"Ketan and I grew up just two towns away from one another. We first met when we were six years old, in 1984, and played on the same soccer team. We briefly dated in high school, before I left for prep school after my freshman year.

"We went to separate universities, but always knew what the other was up to through mutual friends. After graduation, I went to live in Italy for six months to study art.

"Shortly after my return, Ketan and I ran into each other when we were both out with friends. I currently work as a program director and Ketan works in finance. A week later we went to dinner at a restaurant in Hoboken and began dating. We love going to the beach and playing with our dog, Baker. Every summer we vacation at a cabin on Lake George. On Labor Day in 2006, Ketan asked me to marry him on the dock in front of our cabin.

"Being from the Jersey shore, we knew we wanted to get married at the church I grew up in and have the reception nearby. After seeing several locations, we found The English Manor. From the moment we entered we were impressed with the beauty of the estate, its surrounding grounds, and the personal attention we were given. Our first meeting was with Lisa Truesdale, a wedding specialist at The English Manor. We knew within 10 minutes we wanted to celebrate our marriage at The English Manor.

"We had a beautiful day for our wedding. After our ceremony it was off to The English Manor for our outdoor cocktail reception. Seasonal flowers poured out of planters. One table featured a bride and groom carved out of a watermelon with a light shining through, as fruit cascaded out. It was a work of art! We also loved the turkey carving station and pasta station with tortellini and penne vodka.

Ashley Pace & Ketan Purohit Ceremony: St. Uriel’s Reception: The English Manor Ring: Bentley Diamond Gown: Paloma Blanca Bridesmaids: J. Crew Hair: Salon Baraka Makeup: Spa LaRue Tux: Fumagalli’s Florist: Marquis Florist, Ocean Township Cake: The English Manor Photographer: Light Impressions Videographer: Matt Donovan Band: Encore Honeymoon: Moorea, Bora Bora The English Manor One English Lane, Ocean, NJ 07712 732.776.8558 www.theenglishmanor.com

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"The majority of Ketan’s family is Indian and vegetarian, and some even traveled from India. For the cocktail hour, the executive chef, Paul Buller, made a chafer of vegetable curry samosa and vegetable curry sauteé. Our guests had a fabulous time sipping drinks and sampling the fare.

"When we entered the reception hall, we immediately noticed the warm glow of the room. The china, crystal, and silver sparkled under the lights. Our maitre d’, Liz Long, took care of us from the moment we arrived. Our band set the mood and everyone knew it was time to party! The dancing never stopped.

"During our reception we had two completely separate dinners. Once again, executive chef Paul managed to impress all our guests. From the tender breast of chicken stuffed with sautéed onions, spinach, roasted peppers, and ricotta cheese, to the fire-roasted filet mignon with portobello cabernet demi glaze, everything was sensational. The Indian dinner included makhni dal, a lentil dish, aloo gobi, a potato and cauliflower dish, baingan bhurta, an eggplant dish, and matar pular, a rice with green peas dish.

"Our three-tiered strawberry shortcake wedding cake was detailed with fresh roses, exquisitely arranged by our florist. It was not only stunning to look at, but delicious as well!

"Our wedding was more incredible than we ever dreamed it could be. We had such an amazing time celebrating our marriage with our friends and family. It truly was a day and night we will never forget."