When A.C Moore Designs Your DIY Wedding – Love Story of Joe & Ronnie

I am not a big fan of DIY wedding by any means. Not only do I find it absolutely insane, but who has time for it when you have a full time job, and chasing life. Not to mention when this is not your profession.

I was pleasantly surprised when I attended the wedding of Joe and Roni this past fall. It was absolutely fun, creative and quite beautiful, if I say so myself. While the bride may not have done everything herself, she had help from a wedding professional. The whole idea of her being proactive—and A.C Moore as the go-to location for the planner to get all the supplies needed to execute this wonderful wedding—proved me wrong.

Who would even think of doing such a thing? Well, I won’t view this from a budget perspective. I will look at this strictly from a creative angle. If you are hands-on like me… I want to see what is happening, I want to be able to design the wedding based on my style. So I am going to look for a store, or a business that has all I will need. So why would I go to 15 stores if I can simply go to one store and shop for all my needs under one roof? I’m just saying. I am busy, my time is limited. So give me one store, and I jump out the car once and in one or maybe two visits I have everything. Ring me up please. Time is money.

But now since you and your beloved are busy getting ready to build an empire—yes, we will talk about money. No, you can’t be cheap. It’s your wedding for goodness’ sake; step it up a notch or 10. ALL businesses and wealthy people have a budget to run their business, and daily needs. Your wedding should not be any different. In fact, did you know that one of the biggest causes for divorce is money problems… that is another article. I’m just saying. Why start your lives fighting about money and spending. Handle your wedding planning like a business and create a budget and shop wisely. Work within your budget. Start your love story on the good foot. Money fights are not going to be the thing we fight about.

The wonderful thing about this wedding that I went to was this was young love. Joe and Roni are young people that found love and chose wisely as far as I am concerned. It was fun, and they had their priorities and things turned out beautifully.

The setting –The Crystal Coast. The view – magnificent. The people – warm and professional. The time of the year – October, surprisingly gorgeous. I think that amazing day was due to a couple of things. The view, the weather, the people, activities, and the food made it impossible for you not to enjoy. There is no way on this good earth that you can’t enjoy this beauty state and town.

I came in with my guards up and left with new friends and contacts… so I would suggest North Carolina as a place for consideration for those looking for a good old-fashioned Southern town that welcomes its guests, visitors and embraces its diverse history. Do your research on Beaufort. Quite an extraordinary little town. Plenty of activities for you to keep your traveling guests pre-occupied while you finalize your wedding day plans. From local bars, fishing, kayaking, boating bike tours that are not only fun, but informative from a historical prospective. The food was fresh and amazing. The view was breathtaking. The sunsets–to die for. Very romantic. Perfect setting for an outdoor wedding, even in October.

 

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Fonteneau

Full names?
Joseph Fonteneau
 and Roni Meunier

Cultural background?
Born and raised Marylanders!

How did you meet?

We met working at a diner at the University of Maryland. We were both new and it was within the first week or two of the semester. The chef asked Joe to get something from storage and in his search he found me, able and willing to help him find the item.

When did you know she/he was the one?

I think right away we both knew that we were right for each other. For me Joe was so nice and always interested and supportive of what I was doing. Joe, within the first few times that we hung out, had told his friend and groomsman that he could see me as his wife.


What does love mean to you?
To trust someone, to cherish every moment with someone, to be happy when they’re happy, to celebrate in their victories, and to pick them up in the hard times.

What does family mean to you?
Family is always there for one another through thick and thin and to share lessons learned.

Where did you get married and why did you select the location?

Although we didn’t get to choose the location, the Crystal Coast was the perfect location for our prize wedding. Joe and I have a passion for hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Five years ago, while on a hike in the Catoctin Mountains, sitting next to a stream, Joe asked me to be his girlfriend. He then asked me to marry him when we were next to a 130-foot waterfall in the Poconos Mountains. We then said our vows on the Crystal Coast, next to the ocean. Water has felt symbolic in our relationship, it continues to grow, change, and move through our lives together.


What was the most important thing about your wedding planning process?

Working through decisions together but at our own pace. What was crucial to making our wedding plans, in the two-month span that we had was the use of Google’s note sharing app Keep and cloud storage. We shared to-do lists and documents that both of us could access and edit in real time, any time.


What did the bride wear?
Mon Cheri’s Vera by David Tutera

What did the groom wear?

BLACK by Vera Wang, Gray Satin Edged Notch Lapel

You had a bridal party. What role did each play for you?
Our bridal party has been there for each of us through different parts of our lives.  The wedding day was just icing on the wedding cake.

Your wedding vows were very non-traditional. What inspired that?
Our officiant gave us several traditional ones. Along with those and others we found, we combined aspects of each that we felt were most important to a successful marriage. Always be there for one another, love each other, stay faithful, and appreciate each other at all times.

The minister did a very non-traditional presentation. What inspired that and why?
Joe and I were both raised as Christians. He was raised Episcopalian, and I was raised Catholic. We knew we wanted to incorporate our beliefs into the ceremony, but also wanted to keep the focus on our joining. Our officiant, Jim, put together the perfect balance of these two factors.

 

 

I just threw this picture in as a bonus.. because I am in there somewhere… guess???    Allie Miller is my new favorite wedding photographer..  Contact her and tell her WBM sent you… watch how she will take great care of you.  All pictures in this article was shot by her and her team.

 

 

Wedding location-  Emerald Isle, NC another gem within in the Crystal Coast.

 

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