Nikki & Jon’s Love Story

1) How did you and your husband first meet?

• My husband Jon and I first met at Cornell University, while we were both studying for our undergraduate degrees. We met during our sophomore year and were close friends until the summer prior to our senior year. It was then that we decided that we wanted to be more than friends!

2) What was your first impression of him and what was your first date? 

• I was immediately impressed by Jon’s humor, and his amazing smile – he has an incredible way of always being able to make me laugh! He was also a viticulture and enology major in college (wine-making and grape-growing) when we met, with dreams of opening his own winery and vineyard one day. So that certainly provided an excellent first impression as well! Our first date was at a small restaurant and brewery in the town of Ithaca, NY where we went to school at the time.

3) How did you decide on a venue? Did it have special meaning to you? 

• We are so incredibly happy that we decided on RedBarn20 Windridge Estate in Cazenovia, NY for our venue! Jon and I both grew up and fell in love in Central New York, so we  knew that we wanted to have a venue that would represent the beauty of the Finger Lakes. We loved that our venue had beautiful restored barns for the festivities, but also an extensive property with fire-pits, lawn games and gorgeous views for our guests to enjoy. RedBarn20 is stunning and absolutely perfect – we would not have changed a thing!

4) What was the one thing you absolutely needed on your wedding day and why? 

• One of the biggest “must-haves” for our wedding day was the band! We absolutely love the energy and atmosphere that a band brings to the reception!

5) How did you decide on Night Shift Entertainment? 

• Due to the fact that one of our biggest priorities when planning was a band, we started doing some research shortly after we got engaged. My Dad is originally from a small town outside of Boston, so he began doing some research with bands in that area when he stumbled across NSE. We were all immediately so impressed by the extremely talented musicians in the demo videos, and by the kindness and responsiveness of their team. We are SO glad that we decided on NSE! Highline helped to make our wedding so memorable, and we are so honored to have had them as such a special part of our day!

6) How was the planning process for you? 

• Unfortunately, I was finishing up my graduate school program while planning our wedding, so that was occasionally a bit stressful! Jon, our parents and siblings were incredibly supportive and helped with tasks that needed to be done when I wasn’t able. Other than that, the planning process was fairly smooth! We were blessed to have a fabulous venue who made many wonderful recommendations for vendors, which was incredibly helpful. As such, we were fortunate enough to have vendors who had worked together before, which also helped reduce the stress of the planning process immensely!

7) How did you pick your first song?

• My Dad has a love for music and was a very talented saxophone player for much of his life. Growing up, my family and I would spend a great deal of time listening to some of his favorite records – many of which were classics and standards. One of my favorites was always Time After Time – the Nancy Wilson rendition. When we got engaged, my Dad and I played many of those standards for my fiancé who immediately fell in love with the song and the lyrics, too!

8) Now that you are happily married, if you could do your wedding all over again, what would you do differently?

• The two weeks before the wedding were a little overwhelming, as we were trying to pull the final details together. If we were to do the process over again, I would try to focus a little less on those overwhelming moments. Regardless of all of the little details, it will be beyond perfect and special with or without them! Your day is about the love you have for your partner and those there to share and celebrate in that love with you.

9) Any advice for future brides? Anything you wish you knew that you would have known before your big day?