Wedding bells were ringing Saturday evening at The Inn at Villa Bianca in Seymour, Conn. as Adam Belardino ’06 “tied the knot” with Kate Amore ’06 as part of Mock Wedding.
423 seniors from Fairfield University were in attendence as “priest” Lou Spadaro ’06 joined Amore and Belardino in un-holy matrimony.
Mock Wedding is a long standing Fairfield tradition in which senior class members select peers to be part of a faux wedding party.
Vice President of Student Services Mark Reed, then dean of students, sent a letter to the class of 2006 last summer announcing that the mock wedding tradition could not continue at the beach. However, one student, Ashlee Fox ’06, didn’t want to see the tradition die.
“Mock Wedding itself wasn’t a ‘bad’ tradition at Fairfield, it just hit a few bumps in the road and could have been improved,” said Fox.
Fox, who also organized 100 Nights – a senior event established this year to replace the cancelled 200 Nights event – said she began planning Mock Wedding in late March, though she envisioned the event early in the school year.
“100 Nights was such a success and it really brought our class together. I knew this would be a great opportunity to do it one last time before graduation in an even bigger way. The concept of wedding itself just makes me laugh, so I felt like we just couldn’t not do it,” said Fox ’06.
Fox had students sign up for Mock Wedding on a Web site that was created for the event, FUmockwedding.com. Registered students received wedding invitations and paid $70 for the event, which included a buffet dinner, bus transportation, open bar, and DJ.
In total, the event cost almost $30,000, said Fox. According to a CNN survey in May 2005, the average wedding costs $26,327.
Seniors who attended had a positive reaction to the event.
“It was an amazing night for the class of 2006. We definitely all came together as a class and had a lot of fun together. I am really going to miss everyone!” said Kristina Chomick ’06.
“It’s like a high school prom where people can legally drink. But it’s much better,” said Danielle Craparo ’06.
“Getting everyone together for an entire day was something that all of us will remember after we graduate. I did not talk to anyone who did not have a good time,” said Belardino.
“There was absolutely nothing you could not have enjoyed. Open bar for over five hours and everyone you could want to be with from Fairfield since we started freshman year,” he added.
The wedding party consisted of: father of the bride Michael Foristel ’06; mother of the groom Carolyn Hern ’06; maid of honor Fox; best man Mike McCarthy ’06; bridesmaids Jackie Conway ’06 and Emily Nixon ’06; groomsmen John Mahoney ’06 and Chris Richards ’06; flower girls Megan Pizzo ’06 and Katy Healy ’06; and ring bearer Brian McCallister ’06. Those attending the event voted for the wedding party on the event’s Web site.
Students praised Fox for planning the event.
“It was great, very well put together,” said Maureen Hession ’06. “Props to Ashlee Fox.”
“It was a total sh*tshow and I loved it. The best part was that the entire bridal party was trashed by the time they had to get up to the alter,” said Chris Gradel ’06.
“Let’s just say that the open bar was very clutch,” Gradel added
Fox was impressed by the way students conducted themselves at the event.
“…Considering that real weddings aren’t typically this large, ending with only a few broken glasses is amazing, although not surprising-we have a great class and this just proves it,” Fox said.
“I think other classes are going to have problems if they do not have someone like [Fox] to continue the traditions,” said Heather Fanning ’06.
Fox added a word of advice to the up and coming seniors: “Stay positive, plan early, have faith in your class, and work hard. When you do this, good things will happen.”
Leave a Reply