1. Real Weddings

Allyson & David: An Outdoor Wedding in Jensen Beach, FL

It was New Year's Day, 1999, and Allyson Blumenthal allowed herself to be coaxed into going to see a band in New York's Greenwich Village. I was sort

It was New Year's Day, 1999, and Allyson Blumenthal allowed herself to be coaxed into going to see a band in New York's Greenwich Village. I was sort of hung over, says the freelance photography coordinator, and meeting guys could not have been further from my mind. We're talking no makeup and a big, baggy sweater.... But at the club, her eye was drawn to the cute guy across the room. I became fixated, she admits. David Fortney Jr.'s friends alerted him to the attractive young woman who was staring at him, and their eyes met. We had no choice but to say hello, says Ally, and it was the strangest thing. In ten minutes he had his arm around me, and we felt like we had known each other forever. We decided to leave our friends and spend time together. We literally stayed up all night, talking -- it was completely innocent. THE BRIDE Allyson Blumenthal, 30, freelance photography coordinator THE GROOM David Fortney Jr., 30, salesman for family's appliance business THE DATE February 17 The day after the couple met, Dave left to go home to Florida, and Allyson was left to wonder, Did this really happen? She had sent Dave off with a Polaroid picture of herself, with her phone number written below. He called a few days later. A long-distance relationship ensued. The couple sent over 300 email letters back and forth, all of which Allyson has saved. Three weeks later she visited him in Florida, and in a matter of months the New York girl was living in the Sunshine State. David proposed on the beach exactly one year from the date they first met, and Allyson was so excited she didn't let him finish talking before she said, Yes!

The Couple
Allyson and her staff of friends and family spent most of the morning getting ready for the 3:30 p.m. ceremony. The couple exchanged their vows on the beach, beneath an arch of flowers. The bride's family is Jewish, the groom's Presbyterian. They and their Humanist minister designed a ceremony that was a patchwork of rituals from several different religions. A friend played an acoustic version of the Dave Matthews Band song Crash, and when it was time for Allyson to take her vows, she shouted, I do!
Although she was a Florida girl now, Ally didn't want to skip a certain beloved New York wedding tradition: a trip to Kleinfeld's, the famous bridal gown emporium in Brooklyn. New York stylist and pal Sarah VanderHill made sure that Allyson didn't miss out on her moment. She hired a car service to take them both out to Brooklyn (with champagne to sip on the way), and arrived bearing a little bouquet of flowers for Allyson, with a note attached that said, Happy Gown Shopping. The dress that Allyson ended up falling in love with was by Marisa, and it was perfect for the beach wedding. Something about wearing that dress made me want to play, comments Allyson. She wore it with chunky Steve Madden shoes -- when she was wearing shoes at all.
The Couple
The Reception Decor
The Couple
Jensen Beach is a quiet stretch of paradise, with a relaxed, shorts-and-T-shirts sensibility. Colonies of charming cottage hotels line the beaches, and the couple decided that the area would be the perfect place for their New York and Florida crowds to mingle for a long weekend. Allyson created a series of celebrations from scratch in a setting that did not come wedding-ready. All I started with, laughs the bride, was some grass and a tiki hut.
It was a great party. A high-energy blues band kept everyone dancing; and the caterer kept everyone well fed on a menu that included Cajun blackfish and Dijon pork. As night fell, the tiki torches were lit, and the twinkly lights that Ally had strung began to sparkle. A very brief rain shower served only to bring everyone into the tiki hut and onto the dance floor, where guests could dance with cardboard cutouts in place of friends who couldn't come to the wedding.
The couple chose a four-tier confection, all different flavors with various fillings, decorated with white chocolate seashells and topped with sugar palm trees. Ally was looking forward to the cake so much that she ate the first bite herself, before she remembered and shared a forkful with David.