In Brides of Long Island’s Monthly “Mrs.” series, we profile some of our members’ unforgettable weddings. This month, we spoke with Ashley Sinkoff about how keeping priorities straight during planning helped lead to the best day of her life.
(Photo courtesy of Park Ave Studio)
To say that BOLI Ashley Sinkoff had a smooth wedding planning experience would be an understatement. She says she’s very lucky that everything worked out – but credits her now-husband for helping to keep her head in the game along the way.
Delayed Engagement
Ashley says she and her husband Phil had known each other about seven years before they reconnected through Bumble. After four years of dating, Phil and Ashley got engaged in July of 2021. However, Phil’s engagement plans were changed due to torrential downpours. “He had this whole elaborate plan to bring me to Davis Park and propose on the beach,” says Ashley. She adds that he also had planned for their friends and family to be waiting at their house after the beach for a surprise engagement party. While the rain may have changed the plans, Phil didn’t let it dampen his spirits. Instead, “He just proposed in our home. I was down in the basement doing laundry, and he called me up to the living room where he was waiting on one knee with flowers,” says Ashley.
Ashley explains that they did end up having that surprise engagement party, though it was just postponed to the next day after they got home from brunch.
MORE: 11 Places to Take Engagement Photos on Long Island
Pre-Planning Helps
The delayed engagement is probably the only thing that ‘went wrong’ in their wedding planning. Before they even started looking at vendors, Ashley says she and Phil sat down to discuss how they pictured their wedding day – from what they wanted in a venue to how they wanted the actual day to play out. With those things in mind, Ashley says she started looking at reviews and photos on BOLI for venues that fit their picture perfect day. From that list, she and Phil settled on a few to look at in September, and eventually booked with the Mansion at Timber Point, a BOLI preferred vendor, for Oct. 15, 2022.
Ashley says booking the rest of the vendors went pretty smoothly. “We went with the Lessing’s package,” she says, which helped steer them in the right direction. She says she would use the BOLI page to look up the vendors within the package and ended up getting lucky with them. She also leaned on Diane from Timber Point, who recommended booking the photographer and DJ early.
“Honestly, we were very, very fortunate,” says Ashley. With a clear-cut picture of their wedding day, and a budget that they stuck to, they were able to stay grounded and really enjoy the planning process. “And we kept reminding ourselves that the important pieces of this day are us, good food, good music and the people we love being there,” she says. “We really tried hard to focus on that, and doing what we could to keep it positive.”
(Photo courtesy of Park Ave Studio)
Maximize Party Time
Focusing on the day itself helped Ashley and Phil choose a DJ, probably the most important vendor to them. “For us, we wanted to have fun. We wanted our wedding to be a party. We wanted it to be light and fun and upbeat the whole time,” she says. “And really, the DJ is the one who controls setting the tone.”
According to Ashley, they immediately clicked with Absolute Entertainment, a BOLI preferred vendor, during their initial meeting. “They totally understood we didn’t want all of the traditional things incorporated. We wanted to maximize party time.”
MORE: “We offer everything in the land of fun.” Get Your Party Started with Absolute Entertainment
“Take a Pause”
With a fall-themed October wedding, Ashley says the day itself was fantastic. They had an interfaith ceremony using some of her husband’s family’s Jewish heirlooms, such as his tallit and kiddush cup. They also incorporated their beloved dog Randy with custom bar napkins featuring a drawing of his face!
But how did they remember the day itself? By taking a pause! “My husband and I made it a point that at every phase of the wedding we would take a pause.” Ashley explains that during those pauses, they’d just look around and take mental pictures of special moments throughout the day.
Ashley says they were surrounded by such love and positivity throughout the day. From her bridesmaids, who made everything they did fun, to her vendors, such as her limo driver at Sir Oliver and the MC at Absolute. “The driver was outstanding! At the end of the night, we had all of our stuff loaded in from Timber Point. He helped my husband unload everything into the garage when we got home!” She adds that the MC went above and beyond by always checking in on them to see if they needed anything throughout the night. “We were so grateful. We had so many people that worked really hard to make it such a great day.”
(Photo courtesy of Park Ave Studio)
MORE: 7 Ways to Save For Your Wedding
Remember What the Day Is About
Ultimately, Ashley says remembering what the day was about helped her stay calm and stress-free. For any BOLI, Ashley says “I think that you have to remember that the day is about celebrating your marriage. It’s not about impressing anyone or keeping up with the Joneses. It’s a celebration of your marriage and your love, and this new chapter of your life.”
She also encourages other BOLIs to not sweat the small stuff – even though that’s really hard to do. And she adds “don’t go broke for a party!”
“It really is the best day of your life. No matter what it is. No matter how little or how much money you spend,” she says. “If you have your people there, and your partner, it’s going to be the best day of your life.”
(Photo courtesy of Park Ave Studio)
Vendors:
Venue: Mansion at Timber Point, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Photographer: Park Ave Studio, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
DJ: Absolute Entertainment, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Florist: Ken and Eva’s
Hair: Get Glamorous – Keri Collins
Makeup: Jesella Beauty – Tamara DeBlasio, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Officiant: Church of Ancient Ways – Deb Viola, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Invitations: Truly Engaging
Dress: Bridal Suite of Centereach, a BOLI Preferred Vendor
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Cake: Rolling Pin Bakery
Tuxedos: Charles Tyrwhitt
Transportation: Sir Oliver
(Photo courtesy of Park Ave Studio)
