Carli &and Brandon

When and how did the two of you meet, and what is most memorable about your first meeting?

We met in the fall of 2008 at a fraternity party at Vanderbilt, both of our alma maters.

Carli: I was a freshman and I was told by my mom’s trainer that there was a guy from the town over in New Jersey, one year older than me, who I should look out for at Vanderbilt. This was Brandon. I didn’t think much of it considering it was a big school, but coincidentally my freshman roommate went to high school with him. She introduced us at this frat party.

Brandon: We met at that frat party, but it was a quick encounter, we did not get the chance to get to know each other. We encountered each other a number of other times throughout the first semester, but didn’t really talk in depth until the winter and spring semester of 2009. At that point we had tons of mutual friends and we went to a lot of the same parties and bars. We really hung out for the first time that April at Vanderbilt’s spring music festival called Rites of Spring. She was holding a beer in one hand and asked me to toss her the football that I was holding. I obliged, and she caught the ball with one hand without dropping the beer. I was impressed.

We didn’t start dating until that summer of 2009, after the school year ended we went back to New Jersey, where our parents lived ten minutes from each other.

On your day, what was your first thought when you woke up in the morning?

Carli & Brandon: “Wow – it’s June 2nd, 2018.” We’ve been talking a lot about this day, but I never thought I’d look down at my phone and it would be that date. Carli also had a lot of anxiety about the days’ to do list, but a morning of yoga with bridesmaids and friends cleared her mind significantly.

Were you dressed and ready on time?

Carli & Brandon: We are not the most prompt people in the world, but amazingly we were dressed and ready pretty close to on time (maybe ten minutes late, but in this context that felt pretty on time). BUT, the big snafu was that we took pictures outside, the two of us. It was a sunny and HOT day. Brandon’s white shirt made him look like he may as well have jumped in a pool. He had to do a couple shirt changes to get through the night. The pictures turned out fantastic though (and impressively sweat free).

What wedding planning decision was the easiest one to make?  What was the most difficult?

Carli & Brandon: The easiest decision was to have the wedding outside of Manhattan. We knew we wanted the feel of a destination, but also somewhere that our guests didn’t have to get on a plane. The most difficult decision for Brandon was who would be groomsmen. I had to cut some really close friends, which killed me. For Carli, easily the dress.

What was your most memorable moment?

Carli & Brandon: We read our vows to each other in private before the ceremony, because we felt it would be more personal (and Carli didn’t think she could hold it together in front of 250 people if it was her first read). The few hours before that, with pictures and the ketubah signing flew by. At that time, it felt like things slowed down and we were able to appreciate the moment.

What was on your wedding day wish list?

Carli & Brandon: It was all about weather. No rain. That’s it.

What song did you dance to for your first dance? Why?

Carli & Brandon: Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur. It’s a relatively new song, so there is no historic meaning for us as a couple. But we talked about a bunch of songs, some that we listen to a lot and are somewhat obscure, but those lyrics just didn’t work perfectly. These did. Also, Carli decided to walk down the aisle to “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” which felt really appropriate given both of our childhood love for the Lion King.

Who are your heroes? (real or fiction)

Carli & Brandon: Our  heroes have always been our parents. Not in the sense that we viewed them as superheroes, just in the sense that they’ve always embodied happiness and what is right in life.

Which feature of your wedding was the most unique?  (Food, favors, music, etc.?) Please describe in detail.

Carli & Brandon:  Probably the fact that the area of the venue that we used for cocktail hour and the after party had a beautiful fountain in the middle. It made for a pretty unique after party when people started to dance and swim in the fountain.