ORWELL — Allison Cosey and William DiFrancesco met at work, but that’s not where the romance started.

“We work for the same school district (Slate Valley Unified Union) and had crossed paths for a few years, but ended up hanging out with mutual friends one day outside of work,” Allison recalled as she looked back at their July 20, 2024, wedding. “And here we are!”

The couple had been discussing a possible wedding since they started dating, but the actual engagement caught Allison off guard.

WILLIAM AND ALLISON DiFrancesco gave their vows to each other at the historic Brookside Mansion in Orwell, a few miles down Route 22A from where the rest of the wedding festivities took place. They highly recommend this private moment for the bride and groom.
Credit: Jean Hodgens Photography

“William surprised me on his birthday, which happens to be Valentine’s Day,” she recalled. “It was 6 a.m. and I was in my pajamas packing lunches. He gave me a card, and my initial reaction was that I felt so bad because I had already gifted him his birthday presents the weekend prior and we didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day because it’s his birthday.”

Allison open up the card to see the ring taped inside.

“I always joke that I would have been onto him if he did it any other way,” she said.

The couple gave themselves almost a year and a half to plan the nuptials. They called the planning process “exciting.”

“We went for a very colorful and fun wedding. We wanted it to feel more like a festival than a wedding,” Allison said. “We prioritized fun, music and good food. We had two local food trucks and a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck!

“We also made sure to have local wines, beers and ciders for our guests.”

Choosing a venue for the wedding was not difficult; they got married at their Orwell home.

“We chose to get married on our property between two pear trees on our front lawn with our horse pasture behind us,” Allison said. “There was really no question when it came to where. Our home was the perfect spot.”

How about the wedding day?

“We didn’t feel nervous at all,” Allison recalled. “We were excited and happy. It was just so nice having all of our people together at our home.”

The DiFrancescos recommend that the bride and grom schedule time alone together on the wedding day.

“Whether it be a first look, a private drink or snack after the ceremony, anything where you get some moments just you two (and your photographer, of course),” Allison said.

Their “first look” and private vows were a highlight this past July.

“We highly recommend this,” Allison said. “It was some much-needed alone time on a very busy day, and there was absolutely no pressure from onlookers. We did this at the Historic Brookside in Orwell right on Route 22A. It was the perfect location and the owners were happy to have us.”

After the wedding, the newlyweds embarked on a grand European tour — the trip of a lifetime — that concluded in the enchanting landscapes of Italy. Coincidentally, they got some big news to share on that last leg of the trip, Allison noted.

“We are expecting in the spring!” she said. “We found out while in Rome, Italy, which was just so exciting.”