldn’t believe how perfect the day was that I was so overwhelmed with happiness.

What surprised you most at or about your wedding?

Honestly, I was so surprised there was no drama! Every time my family gets together something goes down but our wedding was kind of a destination wedding and I think all of our family and guests were so excited to reunite and be together and celebrate me and Andrew at this epic location that it was truly a good vibe only event!

What advice would you tell other brides?

I would tell other brides to just remember the main reason why you are getting married! Because you love your husband so much. Honestly, all I cared about was marrying Andrew that I was just so excited to marry him I couldn’t stop smiling all day!

What was the one thing you did differently for your wedding?

The one thing I did differently for my wedding was I didn’t have the photographer take portraits of us with our entire family and basically make everyone stop what they were doing to take photos with us! We got some photos with our immediate family and as a group and besides that the photographers really went around and took photos of everyone at their own pace and lots of candids of interacting and having fun with everyone which is exactly what I wanted!!!! I always hated going to weddings or being a part of them and missing all of the cocktail hour because you are lined up like it’s the DMV waiting for your mandatory turn to get a photo with the bride and groom in the same setting as every other person taking the same photo with them. Not my style.

We extended our cocktail hour to make sure Andrew and I wouldn’t miss out on all the fun! Our cocktail hour was outside on the beach under the gorgeous sun and we were not going to miss that! To me, it’s the best part of weddings. So we took 30 minutes, in the beginning, to take photos with our families and a few beach shots with us and then we had an hour to mingle with all our friends and family! It was ideal.