In Brides of Long Island’s Monthly “Mrs.” series, we profile some of our members’ unforgettable weddings. This month, we spoke with Briana Juliano about the day she couldn’t stop smiling – her wedding day!
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
For BOLI Briana Juliano, her love story with her now-husband Cladio started over 20 years ago. Though the timing was off in 1999, the timing was just right for their beautiful July 3, 2022 wedding at Sunset Harbour, a Brides of Long Island Preferred Vendor.
Teenage Flirtation
Briana says she and Cladio met when they were 14 years old. “We were friends and kind of interested, but the timing wasn’t right. And then we went our separate ways. And then reconnected at age 34/35,” she says.
They started officially dating in 2019, and a year later, Cladio proposed on the same street where they met as teenagers. “The street we met on in Center Moriches has a gazebo on a canal,” she explains. “He’s a bass guitar player. He composed a song and proposed with that.”
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
MORE: 3 of the biggest wedding myths busted
A Wedding Close to Home
With COVID restrictions in 2020, Briana says she and Cladio waited to start their wedding planning. In Spring of 2021, they started to look at some venues, but immediately fell in love with Sunset Harbour. “It is actually right down the street from where I grew up – where my grandparents live, which was pretty cool.” She adds that as a child, they would always walk down to the marina, but had no idea it was a wedding venue. “We basically fell in love with it. They redid the whole place. It’s bright, light and airy,” she says. “It was perfect and the budget was awesome.” They booked Sunset Harbour right away for their July 3, 2022 wedding.
Smooth Planning
The planning process for Briana and Cladio was pretty simple. “They had a package at Sunset,” she says. She looked over all of the preferred vendors at Sunset, and of course, looked at their reviews on BOLI, to find the perfect ones. The most important vendors for her? “Finding a good officiant was important because we really didn’t want the traditional, stuffy wedding ceremony.” She adds that music was really important to Cladio – since he’s a music guy. “We had to make sure we had a good selection of things we wanted to play, but also things that other people would enjoy.”
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
What made the process even easier was a bridal expo at Sunset Harbour. Not only was she able to meet with all of the vendors at one time, she was able to schedule appointments with them on the spot. And she and Cladio were also able to sample the food!
As far as her bouquets, Briana says she read a review on BOLI about wood bouquets. She had seen a flash sale online, and thought she’d give the wood bouquets a try. “When I got them, they were really nice!” She adds that it was really hard to tell they weren’t real.
MORE: 8 Unique Bouquet Ideas That Aren’t Flowers
Briana says she also found her hair and makeup artist through BOLI.
When it came down to the final few months before her wedding, Brianna says she made sure to get all of her vendor appointments taken care of and done way in advance. “My last vendor appointment, besides handing in final paperwork, was definitely done by the end of May,” she says. “That way, I gave myself a month and a half, just in case something came up, I’d have a little wiggle room.”
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
Smiling From Ear to Ear
Briana says the day of her wedding, she had a smile on her face the whole time. “I enjoyed every second of it.” From the ceremony with Rev. Bill, a Brides of Long Island preferred vendor, to the packed dance floor, Briana says it really was the best day ever. “I enjoyed it. I danced. I had a blast.”
According to Briana, Rev. Bill was the perfect choice for their officiant. He does a completely customized ceremony based on the couples he’s marrying, she says. He also reaches out to friends and family members to get their stories. “He just creates a completely custom ceremony with a little bit of humor, which was important. He had people crying and laughing,” she says. “It was really really awesome.”
A moment that stands out to Briana? “When we had first started dating, Cladio had written me a song on his bass and recorded it,” she explains. “I saved it, and I snuck it to the DJ, Long Island Sound, a Brides of Long Island preferred vendor, to play when I was walking down the aisle. And he had no idea. That was really cool, because he wasn’t expecting it at all.”
Another moment? When they honored her 105-year-old grandmother with her favorite song, “Mack the Knife.” “She wheeled out to the dance floor and had a blast!”
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
Plan Ahead
What’s the best piece of advice to give to the BOLI community? “Plan ahead!” Briana says. “Get all of your vendor meetings done as far in advance as you possibly can, just so you can relax a little bit before.” She adds that with so much going on, it can get overwhelming in the weeks leading up to your wedding, so the planning ahead helps ease that stress. “It makes life a lot easier.”
(Photo courtesy of Life Art Photographers)
MORE: After it was over, I realized the small stuff didn’t matter
Vendors:
Venue: Sunset Harbour, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Photographer: Life Art Photographers, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
DJ: Long Island Sound, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Florist: Flowers by Floyd Harbor
Bouquets: Sola Wood
Invitations: Stylishwedd
Hair: Jesella Beauty
Makeup: Cassandra Stanco Makeup Artist
Officiant: Rev. Bill Schulhoff, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Dress: Paradise Bridal
Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse
Check out the BOLI store for some bride swag this fall.