A Special Surprise at The Lucy!

David and Danielle had a beautiful fall wedding at The Lucy on October 9, 2021. As the leaves were changing colors, Danielle was changing her last name. Little did Danielle know, she was also about to experience an extra memorable surprise that evening….

How did you meet?

“Danielle and I met back in 2009 at a fraternity party when we both attended Villanova University, her a senior and me a junior. We dated throughout the year but parted ways at graduation, with Danielle moving back to California and me remaining in Philadelphia. The two of us never lost touch over the years, trying to make it work long distance multiple times while we were in respective grad school programs and building our careers. In 2018, Danielle reached out on Christmas day and everything clicked again – we had reached many of the life and career goals we set for ourselves and realized the only things missing were each other. We did distance for a year and then I moved to San Diego to be together finally…and now we’re married!”

How did the proposal happen?

“I proposed to Danielle at our favorite spot in our new city – in the dunes in front of the Hotel Del Coronado. When we did distance for a year prior to me moving to California, we couldn’t decide where we wanted to settle when we moved. During a visit, Danielle brought us to San Diego and a quick visit to Coronado sealed the deal for me. We fell in love with the place and I knew that it would always be special for us. During the pandemic, we would sit in the same spot in the dunes and picnic – it became our oasis where we could tune out all the craziness in the world and just watch the waves and be in the moment. It’s at that spot I proposed, 10 years in the making, with family watching in the distance.”

Why did you choose a Cescaphe Wedding?

“We chose a Cescaphe wedding because we knew from our time in Philly that they create such an incredible wedding experience – the venues are incredible, the food is unbeatable and they provide a full service that makes your day perfect, which was exactly what we needed when planning from the opposite coast.”

What was your favorite part about wedding planning?

“Planning an East coast wedding from the West coast during a pandemic wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but when we finally were able to safely visit Philly and meet with our Cescaphe team, we had such a great experience planning the details and envisioning how great the day would be. We felt like celebrities!”

What was your favorite part of your wedding?

“Our wedding was so special to us that it is difficult to pick a favorite part, but having not seen many of our friends and family for over a year due to the pandemic made having everyone on the dance floor even more memorable, surrounded by the incredible ambience of The Lucy. Plus, when Villanova’s mascot, Will D. Cat, made an appearance, everyone really got an extra boost of excitement and flooded the dance floor – he even did the tarantella with us!”

What advice would you give to future brides and grooms?

“Everyone says it, but just breathe and try not to stress too much about having all the final pieces lined up. Take the time to be there for each other throughout planning and make sure you pause and have fun on the big day. Things will happen, just go with the flow!”

What is the story behind the Villanova Mascot?

“Villanova is such a central part of our story – it’s where we met, it’s what kept us in touch throughout the years and its church is where we always said we would get married one day. But on top of that – Danielle gets so adorably excited when she sees Will D. Cat at events like basketball games, alumni hangouts, and homecoming. Her parents knew sneaking him into the reception would be such a great surprise and we kept it secret from Danielle and our guests until the final moment. Having him catch the bouquet was a last second decision…and he pulled it off perfectly! Our photographer, Anastasia Romanova, perfectly captured Danielle’s excitement at seeing our 7 foot tall mascot holding her flowers!”