Hello there
Nicole and Jerry met in the summer of 2001, when both worked at the movie theater near Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem. Jerry, who is from Philadelphia's Port Richmond neighborhood, was 20 and a business-management student at Community College of Philadelphia. Nicole, from Langhorne, was 17, and a recent graduate of Nazareth Academy High School.
They got to know each other a bit better after Nicole turned 18 - old enough to become a projectionist. That was Jerry's job, too. Then both joined the theater's softball team. "We hit it off right away and became good friends," Nicole said. Late that August, the couple went on their first date - at the movie theater. "We went to the movie Summer Catch," Nicole remembered. "It was a really crappy movie, but I liked Freddie Prinze Jr., and [Jerry] is a baseball fan." Yes, their coworkers spied on them.
How does forever sound?
Jerry, now 28, loves sports, especially hockey. Last year, Jerry was the general manager for the Danbury, Conn., Mad Hatters. He does sports announcing for local teams, and his clients have included high school baseball teams in Bucks County and the Valley Forge Freedom hockey team.
In December 2006, Nicole, who is now 25, was home on break from her first year of law school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (She has since transferred to Villanova and will take the bar in August.) Jerry suggested they go see the Trenton Devils game. Nicole was less than enthusiastic. Her usually considerate and responsible boyfriend had already stood her up that week, having never showed at a group outing. And now he wanted to spend their limited time together at a hockey game? "I was giving him a hard time," she said. But eventually, she gave in.
They were in the car when Jerry started looking for his wallet, then announced he didn't have it. "We have to go back," he told her. Now she was really frustrated and annoyed.
When they got to the house, he ran upstairs. When he came back downstairs, it was not his wallet in his hand, but an engagement ring. The night he stood her up? He was at the jeweler's.
It was so them
Jerry and Nicole gathered their friends and large Italian (Nicole) and Polish (Jerry) families for a traditional Catholic service and a reception for 200. "My dad is one of eight kids," Nicole said. "I have an uncle in Indiana and one in California, and the wedding was the first time in 18 years that all eight of them were together in the same room with my grandparents. It made Grandma and Grandpa's entire year."
In homage to the place their love began, the couple named the tables after famous romantic movies: Casablanca, Gone With the Wind and, of course, The Philadelphia Story.
At the reception, Jerry dedicated Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love With You" to his new wife. "The lyrics describe how I feel about her," he said.
nolead begins
This didn't happen at rehearsal
During the practice run, even during the photos shot before the ceremony, Jerry wore a smile on his face. But when Nicole walked down the aisle, "he was crying," she said. "It surprised me that he cried as bad as he did."
Awestruck
That tearful moment meant a lot to the groom. "The second she turned up the aisle, I lost it. I just started bawling my eyes out," he said. "I'd been waiting many years for her" to take that walk.
It was a private time in the middle of the crowd that did it for Nicole. They had just finished their first dance. "We had a sweetheart table for just the two of us," she said. "I remembered getting advice to take a minute, sit with my husband, and take it all in. We looked at each other, we looked around the room. It was a nice moment."
Discretionary spending
A bargain: The invitations and programs. Jerry's aunt works for a printing company, and they got nicely styled programs for less than $1 each. For their invitations, the couple bought the paper and other supplies at craft stores and online. They were printed at a local shop, but everything else, from design to pocket folds and inserts, was DIY. "It cost us about $750," Nicole said. "To buy them would have been twice that."
The splurge: A candy buffet. The couple kept costs down by buying apothecary jars at discount stores and making their own labels. And hey, there are a lot of red and gold heart-shaped treats on sale for a post-Valentine's Day wedding. Jerry and Nicole treated their guests to 100 pounds of sweet treats. Including supplies, they spent between $500 and $600.
The getaway
Twelve days in Paris, Barcelona, and Amsterdam.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Officiants
The Rev. James Callahan, pastor of Christ the King Church, Philadelphia, and Father Rene Barczak, of Archbishop Ryan High School, Philadelphia
Venues
Ceremony, Christ the King Reception, Ballroom at the Ben Franklin Hotel, Philadelphia
Catering
Finley Catering, Philadelphia
Photography
Jerry Tomko of Gerard Tomko Photography, Hatboro
Dress
David's Bridal, Feasterville
Invitations
DIY
Planner
Eliza Savage of Perfect Weddings, Philadelphia