Julia Senerth and Chris Brady got engaged in the midst of Senerth's terrible migraine, which left her briefly without peripheral vision
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Chris Brady had a great idea for a wedding proposal. It was thoughtful, romantic, and original.
And it almost left his fiancee blind.
When he first started dating Julia Senerth, a 27 year-old coordinator for the Concerts Department at ICM Partners, they had taken a trip to Dorsett, Vt., for a weekend at a bed and breakfast. During their trip, they found a place called The Cheese House in nearby Arlington.
"We just couldn't stop laughing about the name," said Brady a 27 year-old program manager for the department of Cell Biology at Rutgers NJMS. (He's also in the Rutgers Flex MBA program.). "They don't do anything special, they just sell cheese, but it became an inside joke."
Brady decided this would be the scene of his proposal. So he made up an elaborate story of how he wanted to visit a friend in New Hampshire. He set everything up perfectly -- even getting a local restaurant to make the same lobster dinner they had previously the year before, and even though lobster was out of season.
However, things did not get go as planned for the two.
"I got sick the day of the trip," Senerth said. "I had a migraine, and 30 minutes in it just started getting incredibly worse."
"We pulled up to The Cheese House, and she wouldn't get out of the car she was so sick," Brady recalled. "Then a freight train rolled past, and she felt even worse."
Brady eventually convinced Senerth to get out of the car and come into the store. He led Senerth to the back of the store in order to propose.
"He started talking, and it just sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown," Senerth said.
Senerth was initially confused at what was happening, but when she realized what was happening, she said yes.
And then she temporarily lost her peripheral vision.
Brady began looking up hospitals, but soon the two decided that maybe some rest would help. Luckily Senerth's vision returned, and the two were able to properly celebrate.
And to think this unforgettable, almost tragic, moment would never have happened if it the fates -- or at least their schedules -- aligned just a bit differently.
It was December 2012, and Senerth, an avid concert-goer, had tickets to a Hurricane Sandy benefit headlined by Sleigh Bells, The Antlers, Grizzly Bear, and the Cults at New York's Terminal 5. She had assembled her usual concert-going squad to come with her, but as fate (and Brady's luck) would have it, everyone bailed. Senerth was stuck with no one to go with, and began calling and messaging everyone she knew to see if they could make it. No one could.
Then someone suggested she reach out to an old classmate of hers from Johns Hopkins, Brady. Senerth and Brady had known each other in college, but were never the closest of friends. So Senerth messaged Brady, and he just happened to be free that night.
For Brady, the connection was instantaneous.
"I was flooded with feelings I didn't realize I had for her," said Brady. "A couple weeks later, we met up to spend New Year's Eve together with some friends in Washington D.C. I stole a kiss from her at midnight, and that's when I knew she was the one."
The two began a long distance relationship -- Brady was living in New Jersey while Senerth was in D.C.
"I knew he was the one for me after he spent so much time and energy and effort getting to know me long distance," said Senerth, 27, who works as "He was always a tough nut to crack in college, so I realized early on how much he was letting me in, and how much he was putting himself out there. So I followed suit, and we became extremely close very quickly because we were all in very early on."
The Wedding Date
The couple decided upon New Year's Eve for their wedding date because of the fun associated with the night.
"We wanted to throw an awesome party for ourselves, and also for our loved ones," Senerth said.
Photos from the wedding of Julia Senerth and Chris Brady, at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, Dec. 31, 2015. (Photo by Nolan Conway) The Venue
Brady and Senerth decided to have their ceremony at Saint Peter the Apostle University and Community Parish in New Brunswick.
The couple kept the reception in New Brunswick, basing it at The Heldrich hotel down the road.
"We chose a place where people could come, check in, enjoy the ceremony, and the reception and then, most importantly, not have to try to catch a cab on New Year's Eve," Senerth said. "The fireworks at midnight off the hotel roof were the icing on the cake."
What They Splurged On
It's no surprise that a couple who met at a concert spent the most money on the music for every aspect of their two-day event.
They hired VS Music 4u, a string trio, to perform all the music at the church (including an instrumental version of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" during the wedding party's processional), and then at the cocktail hour at The Heldrich. DJ Marvl, from Scratch Weddings, who has spun at clubs in New York and Vegas, laid down the tunes for the reception, including a special 30-minute set of indie rock and pop requested by the bride. The next morning The Cody Rowlands Quintet, a group consisting of an acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, and a horn and sax section brought a tinge of N'Awlins to the jazz brunch.
Where They Saved
The couple saved a few bucks on their wedding favors, which Brady designed himself. The favors were beer koozies that featured a drawing of the couple's cat, Mr. Kitty, on it. Mr. Kitty had already made a cameo on the couples' wedding save-the-date cards, and the two could not leave her out of their ceremony.
Photos from the wedding ceremony of Julia Senerth and Chris Brady, at St. Peter's church in New Brunswick, Dec. 31, 2015. (Photo by Nolan Conway) How They Made Their Wedding Special
Having a wedding on New Year's Eve is pretty special. Stopping the wedding to take the wedding party outside for a fireworks display is also special too. And a New Orleans jazz brunch isn't too shabby either.
However, it was something more personal to Senerth that made their wedding special.
"All our centerpieces were personalized," Senerth said. "We decided on a Dutch Still Life theme for our wedding so each table was different with antiques and special effects from friends and loved ones placed special at each table."
The inspiration came to Senerth during a trip to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., that she, her mom, and her sister had taken five years earlier.
"We had 200-year-old ships in a bottle, medals of service, and an antique milk glass," Senerth said. "I felt like everyone got their own little experience -- every table was a different adventure."
Most Memorable Moments
The two-day event was packed with memorable moments for the couple, and for their guests.
One moment guests got a huge kick out of happened when the wedding party entered the ballroom at The Heldrich decked out in New Year's Eve glasses and hats. They passed out hats, noisemakers, glasses and various party favors to guests while the DJ spun Sufjan Stevens' epic 25-minute song, "Impossible Soul" -- a song Senerth and Brady were "obsessed" with for years.
Another came in the church when a few of the babies of the family came down the aisle holding a sign saying, "Here Comes Your Bride." Unfortunately, there was a bit of a meltdown down on the aisle, as the first little one stopped, and plopped down in the aisle. Tears soon followed. A second child completely lost track of where she had to go and just started wandering aimlessly. The oldest of the children, with the help of an adult, wrangled her, and the two made it down the aisle.
According to Brady, this was a definite relief from the overwhelming emotion of waiting to see Senerth come down the aisle.
"I had this surreal sense of calm," she said. "I kept staring at Chris, and I didn't worry about tripping, or crying, or laughing down the aisle."
At the ceremony, the music helped create the most memorable moments.
"My favorite part of the reception was the entrance -- we were very successful in breaking the ice with the guests and pulling everyone on the dance floor to one of our favorite songs, Senerth said.
For Brady, he had two very memorable moments.
The first was the homily provided by his childhood priest, Father Bill Collins, who came to New Brunswick to perform the ceremony. "He gave a great piece of advice in his homily," Brady said. "Don't let the sun set on your anger."
But his favorite part was the exchange of vows. "I never felt so happy as I did looking into Julia's beautiful blue eyes as we committed ourselves to one another."
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