Maria and Anthony got married at the Southern Mansion on this beautiful day of April 6, 2012. Here is their love story, told by Maria
“We first met in high school, dated when I was 15 and he 17. He was the first boy to ever give me jewelry (16th birthday). I still have the box, the wrapping paper and bow; remember the day like it was yesterday. Beach Boys Surfer Girl playing on the 8 track in the glove compartment of his Le Mans (so 70s! ). He was the one boy…the one you remember. The boy you talk about as you share a glass of wine and old stories with your 40-something girlfriends, and someone brings up…’who was the one boy you’ll never forget’. For me, it was Tony. Long story shortened, my old country Italian dad did not want his little girl dating. So we stopped. And life moved on, as it does. He headed out to California for awhile, I to Pennsylvania. We both returned to Jersey, but had already been married to others. 34 years later he sent me an email. I stared at the screen off and on for a week until I finally found the words to send him a note. Back and forth we wrote; and then a phone call. Amazing how a girl could feel the same at 49 as she did at 15. The minute I heard his voice, I remembered. Our second first date, Cape May NJ, September 2010. A beautiful day filled with sun and blue skies, ending with a perfect sunset in our sand chairs at Sunset Beach. Fast forward to April 2012 and we find Southern Mansion, the perfect place to wed with its spiral staircase and gardens, a carriage ride, a quiet dinner, just he and I, as we began so long ago.”
