Wedding Guide 2022: Tommy & Salvatore Cobau

Where are you guys from?

Tommy: I grew up in Sylvania and Sal grew up in Lodi, New Jersey.

Where are you located now?

We live right outside NYC in Jersey City, NJ.

Date of your wedding: October 2, 2021.

How did you meet? 

We met on Bumble! Dating with apps can always be tricky and don’t typically result in anything coming to fruition. But funny enough, we actually noticed we had a handful of mutual friends, one of whom Sal went to high school with and I went to college with!  

Who popped the question, and how? 

I popped the question! At the time, we were living in NYC. We went to dinner for our one-year anniversary and decided to walk around Washington Square Park. I distracted Sal by taking his picture and making him face away from the phone so he couldn’t see anything. When Sal turned around, I was on one knee and asked Sal to marry me! Of course, he said yes! It was like a scene from a rom-com when random strangers started clapping and cheered for us. 

How long was the engagement?

Just over three years. 

What made your wedding day special? 

The overwhelming love and support from every single person attending and working our wedding. From the catering staff to our own parents, everyone was so excited and happy for us. Being able to host the wedding at my family’s property also made the experience even more intimate and special. 

During the wedding planning process, did you ever want to elope and just get it over with?  

Absolutely! There were moments when things would get very stressful, especially the week of the wedding. 

Did you have a shower and/or bachelor parties? If so, what did you do? 

We had a lovely shower hosted by some of my family friends at their home in Ottawa Hills. There was live music for a portion of the time and delightful sweets and treats from multiple local Toledo vendors. 

For our bachelor party, we got both sides of our wedding party together and rented a lodge in the mountains of Vermont for a long weekend. It was an absolute blast and we had so many amazing memories there. 

Was there anything in the wedding that didn’t go according to plan?

There was torrential rain 30 minutes before the outdoor ceremony started, so the ceremony and cocktail hour both got moved into the reception tent. 

Three words to describe your wedding expectations: Beautiful, fun,  and unique.

Three words to describe your wedding reality: Love-filled, stunning, and wet. 

Where did you get your suits and other accessories? Both of our suits came from Express, our ceremony shoes and accessories came from Nordstrom, and we had custom Converse made for the reception with our wedding date on them. 

Who was your officiant?

Our best friend and my maid of honor, Rachel.

Describe your wedding venue: 

My parents have a home bordering Secor Metropark with several acres of land and a large pond. We had a large reception tent that was open all along one side of the pond. The original ceremony space was behind the house in a field in front of the woods, and the original cocktail hour space was within the backyard on the patios surrounding the pool.

Other wedding vendors you’d like to mention: 

Where did you spend your honeymoon?

The Cliff House Resort on the coast of Southern Maine.

Tips and tricks for other couples: 

Trust yourself and what you want. Don’t let yourself be swayed by what others are doing for their wedding or what is trendy. Do what will make you happy because it will make a difference in the end! Also if you do a lot of DIY projects, make sure you have a planner or someone you can trust to set it up for you the day of, so you can actually enjoy the day! 

What you learned from the whole experience: The thing we are happiest about looking back at our big day is the amount of love we felt during the whole wedding. It was radiating from both of us and all of our friends and family. We see so many people get caught up in the event and the reception especially that they don’t take the time to make their day special for them and focus on the most important part, which is the love you two share and starting your marriage together with the love of all your friends and families. 

Full 2022 Wedding Guide

Where are you guys from?

Tommy: I grew up in Sylvania and Sal grew up in Lodi, New Jersey.

Where are you located now?

We live right outside NYC in Jersey City, NJ.

Date of your wedding: October 2, 2021.

How did you meet? 

We met on Bumble! Dating with apps can always be tricky and don’t typically result in anything coming to fruition. But funny enough, we actually noticed we had a handful of mutual friends, one of whom Sal went to high school with and I went to college with!  

Who popped the question, and how? 

I popped the question! At the time, we were living in NYC. We went to dinner for our one-year anniversary and decided to walk around Washington Square Park. I distracted Sal by taking his picture and making him face away from the phone so he couldn’t see anything. When Sal turned around, I was on one knee and asked Sal to marry me! Of course, he said yes! It was like a scene from a rom-com when random strangers started clapping and cheered for us. 

How long was the engagement?

Just over three years. 

What made your wedding day special? 

The overwhelming love and support from every single person attending and working our wedding. From the catering staff to our own parents, everyone was so excited and happy for us. Being able to host the wedding at my family’s property also made the experience even more intimate and special. 

During the wedding planning process, did you ever want to elope and just get it over with?  

Absolutely! There were moments when things would get very stressful, especially the week of the wedding. 

Did you have a shower and/or bachelor parties? If so, what did you do? 

We had a lovely shower hosted by some of my family friends at their home in Ottawa Hills. There was live music for a portion of the time and delightful sweets and treats from multiple local Toledo vendors. 

For our bachelor party, we got both sides of our wedding party together and rented a lodge in the mountains of Vermont for a long weekend. It was an absolute blast and we had so many amazing memories there. 

Was there anything in the wedding that didn’t go according to plan?

There was torrential rain 30 minutes before the outdoor ceremony started, so the ceremony and cocktail hour both got moved into the reception tent. 

Three words to describe your wedding expectations: Beautiful, fun,  and unique.

Three words to describe your wedding reality: Love-filled, stunning, and wet. 

Where did you get your suits and other accessories? Both of our suits came from Express, our ceremony shoes and accessories came from Nordstrom, and we had custom Converse made for the reception with our wedding date on them. 

Who was your officiant?

Our best friend and my maid of honor, Rachel.

Describe your wedding venue: 

My parents have a home bordering Secor Metropark with several acres of land and a large pond. We had a large reception tent that was open all along one side of the pond. The original ceremony space was behind the house in a field in front of the woods, and the original cocktail hour space was within the backyard on the patios surrounding the pool.

Other wedding vendors you’d like to mention: 

Where did you spend your honeymoon?

The Cliff House Resort on the coast of Southern Maine.

Tips and tricks for other couples: 

Trust yourself and what you want. Don’t let yourself be swayed by what others are doing for their wedding or what is trendy. Do what will make you happy because it will make a difference in the end! Also if you do a lot of DIY projects, make sure you have a planner or someone you can trust to set it up for you the day of, so you can actually enjoy the day! 

What you learned from the whole experience: The thing we are happiest about looking back at our big day is the amount of love we felt during the whole wedding. It was radiating from both of us and all of our friends and family. We see so many people get caught up in the event and the reception especially that they don’t take the time to make their day special for them and focus on the most important part, which is the love you two share and starting your marriage together with the love of all your friends and families. 

Full 2022 Wedding Guide