Nija and Steve’s Beautiful Ballroom Wedding at Brigalias Manor

Nija and Steve initially crossed paths while working in the same building. Both a little shy at first, that shyness quickly vanished the more they got to know each other, and over the course of a few dates the sparks of romance began to burn bright with the embers of love. In Nija’s words, “we felt like we knew each other our whole lives.” Soon it became apparent that their whole lives is what they would have together as over time their love only continued to deepen – setting them on the path of happily ever after…

Read all about Nija & Steve’s love story, proposal, and experience in their beautiful ballroom wedding at Bigalias manor.

Bride & Groom: Nija & Steve
Wedding Date: June 29th 2018
Location of Wedding: Sicklerville, NJ
Wedding Venue: Brigalias

Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. Steve and I met at work. We both worked in the same building and once we introduced ourselves, the rest was history! We both were a little shy at first, but after the first few dates, we felt like we knew each other our whole lives.
The proposal was unexpected. Steve is really big on date nights, and I will admit that he does usually pick better places than me. So, we had a date night planned, and this was a few months after we had the twins. We hadn’t gotten out much since they were born, so Steve tells me to really dress up for this date. It didn’t seem too out of the ordinary though because we always run the dress code by one another when having a date night just so that we aren’t in a laid back place looking like we are about to go to a royal wedding and vice versa! We go to R2L in Center City, Philadelphia. Neither of us have been here before so we were amazed at how beautiful it was when we walked in. Steve let the host know about his reservation, and she took us to a booth that overlooked the whole city. I love views, so I was like a kid in the candy store sitting in this booth. Throughout the night, Steve had been telling me how much he loved me and how much I meant to him. Again, didn’t think anything out of the ordinary because Steve is a romantic and will say these types of things at the most random moments. However, it did feel a little different that night. We were vibe’ing well and just enjoying each other’s company. The waiter comes over to pour more wine for us and Steve asks him to take a photo of us. We both get up and I start fixing myself…when I turn around, there Steve is on one knee. He is telling me that I mean so much to him and that I am the best thing to ever happen to him. He then asks if I would marry him. I, without any hesitation, said yes. I’m normally not a crier, and do not care for people staring at me. In this moment though, I cried, and did not notice who was staring because all I saw was Steve. All I knew was how happy he made me, and how blessed I was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Of course, people were watching and came over to say congrats. But, it was just the perfect night that I will never forget.

Tell us about your wedding style. We did not go with a theme because we like a little bit of everything and felt that it was unfair to the artistic world to just stick to one thing (although, that probably would have been easier). Our hashtag (#HouseOfGoldenPaul) was related to Game of Thrones because we absolutely love the show. I am a huge Disney fan, so I incorporated some Disney songs into our playlist for the cocktail hour and reception. We both are anime fans, so I chose to have a Naruto garter to honor the great show that it is. Plus, surprise Steve, because that is the first anime show that he suggested to me and we watched the whole series together while I was on maternity leave almost 3 years ago.
Our colors for the wedding were Jade and Gold. I chose those colors because gold is my favorite color in addition to it being in my last name. Jade was a color that I came across when looking at different styles of bridesmaids dresses. Once I saw the color, I fell in love with it, and knew it would be perfect for a summer wedding.
For the reception, most tables had gold and crystal centerpieces with flowers at the top of the centerpieces. The immediate family tables had beautiful candle centerpieces lit for a romantic mood. Each table included jade colored napkins to go with the color palette. The tables also included the party favors which were shot glasses for the younger crowd, and stemless wine glasses for the older crowd. Our table was decorated with a “Mr. and Mrs.” platform, bridesmaid bouquets, and candles. It looked absolutely amazing!

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We did incorporate some religious aspects in our wedding with certain scriptures from the Bible. We also did an African tradition of jumping the broom at the end of the ceremony.

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? I’m not good at this part! For my dress, we went to 3 boutiques. Kay Bridal was the first place that I went just to try on a dress that I had seen on their website. I liked the dress, but didn’t feel that it was the “it” dress. I tried on a few others that were nice, and just as we were about to leave, my mom sees this beautiful dress on the mannequin and tells me to try it on. I was surprised because it wasn’t a dress that I would notice right away. It looked absolutely beautiful and fit perfectly. We still went to the other boutiques to see their inventory, but I couldn’t get the other dress out of my head. We wound up going with it, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. It was an ivory strapless mermaid dress with sparkling beading that shined so brightly. My jewelry came from my mother because she knew that I hadn’t thought about jewelry…she was right. They were considered my something borrowed and something new. The earrings were dangling crystal earrings with a matching crystal necklace. My bracelet was a diamond bracelet that belonged to my mother. They were a great addition to my dress since the beading was sparkly. My shoes were jade to match my bridesmaids dresses, with a silver accent on the back of the shoes. Steve wore a black tuxedo with an ivory vest and striped ivory tie. He and his groomsmen all wore their favorite superhero t-shirts under their tuxedos which was a great addition to their outfits. We all love comics, so I got a great kick out of that!

What is your best memory from your wedding? I would say our vows were the most anticipated. We both wanted to write our vows and had completed them months before the wedding. We were both anxious to both say the vows and hear the vows from one another. My friends are very emotional, so they were also looking forward to the mushiness in the vows. I do want to touch on a special moment that meant a lot to me that day. Sharing our first dance with our sons. In the months leading up to the wedding, we switched out first dance song so many times. So many songs reminded me of our relationship and relayed how we felt about one another. It was hard to pick just one, especially since we both love music so much. Finally, I’m listening to old mixed cd’s (yes, I still own some) that I had put together in high school, and came across “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden. That HAD to be our song. It had so much significance. So, naturally I had that song on repeat all day every day leading up to the wedding. I met with our DJ, Nick, about a week before the wedding to go over the timeline of songs and dances. He asked if we wanted to share our first dance with our bridal party. I said no, but in that moment, it hit me like, we should share it with Josiah and Noah. It relates to them as well. So, I was happy that we could share that moment with them. I slow dance with the boys when we’re home all of the time. It was even more special to have them dance with their mom and dad on their wedding day!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? I would say to not let anyone dictate how you want YOUR day to go. There will be opinions, some good, some, ehhhh. Ultimately, it is important to have your day the way that you want it. This also includes the opinions of parents. We all love our parents, and cherish what they have to say, BUT sometimes their ideas don’t line up with ours. It’s okay to hear people out, but don’t let anyone make you feel like your ideas are not good enough. Marriage advice is to always be your partners shoulder to lean on. Disagreements may happen, but never forget why you chose to be with each other. Keep love in your heart at all times, no matter how hard things get sometimes. Eat, dance, laugh, pray, and play together!

Vendors:
Event Venue: Brigalias
Transportation: Bella Limousine
Invitation Designer: Invitations by Dawn
Cake Designer: Country Sweets Bakery Shoppe
Makeup Artist: MakeMeUpAriel
Hair Stylist: Amy Jackson
Officiant: Aaliyah
Jewelry: Kay Jewelers
Groomsman Attire: Men’s Warehouse
Bridesmaid Dresses: The Dessy Group
Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Men’s Warehouse
Dress Store: Kay Bridal
DJ: Time of Your Life Entertainment
Floral Designer: Upscale Flowers by Thomas
Cinema and Video: Happy Tears Productions
Photographer: Serena Star Photography