Stephanie (Sansone) Brigandi ’07 knew there was something special about the first person she met on her first day as a student at The College of New Jersey. Joe Brigandi ’07, a soccer player, had already moved into Norsworthy Hall for pre-season practice. “We were instantly best friends,” Stephanie noted.
For the next two years, they continued their friendship, managing to live next to each other in New Res and Eickhoff during their sophomore and junior years. It was in the fall semester of their junior years that they realized they were destined to be more than friends. Their first date took place at a Philadelphia Flyers game—which has been an anniversary tradition ever since.
Three years later, on the day before Easter, Joe proposed to Stephanie with an Easter basket filled with her favorite candy and a plastic egg containing a beautiful engagement ring. Joe’s proposal was so thoughtful and creative that it was featured in the national magazine Engagement 101.
As the couple began to plan their wedding, they at first considered having a destination wedding, but both of their families wanted the event to be closer to home. So Joe and Stephanie decided the perfect place for their ceremony would be on the campus where they met.
The two were married in TCNJ’s Spiritual Center on January 8, 2010.
“The Spiritual Center was built right outside our windows during the year we lived in Norsworthy … so we figured, ‘What place could be better and more romantic?’” Stephanie said.
Stephanie recalled the planning and day of her and Joe’s wedding with fondness. “The wedding planning went so well—I worked closely with Audrey Perrotti (TCNJ Conference Manager) to figure out all the details. I was an extremely low-key bride, so everything was very easy and smooth, and it was a perfect, stress-free day. We had about 70 people there and it looked absolutely beautiful. We used the staging rooms in the Spiritual Center to get dressed and ready and take pre-wedding pictures. The whole experience there was just wonderful—the Spiritual Center was the perfect setting for an amazing wedding!”
If you are interested in hosting your wedding on TCNJ’s Campus, contact Audrey Perrotti at 609.771.2064 or at perrotti@tcnj.edu.
