An Eclectic Jersey Shore Wedding on The Asbury Rooftop

Nikky Pesce (27 and a paralegal) and Sam Kohler (28 and in marketing) may have moved to the West Coast, but they knew they had to   return to the Jersey Shore for their wedding. “We’ve spent almost all our summers together down the Shore, so getting married there seemed like a perfect fit,” Nikky says. “Plus, we wanted our California friends to experience the Shore we know and love.” The famed Stone Pony inspired the gray and black color palette, and Jersey favorites made an appearance throughout the day, like a sausage-and-pepper sandwich station and, of course, Taylor ham and cheese sliders.
“The view from the rooftop of The Asbury meant that we didn’t have to do much,” Nikky says. Although, they did add a balloon arch at the last minute.
Nikky hand painted a faux-leather jacket, which she threw over her simple sheath gown and topped the look off with a solitaire diamond necklace repurposed from her grandmother’s engagement ring. The couple had an eclectic playlist of personalized tunes, including pop punk, appropriate for Bruce Springsteen’s beloved town. Nikky walked up the aisle to Karen O’s “Ooo,” the two recessed to “Daylight” by Matt and Kim, and they entered the reception to blink-182’s “The Rock Show.”
The couple’s chocolate chip cake had cannoli filling, fitting for their Italian-American backgrounds.
Nikky and Sam swayed to a particularly sentimental version of Bright Eyes’s “First Day of My Life.” “One of our best friends sang and played guitar,” Nikky says. “We did something called ‘mini meals,’ where our caterer made smaller versions of large meals and had them passed through dinner,” Nikky says. Options included filet mignon over portabella-infused mashed potatoes, penne vodka and sautéed shrimp à la provençale over risotto Milanese.