Real Wedding Wednesdays: Jennifer Alicea and Nathan Bruggeman

Police officers Jennifer and Nathan Bruggeman first met when they were both dispatched to a call for service. “I heard him speaking to a citizen and immediately fell in love with his country charm,” Jennifer recalls. Nathan eventually asked her out on a date, and a year later, popped the question while visiting Jennifer’s family in Manhattan. Jennifer calls the Central Park proposal “the ultimate New York moment.”

At their ceremony, their pastor “gave a message that was directed toward our profession as police officers,” Jennifer says. “It was not your typical message of how two people fell in love, but instead reminded us of how precious life is and to appreciate one another and not to take each day for granted.” The real star, she notes, was their unique unity ceremony. Instead of a more common candle or sand ceremony, Jennifer and Nathan mixed colored sand that was then blown into a glass bowl in the Franklin Park Conservatory’s Hot Shop. “Within a week, we were able to pick up a beautiful piece of personalized art that we designed and will always remind us of our wedding day,” Jennifer says.

Like many brides, Jennifer had a few tricks up her sleeve for her new husband. “I had a separate groom's cake made in the shape of a police cruiser,” she says. “It was an exact replica of the car he was working the night we met. The cake had every detail, from the Columbus Police badge to the car number and light bar on the roof!”

But that wasn’t the only surprise in store for Nathan, who grew up on a dairy farm. Jennifer’s brother purchased an authentic white Stetson cowboy hat, which was waiting for Nathan in the groom’s suite that morning. Nathan donned it for his and Jennifer’s reception entrance to—fittingly—Easton Corbin’s “Loving You is Fun.”

The Details

Wedding date: May 19, 2018

Wedding colors: Navy, wine and gold

Attendants: Six bridesmaids and six groomsmen

Bride wore: Morilee gown from Brides & Beyond (St. Henry), veil from Amazon, shoes and accessories from Macy’s

Hair: Tame Salon

Groom wore: Tuxedo rented from Men’s Wearhouse

Rings: Diamond Cellar

Bridesmaids wore: Vera Wang gowns from David’s Bridal

Groomsmen wore: Tuxedos rented from Men’s Wearhouse

Rehearsal dinner: Brio Tuscan Grille

Ceremony: The Palm House at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Ceremony music: Columbus String Quartet

Reception: Palm House at FPC

Caterer: In-house

Cake: The Suisse Shop Bakery

Florist: Faulks Event Studio

Photographer: AddVision

Photo booth: The Columbus Photo Booth Co.

Invitations: Shutterfly

Reception tunes: Sensational Sounds Unlimited

First dance: “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran

Guest favors: Personalized Hershey chocolate bars wrapped in gold foil and palm leaf paper

Registries: William Sonoma and Bed Bath and Beyond

Transportation: Grandiose Limousines

Guests stayed at: Hilton Columbus at Easton

Sunday brunch: Hosted at the maid of honor’s home, catered by Corner Bakery

Honeymoon: Oahu, Hawaii