Sentimental Destination Wedding in Atlantic City, NJ by Jessica Erb Photography

When Allison Baker and Charles Burch were ready to tie the knot, finding a location was an issue.  The couple wanted to have a modern wedding that was close to the beach without being outdoors.  The posh venue, One Atlantic was the perfect choice with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, a beach and the boardwalk.  Great choice for domestic destination wedding!

With Allison’s father passing away in 2010, the wedding included little momentos in his memory…like a handwritten letter Allison wrote and had printed on the back of the ceremony programs, and the donation her and Charles made to a scholarship fund in her father’s name.

From the bride…

Charles and I decided that we wanted to get married in the summertime so we decided on a June 2012 wedding. Now, finding a place to have the wedding was the most difficult part. We both were looking for a modern clean-line place. We are not into the ballroom type feel and we both love the ocean and beach but didn’t exactly want to have the stress of having a wedding outdoors, as weather is not controllable!! We visited many places in CT and RI and were feeling defeated. We began discussing getting married in the Caribbean but decided we wanted to have a big wedding. My father passed away in July of 2010 after battling cancer, and it was very hard and stressful on both of our families so we really wanted to have an event in which our families could really celebrate and have fun. Charles was searching the internet one night and found this relatively new place in Atlantic City called One Atlantic, an indoors venue right off the Atlantic Ocean. The pictures were amazing, floor to ceiling windows, a very clean modern feel that with decoration looked like it would be amazing. Now, I was a bit resistant because it was in New Jersey, a place both of us had no ties to and I was worried about our families traveling and being able to make it.  Charles convinced me and my mother to go and visit. So there we went over the George Washington bridge and to Atlantic City in February 2010, now going to AC in February there is not much to see, so you I had to envision what it would be like in the summertime. As soon as we set foot in One Atlantic, we were all sold. The place was stunning, and just down right gorgeous. Now most people would be concerned that you have to walk through a small mall as its located on the backside of The Piers at Caesar’s Palace, but if you know Charles and myself you know we were right at home! Even better, the staff at OA was amazing. We explained our reservations about having a destination wedding as most of our families are from the Boston, RI and DC area. We also expressed concerns about the planning process because you can’t really just jump in your car and head down to AC from CT quickly. OA really put our fears at rest. They provide a one stop shop really as you are provided with a wedding coordinator who you work through from start to finish. They have preferred vendors so we didn’t have to go out and search for our own, and let me tell you are vendors were absolutely amazing. They helped our vision come to life as we wanted as I wanted to incorporate a very modern, bright, but beachy feel. We only traveled down to AC twice and did everything else through phone conference and email with pictures being sent back and forth. We did make a special trip down for our engagement photos with Jessica Erb of Jessica Erb Photography who who is by far one of the best photographers in the business!!.

Now a challenge came with the flowers, as my mother and I have very different tastes. I am very minimalist when it comes to flowers and well my mother believes more is better when it comes to flowers. Michele Talent & Co to the rescue.  By far one the most amazing people I have ever met. She was able to blend both of our visions and developed arrangements and decorations for the venue to a tee. She created large arrangements with  branches for some tables and then smaller more subtle ones for others,using, bright pink and blue colors with sliver shimmery tablecloths. We were able to use some of the same arrangements for the ceremony and lined the aisle (money saver!!, these were tall vases with candles and flower petals around). The cocktail area included themes of the beach with sliver starfishes, pink flowers and lanterns placed about.

I did approach a challenge when it came to hair and make-up. I am African-American with very thick but chemically straightened hair. You see, I have gone to the same hair stylist for the past 11 years, it is a science and I was became [anxious] early on about finding someone to do my hair in that area and make-up I didn’t want to look overdone but did want to look flawless. I expressed my concerns to OA and indicated I needed a hair stylist that had worked with African American before, I could not afford a hair disaster on the day of the wedding. I was then introduced to a women who would forever change my life…Meredith Harper Houston, what an amazing women and her staff are just as amazing. Now, I am very fashion forward but I am also an athlete and spend most of my time working out, playing or coaching volleyball. I did a trail in New York City with her hairstylist Horris (don’t know last time) and he was simply amazing!!! My hair and make-up on my wedding day w as simply flawless!!!

The event ended with a candy bar as guests exited!!

Biggest memory…

We decided to do first-look photos so we could enjoy the cocktail hour and we didn’t want to rush the photos. Charles was outside waiting on the pier located off the venue with his back turned and I walked up and tapped him on his shoulder. That was the most memorable part, we really had only seen each other at the rehearsal dinner but we stayed in separate hotel rooms and really had not had an opportunity to be alone until this moment. His face was priceless, he had no idea what my dress looked like, he did know my wedding shoes because he purchased them for me (Christian Louboutins). We were able to spend sometime together and it was truly amazing. Our ceremony was also memorable, it was almost like we forgot there were other people in the room as we were reading love letters we wrote to each other and read during the ceremony. To be honest, the whole day was memorable, we enjoyed having all of family and friends present to celebrate with us, most came down a couple days ahead of time so it was like we were back in college again with our friends.

You Make Loving You So Easy

She loves…His approach to life, he is incredibly supportive and lives life one day at a time, nevering stressing or worrying about the things he has no control over, something I find very hard to do. He savors every moment and reminds me that if you don’t laugh everyday you have wasted a day. he is the most loving and genuine person I have ever met, not to mention he has the most amazing smile ever!

He loves...Her ability to always know how to make me happy. Whether its her smile, sense of humor, she always knows how to say and do something that immediately brightens my day. there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t remind myself just how lucky I am to have her as my wife!

Vendors

• Wedding Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal 
• Hair/MAke-up: Meredith Harper Weddings
• Venue:  One Atlantic
• Photograpy:  Jessica Erb Photography
• Video:  Tri-Fect Video Production
• Florist: Michele Tallent & Co
• Cake: The Bake Works
• Stationery: Admire Design
• Music: Scratch Weddings, DJ Eskada
• Cermony/Cocktail music: Mike Rollins & Co