Alexis and Nick Giampaolo—Photo by Lindsay Docherty

Alexis Student and Nick Giampaolo were married on May 21, 2011 on the beach in Cape May, with the reception following at the Grand Hotel.

Alexis recalls…

My favorite memory of my wedding day was before the ceremony even started.

Before I walked down the aisle, the wedding coordinator had me stand by the entrance to the beach and hide behind a building until all the guests were seated and I could walk down the aisle. I could hear the violin playing and saw each of my bridesmaids slowly disappear from my sight.

Finally, The Grand's wedding coordinator signaled to my dad and me that it was "time," and as we emerged from our hiding spot, I had my first glimpse of everyone.

It was then that it hit me — not only was I getting married to my best friend, but we were doing it in front of everyone we loved and cared for.

Seeing the smiling faces of all our friends and family members while I walked down the aisle, and knowing that they all were there to support us in our celebration of love, meant so much to me.
It got even better when I arrived to the reverend and saw Nick, the man I was about to marry. That moment of pure joy when I got to my groom was truly what weddings are all about.

I always dreamed of getting married on the beach. When I was very young I was visiting Cape May with my parents, and we drove by a wedding. I remember how pretty the bride looked and what a beautiful backdrop the sand and ocean was.
When we were engaged, I mentioned the idea to my fiancé, and he loved it too!

Cape May was perfect because it had all the luxury of a "destination" wedding, while still being less than two hours away from our house in Philadelphia.

With Cape May's Victorian charm and beautiful views, it was the perfect place to start our new lives together.