Just Married: Kelli Schleicher and Jason Cross

Kelli Schleicher and Jason Cross were married March 19

A time to celebrate
| 6:10 a.m. May 25, 2016

Sarasota
Celebrations

Behind any great wedding is a great love story. And Kelli and Jason have one for the books.

The couple, who first met in 2006, at orientation day at Emory University, have been together for more than eight years. Currently residing in New York City, they were married March 19, at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

The proposal

It happened Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Bannerman Castle, on Bannerman Island in the Hudson River Valley — a 90-minute train ride from Manhattan, where the couple was living.

Jason told the tour guide in advance that he would be proposing and asked for a private moment on the awning overlooking the valley for the special moment.

Another pre-planned touch — Jason had painted a lobster on a canvas with the text, “Will you be my lobster?” — an ongoing comparison the couple had to Rachel and Ross from “Friends.”

Following the proposal, Jason asked Kelli to go back to her place to change and get ready for a special dinner. He asked for her to come over to his apartment for a celebratory drink in advance. Little did she know, she was walking into a 50-person surprise party with close friends and family.

The best part is the entire day was captured on camera. Jason had hired an undercover photographer to document the proposal from the moment they arrived in Grand Central Train Station.

THE DETAILS:

Bride: Kelli Schleicher

Groom: Jason Cross

Parents: Joel and Diane Schleicher and Jeffrey and Batia Cross

First Dance Song: Zac Brown Band “Whatever It Is”

Photography: Binary Fliips

Floral Design: Victoria Blooms’ white daisies, succulents, gerber daisies, pink coral and “lobster” colored flowers

Invitations: Paper Truly

Dress: Hayley Paige “Londyn;” hair piece and veil by Twigs and Honey

Something new, borrowed and blue: Pearl bracelet from Italy (a wedding-day gift from the bride’s mother), her mom’s Tiffany’s pearl and diamond earrings and Superga blue sparkle sneakers

Cake: A small, white, vanilla cake. “Neither of us are huge fans of cake, so we decided to just have a cake for the tradition of cutting it. Phil Mancini suggested passed desserts, including ice cream sandwiches. No one had to leave the dance floor!”

Honeymoon: Thailand

The wedding

Held March 19, at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the highlight of the wedding for the couple was their first dance, followed by the father-daughter and mother-son dances. The couple had practiced their dance a few times, but Kelli says that “in the moment it was perfect, even though every step was not exactly as we had rehearsed.”

The dance floor then opened up to the guests, and the None Other band kept everyone dancing. When the rain cleared, they had a massive, unconfined dance floor in the courtyard — and the party didn't stop there. They kept it going with an after party at Michael's Wine Cellar with music from close friend DJ Pete Cuppernull, along with his brother Tom Cuppernull, who was a groomsman.