Theresa and Bobby went to elementary, middle, and high school together. Bobby was in band with Theresa’s brother so they were “aware” of each other, but they were not friends. After college, their mutual friend, Donald (who later officiated their wedding), got them both involved in a local production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s, “The Mikado.” After rehearsals, Donald, Bobby, and Theresa would grab dinner and drinks and just hang out. They did this for about a month before things took a leap out of the friend zone.

After spending a weekend texting, Theresa decided to join Bobby for the night shift at his job. At the time, he worked in local news and monitored the police scanner overnight. They hung out for a few hours, just watching YouTube videos and laughing. Bobby walked Theresa to her car and they both hesitated, each waiting for the other to make a move. Theresa broke first and jokingly pulled him close to her, but then playfully pushed him away. To Bobby, that was the green light. “He went in for a kiss, planted it on me, smoothly said, ‘that just happened’ and walked away,” said Theresa. “It was so ridiculous and funny – my cheeks hurt smiling about this memory!” 

After that first kiss, the two lovebirds saw each other every day and a month later they decided to move in together. “Falling in love with him was so sweet,” said Theresa. 

For the proposal, Bobby came prepared.

He created a guided audio tour around Stamford, Conn. to recreate some of their important relationship milestones. His tour included very detailed directions with a hilarious narrative about their relationship. It took them past all their old haunts: the path they took while carrying Bobby’s mattress over their heads to their first apartment, the apartment itself, the froyo spot they ran to in the middle of a snow storm, and, most importantly, the statue where Bobby first told Theresa that he loved her.

Whenever they pass this statue, they recreate that moment, but on the day of the proposal, Bobby started digging through his pockets and pulled out a whisk. This was an inside joke hearkening back to the beginning of their relationship when Bobby was late for a date because he was looking for a whisk to “whisk Theresa away.”

Theresa laughed and hugged him and then “La Vie en Rose” began playing. Theresa looked around for the source of the music and she noticed someone filming them. She looked back around at Bobby and he was on one knee, with an open ring box.

Theresa started bawling and she was so surprised she could only nod.

When it came time to plan the wedding and find the venue, the couple looked at a looked at a quite a few places in Los Angeles, where they now live, but did not find anything they loved and everything was so expensive, because LA. Theresa did not want to break the bank and cost was very important to them. So the couple switched gears and googled, “Lighthouses in Connecticut,” which is how they found the Carousel at Lighthouse Point Park.

“I was so excited about this find,” said Theresa. “Not only could we have a beach ceremony, but there was also a lighthouse, an indoor carousel in our reception hall, and all the tables and chairs we would need – for $4,000!”

On August 4, 2018 in front of 100 of their family and friends, Theresa and Bobby married at the Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, Conn.

The theme of the day was modern romantic with soft pastels to reference a peaceful New England summer. At first, Theresa tried picking only perfectly timeless decor, but while planning she changed her mind and instead decided to just focus on capturing who they are as a couple right now instead of who they might be 20 or 30 years. It was the right choice and they were able to include lots of fun and jokes in their wedding, right down to the choice of processional song – “Yakety Sax.” 

”We picked things we loved and didn’t worry about if it fit with everything else as a theme,” explained Theresa. “As long as we loved it, we did it. It all just came together on it’s own!”

The reception hall came decked out so the couple did not have to worry about adding too much themselves. There were string lights all over, plus the lights from the carousel filled the venue with a warm glow. The venue also installed beautiful floor-to-ceiling white drapes that made everything feel light and airy. Features that Theresa and Bobby knew would wow their guests were the carousel and the glorious candy table. Theresa DIY’d the hand-lettered seating chart onto a long acrylic sheet, which was held up by two wooden easels with ivy at the bottom. They chose ice blue table cloths to match the trim of the reception hall.

A friend of Theresa’s mother did the floral design. Theresa simply told her the colors she liked and sent her a few pictures and then stepped back and let the artist work. As a fun activity while the bridesmaids were getting ready, Theresa had them arrange their own bouquets. It was a great idea that culminated with beautiful and personal arrangements.

The couple was also able to bring costs down and keep under their $30,000 budget by using their own caterer and having friends bartend.

Theresa purchased her ceremony dress from the plus-size bridal salon Della Curva in Tarzana, Ca. and her reception dress was from the beloved fat girl staple Torrid. At sunset, as dinner was being served, Theresa ran outside onto the beach with her two maids of honor to watch the sunset. This spur of the moment excursion led to one of the most memorable parts of the day and some of the most stunning photos. “I knew I was going to change into my second dress so I went into the water with my first dress on,” said Theresa.

Bobby’s favorite part of their wedding day was standing at the lighthouse, just before he walked down the aisle, anticipating his bride. He was so excited to marry Theresa, he had to take a private moment to calm down. “He’s so freaking adorable,” said Theresa. “I got so very lucky!”

Theresa’s advice to other members of the Big Bride Club is to be as present as possible and encourage your guests to do the same. She is a big believer in unplugged ceremonies. “We had our officiant ask our guests to put their phones away and seriously emphasize that we spent a lot of money on photographers and videographers, so they don’t need to use their phones and people listened,” said Theresa. “We had a moment of reflection during our ceremony where we paused to look out at all of our guests. We really got to take everyone in, instead of looking out into a sea of phones.”

• Photographer: @rachel_baker_photo + crystalstewart_photo (2nd shooter)

• Coordinator: @jsstationeryevents

• Catering: @smallkitchen_bigtaste

• Dress: @DellaCurva

• Makeup: makeup_by_alizanoelle_

• Hair: @AmberPapastavrosHairMakeupDesign