The Wedding Story of Allison and Eric Gaetano

Allison and Eric started their lifetime of romance through a chance meeting at Cincinnati’s Beerfest. Allison, going against tradition, was actually the one to approach Eric, and it's a good thing she did! The two were meant to be!

Eric took his turn being brave when it came to the proposal. Allison says, “When I came home from work, he had balloons leading from the door to the living room with pictures hanging from them, memories written on the back, and our favorite song playing in the background. When I got to the last one, it read: after all these weddings, let's have our own!" Just like that, Eric was down on one knee popping the big question!
 

Allison began the planning process by calling her church venue (she already knew which one she wanted) and secured the date! Then, she obsessed over Pinterest (just like we do here at WeddingDay) and started figuring out all the other details. Allison and Eric knew they wanted something classy and elegant—something that would stand the test of time.

 

When it came to the dress, Allison knew where to go to to find the perfect one: Splendid Bridal in the Reading Bridal district in Cincinnati. She says, “I did have a style in mind but was open to trying on others. When I started picking dresses, they told me to pick six to start with. Every dress I picked was very similar. I tried picking different styles but realized I really liked the one style.” Allison ended up choosing a Sophia Tolli dress, which fulfilled her vision of the beautiful bride she wanted to be—and ended up being!

 

The planning process was going seamlessly for Allison, until the menswear. Allison and Eric picked out some shoes and ties they really liked, but had a hard to time actually getting a hold of them. Allison says, “Every time I picked a shoe for the guys to get, we would find out it was being discontinued, or we couldn't get enough sizes for everyone. And then the ties! I found the groomsmens' ties at Macy's but they didn't have enough in the store. We spent two hours trying to order them from different stores because they weren't online.” It was ironic that the men were the hardest to dress, especially since we know how hard it can be just to dress the bride and bridesmaids!

 

A very special detail in the wedding were the earrings Allison wore. They were the same pair that her grandmother wore on her wedding day 63 years prior. Allison and her mother even recreated the photo that her grandmother took with her own mom wearing those same earrings. This was a sentimental touch that no other bride could have, as it was truly a one-of-a-kind moment.

 

Allison went above and beyond the typical bride by taking calligraphy classes. That way, she could address all of her and Eric’s invitations by hand. On top of this, she ended up making her own bouquet out of brooches. It is clear that Allison is more of the “Do-It-Yourself” kind of bride, and we are glad she is! Her skills really added some amazing touches to the wedding.

 

 

Advice from the bride

Allison says, “Prioritize what is really important to you and splurge on that. Really try to just, at some point in the day, take a moment to take it all in. It really goes so fast and almost feels like a blur.”

 

 

 

What we love

Allison and Eric had some fun at their wedding. They included a pizza bar at the end of the night for their guests, because a good slice is always needed after you spend the night dancing away!

 

 

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