In Brides of Long Island’s Monthly “Mrs.” series, we profile some of our members’ unforgettable weddings. This month, we spoke with BOLI Evelin Crespo about how she had to make quick decisions to plan her wedding.
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
Evelin and Jonathan met in their senior year at Stony Brook University. Three years later, in February of 2020, Jonathan proposed during a trip to Aruba. Three weeks later, everything shut down. Evelin was new to the Brides of Long Island group, but she was on it every day, reading about everyone’s situations and postponed weddings. The excitement of their engagement wore off quickly, and as Evelin says, “At that point, I just did not want to plan a wedding.” She adds that she and Jonathan took whatever money they were saving and bought a house instead.
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Change of Heart
Evelin says since she never got engagement photos, she had an idea in June 2021. “I was looking for a photographer that does elopement-style photos, because I thought we were just going to elope or go to town hall,” she says. However, after the engagement shoot, their families and friends kept inquiring when the wedding was. “I felt like the pressure was on,” Evelin says. With her cousin’s destination wedding the next month, and the start of grad school in September, Evelin and Jonathan made a decision to plan their wedding – in six months! “I didn’t really care what season I got married in, but I figured a winter wedding in January would be perfect, right in between my semesters.”
Before they traveled to the Dominican Republic for her cousin’s wedding, Evelin and Jonathan toured a few venues and fell in love with Insignia, a BOLI preferred vendor. “We loved how different it was,” she says.
“We wanted something small, intimate and non-traditional. We chose Insignia right away.”
And it helped that they had three weekends available in January, so they settled on a day wedding on Jan. 15, 2022.
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
The Pressure Is On
After choosing Insignia, Evelin set out to find the rest of her vendors. She says Insignia recommended their house DJ, Top Tier Entertainment, so that was an easy decision. She adds that after meeting with their first photographer, Silverfox Studios, a BOLI preferred vendor, she was impressed, so she booked them right away.
“I was the opposite of a bridezilla,” says Evelin. “I wanted to get everything secured before I started school because I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of free time.”
She was even planning during her cousin’s wedding – sending out emails to get appointments to find a dress! She says the hardest vendor to book was hair and makeup, as many had limited availability. After a bad makeup trial, she scrambled to find someone else. And with two rescheduled makeup trials with her new vendor, Naturally by Nikki, she finally booked it in November – “literally two months before the wedding.”
Makeup wasn’t the only thing that she booked close to her wedding date, though. “Video, we added in a week before the wedding,” Evelin says. She explains that even though she was on the fence the whole time, it was always in the back of her head. “I thought it was worth it, if I kept bringing it up.” Ultimately, she looked up wedding videos that were filmed at Insignia, reached out to HAK Weddings, and booked them a week before the wedding.
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
No Time For Indecisiveness
Evelin says that despite being very indecisive person, planning a wedding in six months helped her make important decisions quickly. But how did she do it with all of the amazing vendors on Long Island? “If we had a good phone call or I had a good email, that’s how I would decide that we would book them.”
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She adds that since she didn’t have a vision for her wedding, that made making the decisions easier too. She decided to go for really minimalistic when it came to décor – most of her signs were in black and white with touches of gold. And for centerpieces, instead of flowers, she got candles with greenery draped around then.
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
Just a Look & a Dance to Relax
The day of her wedding, Evelin says she and Jonathan were really nervous. But once they saw each other during their first look, they felt a huge sense of relief. “I don’t think I was nervous for the ceremony after that,” says Evelin. They chose to say their own vows with Brenda Santana, from the Church of Ancient Ways, a BOLI preferred vendor, serving as an officiant. “It felt very personal because we asked for a bilingual ceremony. She was able to do that for us, and everything flowed really nicely,” says Evelin.
Her favorite part of the day? Their first dance! Evelin says she didn’t want their first dance to be awkward, so they practiced a little bit beforehand. “When we were doing it, it felt really nice.” Then, she says, “We tried to do a jump, like “Dirty Dancing!” It failed, but it was so fun and everyone loved it!” Evelin says the first dance, to “Conversations in the Dark” by John Legend, was the perfect start to their wedding day.
MORE: 5 reasons why you should choreograph your first dance
After that, everything went smoothly. She says Frankie the MC was amazing. She explained during planning that she wanted a big party with everyone dancing. And Frankie delivered, as she says they never got off the dance floor.
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
Just Go For It
Whether it’s booking your favorite vendor, or deciding if something is worth it, or even a crazy first dance move, Evelin says brides should just go for it. “If you’re on the fence [about anything], it is something that is important to you.”
Evelin also says it’s important for brides to really be present during their big day. “I just feel like it’s important for brides to really just soak in every moment of the day.” She adds that brides should consider a day wedding, especially if your favorite venue has the date you want available.
Now the question is, would Evelin recommend planning a wedding in six months? “If you’re indecisive like me, it helps you make decisions quicker,” she says. However, she adds that if you have a dream vendor, it could make planning in a short amount of time more difficult. But, if you don’t have a vision or are planning in the off season, Evelin says planning in six months wasn’t bad at all. “I love how my wedding turned out; I wouldn’t change anything.”
(Courtesy of Silverfox Studios)
Vendors:
Venue: Insignia, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Photographers: Silverfox Studios – Anthony & Harley, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
DJ/MC: Top Tier Entertainment – Frankie & DJ Mr. NiceNess
Videographer: HAK Weddings
Florist: Little White Florist – Christine Shaver
Hair & Makeup: Naturally By Nikki
Hair for bridal party: Haircreationsbycrystal
Cake: Dortoni Bakery (Commack)
Cake Pops: Alley Cakes (from Facebook)
Dress: Max Bridal
Limo: Cruise Control
Neon Sign: Amazon
Copper Arch: Vintage Roots
Officiant : Brenda Santana from the Church of Ancient Ways, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Take a break from your own wedding planning, and check out the BOLI Store!