The Event: This was more than just a marriage of two people. It was about 4 people becoming a family. I lost my first husband, the father to my two young daughters (Sofia, age 8, and Victoria, age 6), to cancer back in November of 2014. When I started dating again, I wanted to find someone who would not only be an amazing partner for me, but also a great role model for my girls. The thing that I cherish most about Todd is how he has so much love not only for me, but for my daughters…since the very early days of our relationship, he has fit so naturally into our little family…the girls will always have their “papa” in heaven, but now they have a “dad” here on Earth as well. Because this was such a personal event for the four of us, we decided to have a private ceremony at our favorite family destination.

The venue: We got married at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia. This was the perfect venue for our marriage, as it has become an annual tradition for my daughters and me to have a family vacation there in the summer.

We’ll never forget: Since this ceremony was about the four of us becoming a family, we wanted to fully-integrate Sofia and Victoria into the ceremony. We had a Jewish ceremony under a beautiful Huppah on the edge of the marsh at The Cloister, with a few twists. The girls were the official witnesses on the Ketubah (the traditional Jewish marriage contract), and instead of the bride circling the groom seven times (known as the “Circling Ceremony” in Jewish weddings)the four of us circled seven times together to create our new family. The Rabbi embraced and blessed all of us, while also reminding the girls that their “papa” was watching down on all of us with love…it was a very special ceremony.

The cake: Coconut buttercream, our favorite! The four of us cut it together.

The personal touch: For our “reception,” we had a very special “chef’s tasting” dinner in the kitchen at the Georgian Room, the only 5-Star restaurant in the entire state of Georgia. The head chef, Aaron Bellizzi, who recently joined the Georgian Room from Eleven Madison Park in New York City, prepared an exquisite 10 course meal for us, with wine pairings. Prior to every course, he, along with the sommelier and other members of his kitchen team, told us a beautiful story about the meal, its ingredients and the preparation. It was undoubtedly the best dining experience Todd and I have ever had.
The proposal: Todd proposed not only to me, but to my daughters as well, in March of this year. We were on a cruise for spring break. On the first night of the cruise, he pulled out a beautiful ring, and asked my daughters and me to marry him and become a family.

The first time you met: We “met” via Facebook, where we had some friends in common. After texting for more than a month, we met in person at Soyka, where we had our first date in July of 2018. We both knew on that first date that something incredibly special was upon us. In fact, on the way home, I called my sister (as I did after every first date, LOL!); upon hearing my account of how great our date was, she said, “You are going to marry this guy.” I guess she was right!