Alexandra and Jason’s Wedding at Felina

Posted on January 27, 2025
By Molly Gregor

Their Story

Alexandra and Jason met on Hinge and matched in March of 2022. Alex had just gotten her 12-week-old Cavapoo puppy, Madison, one week before. Once she posted a pic on Hinge with said puppy, Alex lured Jason right on in. The fact that Alex was originally from Chicago and Jason had lived there for about four years was another early connection point.

“We texted for what felt like ages on Hinge,” Alex says. It was actually just two weeks but Alex had no patience for that, so she gave Jason her number to text for real. “We finally had our first date in Hoboken at Belo Bar on March 31, 2022,” she adds. Jason then consistently took the train or drove to meet Alex and the puppy in Hoboken, since she couldn’t leave the puppy for longer than two hours during potty-training. “On our first date, he missed two consecutive trains home because we were having too much fun together!”

Will You Marry Me?

The couple started talking about engagement rings by Spring 2023 and were planning to move in together in the late Fall when Alex’s lease was up. An amazing bigger apartment opened up in Alex’s building two months earlier than planned so they moved in together on September 26, 2023. “He proposed the very next day, about one and a half years after our first date, almost to the day,” Alex explains. “This was exactly one day after we moved in together, which was all part of his master plan.”

Jason knew he wanted both of their families present for the big day. After two months of prep and sneaking around working with Alex’s best friends and their families to make it happen, Jason’s elaborate set-up involved happy hour with her girlfriends the day after they moved in together.

But a flash flood forced him to shift the original plan of meeting friends at a bar on the Hoboken waterfront with family members holding balloons that spelled out “M-A-R-R-Y-M-E.” The proposal was instead moved to City Bistro in uptown Hoboken where the after party/celebration was already being held. Meanwhile as plans were being scrapped and salvaged last-minute, Alex was considering skipping the happy hour to avoid going out in the rain! After an extra-long nail appointment that made her late and a last-minute wardrobe change into a floral dress, Jason finally had his soon-to-be fiancé in the car and on the way to the site of the proposal.

Once at City Bistro, the couple almost walked into the private room where everyone was hiding. “We eventually turned around and entered the correct room where the MARRY ME balloons were set up along with red rose petals lining the walkway and tea-light candles making the perfect path/spot for the proposal!” Alex recalls.

“Jason hired not one, but two photographers to make sure the moment was captured perfectly and it was absolutely magic and such a surprise,” Alex adds. He also had their song “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran playing when he went down on one knee and popped the question. “Shortly after he proposed, both families burst through the door, which was another huge surprise, followed by 20 of our close friends to celebrate the rest of the evening with food and plenty of drinks,” Alex says.

Details of the Day

Their dog Madison was the theme, Alex jokingly says—although she’s not really kidding! “We incorporated our fur baby everywhere that we could,” Alex explains. “A mini figurine of her snacking on our wedding cake, cocktail napkins that said ‘Drinks on me! Love, Madison,’ our signature drinks, Madison Big Heads on the dance floor to ‘Who Let the Dogs Out,’ Madison faces at the photo booth, and of our course she was present as our Flower Dog that day.” Their colors were lipstick shades of red and pink (varying shades from blush, dusty rose to maroon) and navy blue/indigo.

The cocktail hour included a full raw bar, taco bar, Italian antipasto and charcuterie, a pizza station and passed canapés. Dinner was a choice of branzino, filet mignon or mushroom risotto. They had two signature cocktails—an espresso martini and Aperol Spritz. The cake was a chocolate cake, raspberry compote, dark-chocolate ganache, Swiss meringue buttercream with candy pearls, some matching flowers from Alex’s bouquet and a mini Madison figurine taking a bite of the cake. And instead of favors, they treated their guests to late-night sliders and fries.

The Gown

“My gown was a gorgeous ballgown with a dramatic train with buttons down the entire back,” Alex says. “It had a pointed sweatheart neckline with a slight V-neck. There was a corset waist, and I felt like an absolute princess in it! I also had a second dress, which was a similar type of dress but a mini with a dramatic, giant ‘bow’ train.”

Why Did You Choose Felina?

“We both love Italian food, are part Italian and had recently spent two weeks together in Italy, so we loved the Italian farm-to-table menu that Felina provides, especially since Felina was just named one of NJ Digest’s top 30 restaurants in New Jersey,” Alex explains. “We are big foodies, so food and cocktail hour were important to us. Felina is also very gluten-free friendly—I’m gluten-free.” They also wanted a non-traditional venue feel and loved the concept of the transformed bank space with the elevated balcony cocktail hour and the option to get married in front of the bank vault itself. “We love speakeasies and it incorporated that sort of vibe as well,” Alex adds. “It was the first venue we toured in person, and we booked our wedding there the next day!”

First Dance

Their first dance song was “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. The couple took dance lessons ahead of time, and it was one of their favorite parts of wedding planning. “It gave us a great excuse for date nights!” Alex says.

Favorite Moment

One of the couple’s favorite moments was their First Look right after reading their vows to one other. “So glad we did this how we did it instead of during the ceremony,” Alex says. Other favorites include the ten-ish minutes they had to themselves right after the ceremony and running around during the last five minutes of their cocktail hour scarfing down food from the raw bar and taco bar!

Favorite Detail

Alex and Jason loved their dog Madison being their Flower Dog and such a special part of their day. “She is our fur-baby and so important to us—it was incredible to be able to include her on our special day,” Alex adds. “She was a big part of getting together, so it only made sense!”

Advice for Others

Alex advises to pick all of your vendors as soon as you can and to front-load the detail planning. “I did not have a stressful last week/month because I did so much preparing and planning ahead of time and I was very thankful for that,” she says. “Focus on each other, making decisions together and remembering why you’re doing this when times get tough!”

Honeymoon

The couple took an incredible once-in a lifetime trip to Bali. They started at the beach in Seminyak and enjoyed some well-deserved downtime. They visited a few temples and the downtown area/shops as well. Then they traveled to the jungle and stayed in Ubud for a few days.

“We did a traditional cooking class, went for a walk through the rice paddies, visited a monkey forest/sanctuary, went to an outdoor temple sort of waterfall experience, got a couple’s massage and had an amazing tasting menu at a fine-dining restaurant,” Alex says. “Lastly we went back to the beach but the cliffside area in Uluwatu. Here, we got our second couple’s massage, had a gorgeous beach day, went to one of the nearby islands for a boat day to go snorkeling, went to a traditional Kecak fire-dance performance and had some incredible sunset dinners. Everywhere we stayed had a private swim-up pool in each villa, and it couldn’t have been more beautiful!”