Michelle & Frank | Skylands Manor | Ringwood, NJ

The Wedding of Michelle Frungillo & Frank Scozzari

Their Vendors

Ceremony: Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Reception: The Skylands Manor, Frungill Hospitality Group, 973.256.9380, www.frungillo.com
Gown: Reem Acra, at Elizabeth Johns, Morristown, NJ
Bridesmaids: Jenny Yoo
Tux: Bucco Couture
Photographer: Gary Flom Photography, www.garyflom.com
Cinematographer: Sky Cinema Films
Makeup: Makeup by Michele Eva
Hair: BeYOUtiful Bride
Florist: Wile Events

Cake: Palermo’s Bakery
Band & DJ: Ultimate Sound DJ’s
Cocktail Hour Music: King’s Brass, Inc.
Wedding Planner: Copper + Chloe
Live Event Paintings: The Celebration Artist
Linens: BBJ La Tavola
Furniture: Dovetail Rentals
Lighting: Fabrico Productions
Floor Wrap: Go To Shout
Chairs: Luxe Rentals
China: Petunia Rose

“All Our Dreams Came True”

Frank and I met in college at Sacred Heart University. We had a few mutual friends but did not officially start talking until our junior year. Two years prior, I would joke with my friends that Frank was my boyfriend (before ever speaking to each other). I always thought he was handsome and seemed very kind.

It was a running joke, every time we would see Frank out, my friends would jokingly say, “Your boyfriend is here.” On our first date, we instantly connected and felt as if we knew each other our whole lives. After six years of dating, Frank proposed at the Jersey Shore, one of our favorite places. Frank had both our families waiting in Belmar at my parents’ shore house for a surprise party afterwards. It was the most special and intimate evening celebrating our engagement.

We chose The Skylands Manor in the NJ Botanical Gardens for our wedding. We fell in love with the uniqueness the castle offers and the beautiful grounds and gardens where our tent reception was held. We had the whole castle to ourselves, spent the night in one of the 22 rooms and had a farewell brunch the following morning. Skylands Manor is surrounded by 100 acres of botanical gardens, rolling lawns, verandas, and stone terraces, everything we wanted for our dream wedding venue.

My family owns Frungillo Hospitality, which was started by my grandparents over 50 years ago and where my father, mother, brothers, and I currently work, continuing the family tradition. We catered my wedding and manage Skylands Manor as well. My colleagues really helped me enjoy the process as a bride. The team truly made us feel so special!

We got married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ. My parents got married there 26 years ago and my oldest brother two years ago. All our guests are still raving about the beautiful Cathedral.

Cocktail hour was held throughout the castle, outside in the gardens, and under a sail tent on the back lawn. Guests were greeted at the castle entrance by trumpeters and sparkling champagne. Cocktails were a two-hour event so our guests had time to experience the castle, the grounds, and the variety of food stations. The weather was 60 degrees and sunny, every bride’s dream.

Favorites at our cocktail hour were the custom ice sculpture raw bar in front of the Great Hall’s stained-glass windows from the 1600’s, hand-rolled sushi, a steakhouse station with tomahawk steaks, a fresh mozzarella and burrata bar, and an Italian station, plus Jersey shore and Montauk stations with lobster rolls, salt water taffy, and Montauk Beer. We had two signature bars, mine was a martini bar with cosmos, dirty martinis, and espresso martinis. Frank’s was a smoked bourbon bar with smoked cocktails, bacon sticks, pulled pork sliders, and drink stirrers that featured our dog, Goose.

Our reception was held under a clear span tent, with twinkle lights and chandeliers. Our color palette was French blue, black, white, and gold with fresh ivy and greenery, white floral arrangements, and candles throughout. We had a 70-foot twinkle tunnel leading into our reception tent with a mix of farm tables and round tables. We had two different design looks, with different linens, napkins, China, and even chairs. We tied it all together with an all-white dance floor wrapped with our custom logo. Our entertainment was a mix between live musicians, a DJ, saxophonist, and our amazing MC, Raul.

For dinner, our guests were served an autumn burrata caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, poached pears, fresh figs, and pumpkin seeds, all topped with a honey vanilla fig vinaigrette. Our second course was spicy rigatoni pasta topped with homemade garlic focaccia toast point. We offered a duet entrée of center-cut filet mignon topped with a horseradish Dijon beurre sauce and Chilean sea bass paired with bok choy and topped with a Korean sesame and ginger tea reduction. Each entrée was paired with potatoes au gratin and assorted vegetables.

Our four-tier wedding cake had whimsical vine greenery by our florist. Each table had oversized Italian pastries and mini cake samples. We provided a “to-go” with Taylor ham sandwiches, sausage and peppers, pretzels, cheesesteaks, and an ice cream station. We ended the night in the grand ballroom for an after-party with snacks, beverages, and a DJ. The morning after, we invited all guests back to Skylands Manor for a farewell brunch.

Our vendors made all our dreams come true. Our wedding planner, Amanda, from Copper + Chloe, made my vision into a reality. We thank our families for all their love, support, and time, and the staff at Frungillo Hospitality for going above and beyond. My family truly is the brains of the wedding business. We could not have done anything without them. We wish we could re-live this day over and over again! It was simply perfect.

The Skylands Manor, Ringwood, NJ, 973.256.9380, www.frungillo.com