Madison &and Brendan

When and where did the proposal take place, and how did it unfold?

Madison: I thought we were going to brunch with my sister and her boyfriend on the Upper West Side. I didn’t eat all morning because I was so excited to try this new restaurant and even knew what I was going to order. I insisted we take the subway even though Brendan wanted to Uber. It wasn’t until later that I found out why. When we got to my sister’s apartment, which before her was my apartment, we sat around drinking mimosas before brunch. I kept saying we had to leave because we were going to be late for our reservation. They kept telling me it’s no problem and they kept “calling the restaurant to push it back.” I was starving and ready to go and then my sister insisted I go up to the rooftop to see how it was renovated since I lived there. I said I would go later, but she insisted. Being eager to go to brunch, I called the uber on the way up to the rooftop and took my bag so we could leave right away. When we got to the rooftop there were pink roses everywhere and champagne on ice. I thought the beautiful setup was for someone else and that we were intruding on what looked like a date. It wasn’t until Brendan got down on one knee that I realized the flowers and champagne were for me. No one believes that I was surprised, but trust me I was! This rooftop was where we decided to make our relationship “official” and now we were officially engaged. Later that day Brendan arranged to have about 50 of our family and friends at Tavern On The Green. I cannot believe how many people came from out of town to celebrate with us and I really couldn’t believe how everyone kept it a secret. I didn’t get brunch that day, but I gained an amazing fiancé.

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

Madsion: After rescheduling our wedding three times I couldn’t believe the day was finally here.

Brendan: I hope the clouds go away. And they did! It was a perfect day.

How did you choose what you wore? Can you walk us through your thought process for clothing, jewelry, and beauty.

Madison: Being the oldest of my three sisters I was the first one to get married. We took the opportunity to go to every dress shop in Manhattan over the course of 2 full days. I feel like a lot of people have a wedding dress in mind that they are searching for, but for me I was a blank slate. I tried on a hundred dresses and none of them felt like “the one”. We were in the Saks Bridal Salon and I kept eyeing this dress that I wanted to try on “just for fun.” I immediately fell in love with the Zuhair Murad gown that exceeded my expectations. My “something borrowed” was a pair of my mom’s pearl and diamond earrings. I wear a diamond cross that was my grandmother’s every day and I never take it off. Unfortunately, it didn’t work with my dress. My wedding planners and sister-in-law had the genius idea to wrap it around my bouquet of flowers so I would still have it with me. I did a dress change before the reception into a sleek Vera Wang gown where I was able to then wear my necklace. My hair and makeup was very minimalistic. I wore a low bun with my first dress that transitioned into a low ponytail for my second. My makeup was very natural and my makeup artist used products from my company, LimeLife by Alcone and included products from my bridal collection I launched on my wedding weekend.

Brendan: I wore a midnight navy tux with Del Toro slippers. I had a simple black pair for the ceremony and switched to ones with a monogram for the reception. Madison got me gold Hermes cufflinks to match my ring.

What was running through your mind while walking down the aisle?

Madison: My biggest fear was always that I was going to be bawling my eyes out walking down the aisle. I’m very emotional so I was sure that was going to happen the second I saw Brendan. I cried happy tears so much throughout the planning that I think I got it all out of my system. I was so calm, not nervous at all and so happy.

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

Madison: The easiest decision to make was choosing our wedding planners, Gourmet Advisory. They planned Brendan’s sister’s wedding so we knew we wanted to work with them. A lot of the decision making for everything was easier because of their expertise, guidance and knowing us. I don’t think any of the decision making was too difficult. The most difficult was trying to figure out a Covid protocol that kept everyone safe while making them feel comfortable.

Brendan: The easiest was the wedding planner. Hardest was our venue. We originally wanted to get married at Sebonack, but our planners advised us to get married in the city for logistics. Due to Covid we ended up going with the location we originally wanted so it worked out in the end.

What aspects of your wedding most reflected your personality?

Madison: I think our personality came out in every aspect. From the invitations, to the decor, to the venue to the menu. I think the part that probably reflected our personality the most was that we attended our own cocktail hour. Neither of us like to miss out on a party, and we were not going to be the only ones not enjoying the Billy Joel cover band at cocktail hour.

Brendan: The reception definitely reflected our personalities. On a golf course on the water surrounded by friends and family is an ideal situation for us.

What was the best planning advice you received?

Madison: The best planning advice I received was to hire a planner! The best wedding advice I received was to make sure you eat dinner. Not only did I finish my own meal, but I ate some of Brendan’s.

Brendan: Don’t worry about everyone else and just enjoy the process and the day with each other.

What do you hope your guests remember most about your wedding day?

Madison: The energy that was in the air. There was the most beautiful sunset and everyone was on the dance floor having the time of their lives. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

Brendan: I hope they remember how much fun they had and how special it was to have everyone there to celebrate with us.

Were there any funny moments that especially stand out?

Madison: Brendan’s favorite song came on and we weren’t together at the time. We both immediately ran to the dance floor to find each other. I think someone spilled a whole glass of red wine down the back of my dress at that point and I didn’t even care because I was having such a good time.

Brendan: We used the same live painter that was used at my sister and my brother’s wedding. At my sister’s wedding she let me add the detail to my shoe and it is now a tradition. I got to monogram my own shoes on the painting.

What was your favorite part of the day?

Madison: I loved every minute of the day, but my favorite part was the first dance. I was kind of stressed about it so I can’t believe I’m saying it, but it was definitely my favorite part. I want to go back!

Brendan: My favorite part was the first dance.