1. Real Weddings

Alyssa & Vincent: An Outdoor Wedding in Rye, NY

After exchanging waterside vows, Alyssa Carrera and Vincent Messina hosted an autumn gala with a sea glass-green theme on the Long Island Sound. The

After exchanging waterside vows, Alyssa Carrera and Vincent Messina hosted an autumn gala with a sea glass-green theme on the Long Island Sound. The Bride Alyssa Carrera, 33, social worker The Groom Vincent Messina, 35, investments The Date September 24 It was love the first time NYU grad student Alyssa Carrera and New Jersey-transplant Vincent Messina met in 2002 -- a year later they moved in together and after a little more than a year, he proposed. “Vince set up a picnic dinner in our apartment with candlelight, rose petals, checkered tablecloth, all of my favorite foods, and a bottle of Dom Perignon,” says Alyssa of the Independence Day proposal. After proposing on bended knee, Vincent took Alyssa up to the roof deck to watch the fireworks over Manhattan.

It just so happened that Alyssa and Vincent chose a too-large venue for their 100-person party. “The enormous tent could accommodate up to 250 people, so with our small guest list, we could really be comfortable,” says Alyssa. “We set up a lounge and spread the tables out so no one was near the speakers.” It also left plenty of room on the dance floor for guests to truly let loose. “The size of the venue also let us be flexible with the table sizes, which cut down on a lot of seating stress,” says Alyssa. “We just decided who should sit with whom, and put them at a table that fit them. Some guests were at tables at 8, some were at 10, some had 12. Everyone sat with people they knew and no one felt squeezed in.”
Alyssa’s bouquet was a dome of white roses surrounded by green hydrangea and shiny lemon leaves.
Each table was covered with bright aqua tablecloths that were softened with a white overlay. Candles, antique flatware, platinum-trimmed china, and silver pedestal bowls filled with the couple’s flowers completed the look.
Alyssa used the sea-glass colors of aqua and pale green throughout the wedding -- bridesmaid dresses, favors, flowers, pens for the Polaroid-picture-filled guest book -- she even sprinkled blue and green sea glass throughout the room to pick up light from the 200 votive candles.
The Ceremony
The four bridesmaid dresses were particularly color-drenched: Two ladies wore chartreuse-colored dresses, while the other two attendants wore aqua-colored dresses.
Alyssa designed the wedding cake herself and was delighted to see her vision brought to life. Three stacked square tiers of red velvet cake were covered with cream-cheese icing. The confection was decorated to match her dress exactly, with a satin ribbon detail and embroidery on the center tier. “At the last minute, our caterer decided the top was too plain so he gathered a few of our wedding flowers and created a beautiful cascade over the top,” says Alyssa. “It was an incredible cake—people are still talking about it.”
Alyssa wore a strapless white silk-satin gown with a beaded bodice and train. “I was lucky enough to meet the designer, Anne Barge, at a trunk show, and she said it was as if the gown were made for me!” says Alyssa. She changed from heels into white silk espadrilles for the reception, and accessorized with a pearl and diamond choker and diamond drop earrings loaned to her by the jeweler who’d made her engagement and wedding rings. To match the high elegance of his bride, Vincent wore a three-button tuxedo with a wing-collar pleated shirt, black tie, and cummerbund.