The Finishing Touch — Weddings, Events, Design, Paperie

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that on Friday, November 19th, Tina Tinervia Velez succumbed to her long battle with breast cancer. As members of the Association of Bridal Consultants of NJ, The Finishing Touch had the honor of working with Tina and her family to create the wedding of her dreams. Even though she was bound to a wheelchair and weak from treatments, Tina became an advocate for breast cancer awareness and was an inspiration for many.  We are deeply saddened to hear of her loss and we wish her husband Paul, daughter Ashley, and her family all the best during this difficult time. Today we take a look back at her beautiful wedding and reflect on all of the happiness and joy that day brought to Tina and Paul.

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We first learned about Tina through Erik Kent of NJ Wedding.com who had read about Tina on her sister’s blog, ‘Tina’s Elevator:Chronicle of a Strong Woman’s Up and Downs.” Tina was first diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2006. Just two years after she beat it, she was re-diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in September 2008. In late January 2010, a PET Scan showed that the cancer in Tina’s organs (liver, lungs, chest nodules) had shrunk. Unfortunately, the cancer in her bones has spread. Through all of the ups and downs, Tina knew one thing for certain…that she wanted to marry Paul, the man who had been with her through it all.

When we learned about Tina’s wish to have a wedding, we knew right away that we wanted to help make her dream come true ~ but we would of course need a little help from some of our friends! As State Coordinator of the New Jersey branch of the Association of Bridal Consultants, Candice teamed up with some fellow ABC members to create an amazing wedding day for Tina and Paul.

One of Tina and Paul’s wishes was that they be able to be married outside in nature.  On June 26th, Tina and Paul got their wish as family and friends gathered at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan to witness their marriage. Tina looked beautiful as she was carried down the aisle by the groomsmen on a magnificent doli. With the ceremony led by Officiant Julie Laudicina, Tina and Paul exchanged their memorable vows.

After the ceremony, guests headed to The Excelsior in Manalapan for the reception. Cocktail hour music was provided by Elegant Ensembles, and set the tone for the evening of celebration. Everyone was then brought into the ballroom, where they experienced the beautiful decor that was created for Tina and Paul by the many generous ABC NJ members. All of the amazing floral arrangements were done by Robin Rohsler of Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery and Florist. Lighting design was provided by Dynamite FX- and they chose the perfect lighting to really bring out all of the decor. The linens were provided by Select Event Rentals, which also helped to accentuate the color scheme of the wedding. Along with planning services, the Finishing Touch also provided day of stationery for Tina and Paul including escort cards, table numbers, and signature drink signs.

Tina, Paul and their nearly 160 guests danced until the very end to music provided by Craig Scott Entertainment.  Timothy Glenn Photographers and Multi-Vision, were there from start to finish to capture all of the beautiful and emotional moments throughout the day.

We were touched to see how happy Tina and Paul were – with many photos showing their glowing smiles. It was an amazing, emotional, and powerful day for everyone in attendance- but for Tina and Paul it was a dream come true. We were so happy to have been able to be a part of their special day.

Special Thanks Again to ALL of the very generous vendors who contributed to their day:

-Paper Works & Events of Englewood, paperworksandevents.com –invitations

-Officiant Julie Laudicina of Staten Island, New York, julielaudicina.com – ceremony.

-Elegant Ensembles of Closter, elegantensembles.com –ceremony and cocktail hour music.

-Magda’s Designs, Inc. of Bloomfield, magdadesignsbeauty.net– hair and make-up.

-Craig Scott Entertainment of Rochelle Park, craigscott.com – reception music.

-Dynamite FX of West Berlin, dynamitefx.com– lighting.

-Ocean Tents & Party Rentals of Manahawkin, oceantents.com – chair covers

-Confectionary Designs of Bogota, confectionarydesigns.com –groom’s cake.

-Select Event Rentals of Pennsauken, weparty.com – linens.

-Timothy Glenn Photographers of Ridgewood, timothyglennphoto.com –photography.

-Multi-Vision of Paramus, gomultivision.com– videography.

-Rohsler’s Allendale Nursery & Florist in Allendale, rohslers.com –flowers.

-Mariya Molduvanova – wedding day coordination.

-Dawn Carter -Taylor Nicole Events -taylornicoleevents.com- wedding day coordination.

-Christine Hyder- Christine Hyder Events-  christinehyderevents.com - wedding day coordination.

-Kathi Evans- All the Best Celebrations – atbcelebrations.com – wedding planning

-Bride Ideas of West Orange, RhondaWeddings.com – public relations.