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Join our Bride of the Year and Her Dream Home™ contest winners, Ericka MacDonald and Brian Gallagher, as they marry in grand style.

Fun. Fantasy. Warmth. Love. These words most aptly describe the magical wedding of Bridal Guide’s Bride of the Year and Her Dream Home™ contest winners Ericka MacDonald, 26, a video editor for ESPN, and her fiancé, Brian Gallagher, 30, a personal trainer. As part of their prize, Ericka and Brian were featured in Bridal Guide magazine selecting their wedding attire, entertaining with their new appliances, china, and crystal, and arranging an array of furniture - all part of their contest winnings. Now, consider yourself a special guest at their joyous wedding - an event that, in every way, reflected this couple’s spirit of generosity and love.

Primp and Prep

For Ericka and her six attendants, the morning began with luxe beauty treatments at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon in New York City. Here, bridal consultant Chuck Jones and his team of pros transformed this bevy of fresh-faced friends into a glamorous wedding party. In their form-fitting, platinum satin sheaths by Judy Miller for Alyce Designs, Inc. this sophisticated group reveled in their knockout look.

As for Ericka, she stopped traffic, literally. A street fair had shut down Fifth Avenue, forcing our bride and her attendants to gamely trek a long city block to the waiting stretch limo provided by Designer Limousines. In her Venise lace and silk-satin organza ballgown by Amy Chen for Mon Chéri, Ericka was an unexpected vision in white - much to the delight of sightseers.

Ready to Wed

Then it was on to the majestic Blessed Sacrament Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where an anxious groom paced. As 125 guests arrived, Brian and his six groomsmen - all Gallagher brothers, looking quite dashing in their elegant tuxedos by After Six - greeted family and friends. 'I was a nervous wreck,' Brian admits, 'but I told myself to focus on how beautiful Ericka would be. Sure enough, when the church doors opened and I saw her, I was amazed. She was beyond beautiful, and just seeing her practically dance down the aisle looking so relaxed immediately calmed me down.'

With her mom, Carol, at her side, Ericka joined Brian at the altar where Father Kevin Madigan conducted Mass and pronounced the two husband and wife. Each guest received a candle lit from the flame of the couples’ Unity Candle. The result: a church aglow with soft light and happiness. Emerging from the church, Ericka and Brian were greeted with applause and buoyant bubbles. Their next stop: a party at the picturesque Tavern on the Green.

A Fitting Feast

You might think planning a wedding reception in New York City from Bristol, CT (Ericka’s hometown) and Scranton, PA (Brian’s hometown) in just four months would cause major freak-out sessions. Not so! A staff of experts at Tavern on the Green offers engaged couples 'one-stop shopping' that ensures no detail is overlooked - welcome relief for Ericka and Brian. From the start, Susan Palmarini, assistant director of private dining, assisted the couple in selecting not only the decor, but also the cocktail-hour hors d’oeuvres, the four-course dinner menu (expertly prepared by executive chef Sam Hazen and executive sous chef Jean Claude Torres), and the wedding cake (created by pastry chef Bruce Wynn).

'We honestly didn’t know what to choose,' says Ericka. 'Everything we tasted was delicious and Chef Hazen worked closely with us to provide an incredible meal.' Their final selections: summer vegetable risotto with parmesan, mixed field green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing, and lemon-glazed roast chicken with sautéed spinach and roast garlic mashed potatoes. Yum! For dessert, guests savored strawberries and raspberries in crisp filo pastry with macadamia-brittle ice cream and raspberry sauce. And, of course, the pièce de résistance - the towering four-tier chocolate layer wedding cake graced with columns, filled with chocolate mousse, covered in buttercream icing, and decorated with an array of garden-fresh flowers. Magnifique!

Let the Fun Begin!

An exquisite meal was not the only thrill in store for our lucky couple and their guests. Tavern on the Green pulled out all the stops to make this an unforgettable event. The restaurant, nestled within Central Park, is surrounded by gorgeous landscaped gardens including romantic fountains, stately trees, and a menagerie of topiaries. Needless to say, this fairy-tale splendor made the outdoor cocktail hour on the Terrace Patio a hit with the newlyweds and their guests.

Inside, the reception occupied two of the restaurant’s six exquisite dining rooms which were decorated with dazzling results. The party extended from the semi-circular Terrace Room - where floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Terrace Garden - to the warm and elegant Rafters Room. Flower arrangements dreamed up by Tavern on the Green’s in-house floral and special events designer, Paul Brummer, added to the rooms’ allure. Brummer also created the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party and the lavish altar arrangements, all executed with finesse on the wedding day by Tavern’s floral designer, Rick Caye.

On each table sat a striking centerpiece made of lush blossoms perched atop Tavern’s own elegant silver candelabra. Each was adorned with full round arrangements of winter white, champagne, cream, and sterling silver roses, blush-colored stock, snapdragons, dendrobium orchids, Casablanca lilies, and ageratum. Slate-blue table coverings with lace overlays, floral chintz chairs, and dramatic crystal chandeliers also lent an air of enchantment to this glittering room. 'It was gorgeous,' says Ericka. 'The decor was everything we had dreamed it would be.' Adds an effusive, star-struck Brian, 'I felt like a millionaire!'

Before long, the party was in full swing - thanks to the jazz/pop musical group, Nite Sprite, also recommended by Tavern on the Green pros. The combo soon had these glam rockers jumpin’ and jivin’ to a happy beat.

Food and cake, music and flowers - all that aside, personal touches are what really made this wedding memorable. Ericka and Brian provided guests with candid Polaroid snapshots taken during the reception - a lovely memento. They also designed monogrammed cards for each table that told a funny or sentimental story about their relationship. 'We wanted people to walk through our lives and get a glimpse of all the wonderful moments we’ve had,' Ericka explains. Most touching of all: In lieu of favors, each guest received a notecard informing them that a charitable donation had been made in their name. 'We are so grateful for all we received that we wanted to give something back,' says Ericka. 'Our wedding gave us the opportunity to do so. In fact, the entire day turned out to be just what we had planned for, hoped, and dreamed about - the perfect combination of an elegant and personal celebration.