I basically could have put 700 photos in this blog entry, but I tried to narrow it down to 81 that covered the entire day. I really don’t even know where to start with this couple, because they are that awesome. If you haven’t seen their epic engagement session (Anthony is a pilot, and he proposed to Julia with a banner at her childhood home while just casually flying her in the skies of New Jersey) it’s earlier in the blog and it is SO worth checking out. I could seriously gush about these two all day. I felt like family when I was with them, and seriously like Ray and I had known them forever.

Here’s the story of how Anthony and Julia met from Julia’s point of view:

"Anthony and I met at Kean University in the Fall of 2015. When we saw each other on the first day of class, we were sitting on opposite sides of the room. I immediately noticed him (his smile is beautiful and impossible to ignore) but never thought to actually approach him. Every week, he moved his seat progressively closer and closer to mine and slowly we got to know each other. Anthony is the kind of person who makes conversation with absolutely everyone, so I didn’t think for a second that he was paying me any special attention. It wasn’t until Veterans Day that he came to class in his U.S. Navy Dress Blues, sat down next to me, and asked me to skip my next class and come to dinner with him. Of course, I said yes (who can say no to a man in uniform) and it was by far the best date either of us have ever had. Seeing the passion in his eyes when he talked about his service to our country had me totally smitten. I could have told you right then that we would be married one day.

As soon as I learned that Anthony was a licensed pilot, I could not wait to fly with him. I had never been on an airplane in my life, and I fell in love with the idea of him being the pilot of my very first flight. That being said, every time he told me we were going on a date or that he had a surprise for me, I hoped and prayed that we were going to fly. When he finally told me that he had booked a plane, I was ecstatic. I knew it would be the most romantic experience of my life, but I had no idea how perfect the flight was that he had planned. When the day came that we were scheduled to fly, I became unbelievably nervous. Anthony was unusually quiet, so I assumed he was nervous too. I had no idea what to expect from a small, two-seater plane, and when I actually got inside of it, my nerves intensified. I listened to him go through the emergency procedures and hoped to God we wouldn’t actually have to use them. Somehow, I overcame the fear in the back of my head and put my trust in Anthony that the experience would be worth it.

Once we took off, all of my nerves melted away. There was something so magical about being alone together in the sky, literally floating on top of the world with the love of my life. I felt safe and totally at peace, enjoying the bird’s eye view of the town that I grew up in. Pretty quickly, Anthony suggested that we fly over my parents’ house, but I couldn’t distinguish one house from another from so far up. He insisted, and we flew around for a while, trying to spot something distinctive enough to tell their house from all the others. After a few minutes, I stopped hunting for the house and enjoyed the overall view, while Anthony continued his search. Eventually he said, "There it is!" I couldn’t find it, so he got closer. "Look for the cul-de-sac," he told me, and then I saw it. A huge blue sign with massive white letters, stretched out in front of my childhood home, reading: "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" I was shocked!

Once he knew I had seen it, he handed me a box containing the most beautiful diamond ring I have ever seen. I was in heaven. I stared at the ring in total amazement while he flew over the ocean, saying the sweetest things about our relationship and our future. I could no longer focus on the flight! I just wanted to get on the ground and tell everyone I knew that we were getting married. When we landed, I found out that both of our families had waited at the house, watching us fly over the sign that he and my sister had hand-painted together. I could not believe how many of our loved ones managed to keep the proposal a total surprise! We all went to dinner to celebrate our engagement and had the most amazing night imaginable. I could not have dreamed of a more perfect proposal from start to finish, and I feel so lucky to be engaged to such an incredible man."

V e n d o r s:

Photographer: Kelly Sea Images Venue: Tomasello Winery Entertainment: Diamond DJs Florist: Narcissus Florist Hair and Makeup: Kim Reitzel Hair

Cake: The Bake Works Bride’s Gown: Allure Bridals Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka Men’s Suits: Michael Kors Invitations: Lucky Invitations Transportation: 1954 Silver Wraith Rolls Royce from Albert’s Transportation

Table numbers: Rich Design Co.

Wine Cork Guest Book: The Cork Box Shoppe