Sharon Fernandes & Rob Faber were married this past June in a beautiful ceremony at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Poughkeepsie, NY, and their reception at the Poughkeepsie Grand's Starlight Room turned into a dance party for the ages. After a lot of research, they chose the Poughkeepsie Grand; it's a great alternative to the high-priced venues they had considered in Westchester - and the staff at the Grand was more than happy to tailor the reception to suit them perfectly.
But first, let's get to know Sharon & Rob and the story of how they - finally - got together.
Sharon went to college with a friend of Rob's from high school - even though they met in 1999, they only hung out a few times over the next decade, whenever Rob happened to be in town visiting his friend. It wasn't until December of 2008, when Sharon met up with Rob and a crew of his friends for birthday drinks in Manhattan that something clicked into place. "Something changed," he tells me, "I saw something different in her." Sharon chimes in saying, "We grew up, I guess!" Rob jokes, "Maybe it was the smell of desperation on both of us."
They tell me that back in 2001 they had made a marriage pact - for age 50. Rob says, "Basically, we moved it up from 50 to 34." But it wasn't quite that simple. Rob tells me he is madly in love with Sharon - but if someone had told him back in 2006 that one day they'd be walking down the aisle, he would have thought them insane. 2006 was the year that Rob and a bunch of friends crashed on couches at Sharon's parents house . . . and at some point in the middle of the night Rob managed to rip the bathroom sink off the wall. He laughs, "I wasn't conscious of doing it! . . . I somehow lifted the basin off the pipe. Water was going everywhere! . . . It was kind of like the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." For the next few years, Rob was known to Sharon's family as the guy who totaled their bathroom. Sharon laughs, "I wouldn't marry THAT guy."
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The picture that started it all . . . |
They started dating shortly thereafter. I ask Sharon when she knew it was serious. She tells me that a few months in, Rob invited her to join him and his friends on a trip to Europe for Oktoberfest. She said no, thinking it was way too soon to travel to a foreign country together. But, "That time apart made us realize - we don't like being apart." Rob says, "I fell in love with her in a bar in Prague!" - even though she was thousands of miles away. Of course, he tells me, he had been drinking Absinthe all night, which is known for creating mental epiphanies. Sharon, mock horrified, says, "This whole marriage has been a hallucination?" Rob laughs and tells me, "I proposed to her six times before she finally said yes." Each time Sharon said, "No, I will not accept a proposal from a drunk man."
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Coming up next . . . the Main Event! |
They started dating shortly thereafter. I ask Sharon when she knew it was serious. She tells me that a few months in, Rob invited her to join him and his friends on a trip to Europe for Oktoberfest. She said no, thinking it was way too soon to travel to a foreign country together. But, "That time apart made us realize - we don't like being apart." Rob says, "I fell in love with her in a bar in Prague!" - even though she was thousands of miles away. Of course, he tells me, he had been drinking Absinthe all night, which is known for creating mental epiphanies. Sharon, mock horrified, says, "This whole marriage has been a hallucination?" Rob laughs and tells me, "I proposed to her six times before she finally said yes." Each time Sharon said, "No, I will not accept a proposal from a drunk man."
So Rob set out to plan the perfect proposal. They took a trip to Boston - Sharon thought it would just be a weekend of bar hopping, and seeing the band James play a gig. But Rob had done his homework - he casually proposed taking a little walk to Acorn Street in Beacon Hill - which just so happens to be one of the most photographed spots in North America. He describes it as practically an alley, paved with cobblestones, gas-lit streetlamps, lined with upscale, centuries-old townhouses. He led them there as the sun was setting and the lamps were lit. While Sharon was gazing up at the street lamps, Rob got down on one knee. She turned around and there he was, ring in hand.
"She asked me to take a breathalizer to make sure I was sober!" Rob laughs. Sharon says, "No, but maybe I should have!"
I've never been to a celebrity wedding before. I'm glad I was there to see Vincent D'Onofrio tie the knot with Rosario Dawson.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! Thank you for not making me seem like a complete maniac.
ReplyDelete--Rob F.
Hah! You got it.
DeleteYou are the hero of the hour!
I believe Frank Stallone was also in attendance.
ReplyDeleteBeing related to the groom, I'm glad to stay anonymous LOL (just kidding)
ReplyDeleteIt was a beatiful wedding. And they certainly are perfect for each other.
And as Rob's toast goes at the wedding, "I will spend the rest of my life, proving that I deserve her."
Love you both!
That was such a beautiful moment - best groom speech ever!
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