THE STORY

When John La Prise asked Becca Koch to his senior prom, she was already in love…she just may not have known it yet. The duo had met the year before at John’s junior prom on the Spirit of Philadelphia - which they both attended with different dates. They shared one more connection, however, which led their paths to eventually intertwine again. John’s cousin, Lizzy, and Becca were high school friends who shared a mutual obsession with the Jonas Brothers. The girls bonded quickly, attending concerts together frequently. When Lizzy suggested Becca go with John and his friends to their prom, Becca was one hundred percent on board. “I was so excited, and I thought John was so cute. I think everyone knew it, except maybe him.” But very unlike teenage boy band melodrama, the future couple didn’t speak again for four years after that.

That was until Becca ran into Lizzy at the Princeton in Avalon. At the time, Becca was living in New York City and John was playing minor league baseball down in Florida. John’s ears must have been ringing, because shortly after her run in with Lizzy, Becca received a DM from John. He told her he was coming to New York to visit friends, and they made a plan to meet up for a drink. Their drinks led to more frequent correspondence, and shortly after, they started dating. “We talked about getting married on our third date,” recalls Becca, only half-joking.

When the relationship officially began, John was still living in Florida, and Becca in New York City. For the first three and a half years of their relationship, they constantly found themselves on planes and trains, always skipping town and planning getaways to see each other; in less JoBro and more new age Taylor Swift fashion. In 2020, however, when the world came to a screeching halt amidst the pandemic, they were living in the same state for the very first time.

And while most were eager to get back to normalcy that year, Becca and John loved every minute of quarantine and living near each other. It solidified that they were ready to take their relationship to the next step.

When it came time to come up with a proposal plan, John already knew how he wanted it to go down. His parents had spontaneously gotten engaged on a train platform, and since he and Becca had spent so many early days of their relationship traveling to see each other, he wanted to echo that sentiment. “He made up an elaborate story about how we were going to dinner downtown with his boss and meeting his sister and brother-in-law for a drink beforehand.”

John got on one knee on the train platform in Downtown Wayne. To only Becca’s surprise, they never did end up getting on the train, instead heading around the corner to Christopher’s -- a neighborhood institution -- where both of their families were waiting to celebrate.

THE VENUE

When it came time to set a date and pick a venue, they knew they wanted a black-tie-optional dress code. “It’s so fun and special to dress up in formal attire, so naturally the most special day of our lives should have the attire to match! It didn’t feel right to have a black-tie wedding in a barn or tent,” said Becca.

The post-covid wedding surge made available dates few and far between, so when an August 20th date at Radnor Hunt, the oldest continuous hunt club in America, presented itself, it seemed written in the stars. “My birthday is August 23rd and John’s is the 24th.” Steeped in history and charm, Becca and John wanted to incorporate details to mirror the natural and old-school appeal of Radnor Hunt.

THE DRESS

Becca always envisioned herself as a romantic bride, but as she found herself at more than a few bridal fittings, what she actually liked wasn’t anything like the picture she had in her head. When you’ve been imagining your own wedding dress your entire life, that image can be hard to let go of. “I was a fashion major so I always loved bridal gowns. I always thought I wanted this Marchesa dress that I saw back in 2016. I just kept thinking about floral appliques. Finally, I ended up finding that Marchesa dress at Jennifer’s Bridal. The only one left was the sample, so I finally realized that it just wasn’t meant to be and maybe I wanted something clean and modern after all.”

So with what she thought was her dream dress finally out of her head, she was able to start from scratch. She began trying on and gravitating towards the aesthetic that mirrored her venue; simple and classic.

She chose a simple a-line gown at Paoli’s Van Cleve to mirror her venue’s aesthetic, and was still able to incorporate the floral appliques she always wanted with her veil. For the reception, she replaced her romantic veil with a flirty pearl bow to keep both of her looks feminine and romantic.

The ceremony was a full mass at Our Mother of Good Counsel, which was very important to both Becca and John. Like their venue, much of the day honored tradition but also incorporated personal touches. “I walked down the aisle with a blusher, which not many people do anymore. I couldn’t actually see that well. My favorite moment was when I actually got to the end of the aisle and got to really see John. And our first kiss as husband and wife, of course!”

After the ceremony, Becca, who loves to bake, passed out 170 homemade cookies to all of their guests before heading to the reception. The gesture was simple but sweet, and a great way to express the couple’s gratitude before the party got started.

COCKTAIL HOUR

After everyone arrived at Radnor Hunt, guests enjoyed cocktail hour complete with hors d'oeuvres, a raw bar, and signature cocktails -- his, a paper plane, and hers, a limoncello spritz -- and a champagne tower. “I was obsessed with the idea of having a champagne tower, so Radnor Hunt made their first one for us!” said Becca. The couple made their rounds at cocktail hour before moving inside to the main dining room for dinner and dancing.

DINNER AND DANCING

The couple’s first dance was to the Jonas Brothers “Lovebug”, a nostalgic favorite of Becca’s. Becca originally thought that their first dance song would be to Unchained Melodies “John completely surprised me and had the band learn Lovebug! I had no idea - we literally practiced dancing for hours to another song!”

After they moved inside for dinner, Becca and John slipped away to take pictures as the sun set over the grounds. “We left in the middle of dinner to take a few pictures during golden hour. It was cool to hear everyone inside. As we were walking back, all either of us could say was just how amazing it all was.”

As for the cake cutting, this traditional moment held a little bit more significance than the typical wedding. As they cut the vanilla cake with Bavarian cream filling and buttercream icing from Master’s Baker in West Chester, PA, everyone gathered around and began to sing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate both of their upcoming birthdays. “We were leaving for our honeymoon on the 21st, so I think both of our mom’s were sad they weren’t going to be with us, so they asked the band to sing “Happy Birthday”, laughed Becca.

After a few songs and already more than a few steps on her train, she slipped away to get comfortable. “I went upstairs and changed, which was not expected. When I came back, I found John on the dance floor and he immediately said, “You missed it, I did a handstand!” He didn’t even notice I changed,” she said with a laugh. At the end of the night, all of the flowers, which were from Matlack Florist, were donated to Petals Please, an organization that repurposes flowers for nursing homes and hospitals.

Becca’s last piece of advice: “Always say yes to a Prom.” And to think, it was all thanks to the Jonas Brothers.

The Bride’s Dress - Van Cleve

The Groom’s Tux - Boyd’s

Flowers - Matlack Florist

Venue - Radnor Hunt

Cake - Masters Bakery