Mrs. April: A Two-Year Engagement Kept This BOLI Calm During Planning

In Brides of Long Island’s Monthly “Mrs.” series, we profile some of our members’ unforgettable weddings. This month, Emily talks about how planning her wedding in two years led to the perfect day.

Learning from her sisters’ experiences, Emily knew from the moment she got engaged that she wanted to take her time. She told her now‑husband Donny that waiting a couple of years would allow them the space to plan intentionally, giving them a better chance at securing the best vendors for their July 4, 2025 wedding.

A Different Online Dating Story

Emily and Donny’s love story began in an unexpected way. “We actually met during COVID,” Emily says. With her senior‑year internship in Greece canceled, she signed up for a virtual course her mom found, never imagining her future husband was logging in from South Carolina at the same time. 

They spent that summer texting and FaceTiming for three months straight, building a connection before they ever met in person. When they finally met that fall, everything clicked. They started dating immediately, and once Donny graduated, he moved to New York. “Two years later, we were engaged,” she says.

For the proposal, Donny chose a spot that held quiet meaning for them — a tiny stretch of beach in the Huntington Bay area they’d stumbled upon early in their relationship. “It was this random place on the water we visited once, and we didn’t even know it was someone’s property,” Emily laughs. Before proposing, he wrote a letter to the homeowners asking permission to return. On the first day of summer after a lunch in Northport, he drove her back to that little beach to propose. “It was so sweet and so well thought out,” she says.

Plenty of Time to Plan

With two full years ahead of them, Emily and Donny jumped into planning almost immediately. “The week after we got engaged, I told Donny we should start with the big vendors,” Emily says. After watching both her sisters navigate the post‑COVID wedding backlog, she knew early booking would give them the best chance at securing the dates and people they wanted — especially with her teaching schedule. 

They planned to tour a few venues, but started with Larkfield since it was close to home and already a familiar place from her family’s celebrations. “We just fell in love with it,” she says. “The staff was so lovely, the space was beautiful, and July 4th was still open. Once we saw the garden and the big room, we canceled the other tours. We signed that week.”

With the venue locked in, they turned their attention to photography and videography – the next most important vendors for both of them. But finding the right style proved trickier than expected. 

“We were looking for someone with a warm, natural look, and it was hard to find that in our price range,” Emily explains. Many photographers were also unavailable for July 4th, but she appreciated how gracious they were. “A lot of them said, ‘I don’t work on the Fourth, but here’s a list of colleagues with a similar style,’ which I thought was so classy.” 

That’s how they discovered Bernard Alexis Photography, a BOLI Preferred Vendor. “As soon as I saw his Instagram, I loved his work. It was a bonus that he’d photographed so many weddings at Larkfield,” she says. After a call that August, they felt instantly comfortable and booked him right away.

Quiet Moments By the Water

Emily describes the wedding day as a beautiful blend of tradition, emotion and a few quiet moments she and Donny will never forget. “The church ceremony was so special for us,” she says. 

After their Greek Orthodox service, they stayed behind to take family photos before slipping away for something rare on a wedding day — time alone. “Our bridal party went to Larkfield, but Donny and I went to Northport Harbor with Bernard and our videographer,” she explains. “It was the only 40 minutes of the day that we were really alone together, and it felt perfect.” Those waterfront portraits ended up being some of her favorites. “I don’t think we would’ve gotten those moments if we didn’t go down to Northport,” she says. “It was exactly what we needed before the party started.”

When it came to vendors, Emily says she couldn’t have asked for a better team. “Bernard was amazing from the very beginning. He knew exactly what he was doing, and his photos are incredible,” she says. Their DJ, BodyRock, kept the energy high all night. “There wasn’t a single low point. They matched our families’ energy perfectly.” And her makeup artist, Glam by Jane Erica, left a lasting impression. “She was unbelievable,” Emily says. “She made everyone look amazing, especially the older women in my family.” Jane and her team even stayed late to do Emily’s grandmother’s makeup as a last-minute add-on. “She went above and beyond,” Emily adds. “Honestly, every vendor did. We didn’t have a single negative experience.”

Give Yourself Time

Emily says the Brides of Long Island Facebook group became one of her most valuable planning tools. “I searched for almost everything,” she says, adding that she even found a Larkfield‑specific subgroup that helped her with venue‑related questions. “People thought of things I never would’ve considered — even what to wear the morning of the wedding. Everything was in that group.” 

Her biggest advice for future brides is to give themselves time. “I planned everything myself because I’m a teacher and I love being organized,” she says. “Having two years made the whole process enjoyable. We never felt overwhelmed because we could spread everything out.” She encourages other brides to do the same if they can. “Give yourself time so you can enjoy being engaged and enjoy planning. It doesn’t have to be stressful. It can actually be such a positive experience.”

Vendors:
Venue: Larkfield
Photographer: Bernard Alexis Photography, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
DJ: BodyRock
Florist: Nicole Link Designs
Hair: Galatia Moda
Makeup: Glam by Jane Erica
Dress: Bridal Salon of Huntington, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Tuxedos: Bonaventure Tuxedos