Dana and Eric's Wedding!

You’re invited to our wedding! We hope you come, Eat, drink, and be merry!

Dana Goldberg

Eric Strauss

Bride’s story

Dana came into the world on a warm, sunny afternoon during the 1984 Summer Olympics. On August 8th, Mary Lou Retton won the gold and a small, young family grew by one. With a crayon in her hand practically from birth, Dana has spent her entire life looking at the world through a creative lens. She loves wrapping presents, decorating cakes and finding any excuse to visit a craft store - wedding planning is the best!

A true Jersey girl, Dana graduated from Freehold Township High School and Rutgers University where she received her Bachelors Degree in Communication, before attending the Art Institute of Philadelphia for Media Arts and Animation. When Dana isn't animating, she's Eric's sous chef and scooter-riding partner. Dana enjoys eating chocolate, shopping at Whole Foods, dancing to the music of classic rock cover bands, and binge watching TV shows on Netflix. Her other favorite activities include reading a good book with tea, cuddling with their cats, and watching horror movies when Eric is away.

Groom’s story

Eric was born one snow filled morning on March 20th, 1982. It was a time without computers, internet, cell phones, Facebook, Netflix, or even wedding websites. It was a much simpler time. Eric has earned the distinction of being the most Irish looking Jew in the world. Not an official title, but one he holds dearly none the less. Eric is a real estate investor, former wedding photographer, world traveler, gourmet popcorn maker, and all around chill dude. A lover of golf, getting his scooter fixed, and of course Dana.

A graduate of Friends' Central School and Brandeis University where he received a bachelors in economics and a masters in finance -- Eric continues his passion for learning, albeit in a far less academic environment. His current obsessions are personal finance, cooking, and trying not suck so much at guitar. On most days he can be found eating gluten free bagels with soy cream cheese, sipping on espresso, and chasing around one of the three cats Dana and Eric swear to kick out of the house if they break another goddamn thing.

"If either one of them asks you what you're living of, say love, say for me love."

OUR LOVELINE

The story of how we met, met again, and then met a third time.

a love story

February, 2009

How We Met

Dana and Eric spent 10 amazing days in Israel - they just didn't spend that time together. While their experiences were very different, their shared memories of this trip have created a basis for their relationship and made for a lot of easy conversation starters on their first date.

May, 2011

A Chance Encounter in Philly

Eric was on a cat and mouse chase to replace his broken iPhone, while Dana was hunting down a shoe store that (as it turns out) didn't exist. Their worlds collided when Eric recognized Dana. Dana couldn't seem to place him, but Eric persisted. He eventually convinced her, but it would still take a year for this chance encounter to have an impact.

August, 2012

Our First Date

Eric invited Dana out for drinks to celebrate her upcoming birthday (thank you, Facebook). After a few drinks and some guacamole, it was time to leave. Eric called for an Uber, but it was nowhere to be found. Dana offered to share her umbrella as they waited for a cab. As they said their goodbyes, Dana was caught off guard when Eric leaned in for a kiss. He insists she was giving signals. She denies it. This still remains their biggest disagreement.

Later that week...

Our Second Date

A few nights after their first kiss, Eric and Dana sat across from each other at a small table, in Center City. Dana's schedule had been complicated which made her seem uninterested, but Eric kept trying to find a date. "She'll have to flat out say no!" he thought. Well, she didn't say no, and during that dinner she remembers thinking, "Wow, I could definitely see myself falling for this guy!"

October, 2012

Dana Moves Away :-(

Unfortunately, right after Eric and Dana finally connected, she had already made plans to start her career in New York City. Dana and Eric embarked on a quasi-long-distance relationship, driving up and down the turnpike more than they'd like to remember. Despite the distance, it was during this time that they realized how much they cared for each other.

Hurricane Sandy, October 2012

Sandy's Silver Lining

Eric and Dana got "stuck" together in Philly during Hurricane Sandy. While the trains were down in NYC, and the east coast was trying to recover, Eric and Dana spent 10 days keeping each other company. It was a big test for their young relationship and they passed with flying colors.

November 2012

The Cats Move In

Milo and Moo had outstayed their welcome at Ari and Kellen's place, so Eric graciously built a "Cat Hotel" in the basement. The response from everyone they spoke to? "Eric must really love this girl."

Valentine's Day, Feburary 2013

Dana Moves In

While having a romantic dinner at Philadelphia Waterworks, Eric asks Dana to move in with him. Like all their most important conversations, this one was simple and easy.

July 2014

European Escapades

Dana and Eric took their first major trip across the pond. They wandered through the streets of Barcelona, where Eric once studied, they celebrated the marriage of one of Eric's closest friends in Mallorca, and ate lots of cheese, bread and gelato in Paris.

December 9th 2014

The Proposal

When Dana came home from work, she was awed by all the photos strung across the living room leading to Eric's laptop. She pressed play, as instructed from the sign. The last scene of The Wedding Singer was cued up, but just as Adam Sandler's character would have started strumming the first chord, Dana heard instead a guitar from upstairs. She looked up and saw Eric standing in a tuxedo at the top of the stairs, singing "I Want to Grow Old With You". At the end of the song, Eric added a verse, got down on one knee and asked Dana to marry him. She said yes, even before Eric got the ring out of his pocket.

October, 2015

The Wedding!

Eric and Dana are so excited to celebrate their marriage with the people who are most important to them!

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Wedding Events

Bring your golfing shoes, dancing shoes, and an extra pair of shoes (just to be safe).

Welcome BBQ

Bala Golf Club 2200 Belmont Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131 See Wedding Map Saturday, October 10th 2015 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Attire: Country Club (no jeans).

Ceremony

Philadelphia Horticulture Center 100 North Horticultural Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131 See Wedding Map Sunday, October 11th 2015 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Transportation provided from Hilton City Ave.

Reception

Philadelphia Horticulture Center 100 North Horticultural Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131 See Wedding Map Sunday, October 11th 2015 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM Return transportation to Hilton City Ave.

Farewell Brunch

Hilton Philadelphia City Ave. 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131 See Wedding Map Monday, October 12th 2015 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Wedding Reception
Welcome BBQ
Hotel
Our House

Bridal Party

We are incredibly honored to have some of our closest friends and family stand with us as we get married. Here are some things you might not know about them!

Bridesmaids

Arielle Polito (Maid Of Honor)

Dana's sister, Maid of Honor and rock, Arielle, has been right there next to Dana through everything. With an eye for style and all things beautiful and glamorous, Ari is going to play an integral part in helping Dana through this year of planning and decision making. It helps that she's still basking in the glory of her own wedding day!

Lauren Davidson

Dana's super talented step sister, Lauren, has always been a source of entertainment, inspiration and admiration. Dana's most recent favorite memory with Lauren was staying up all night talking the night before Arielle's wedding, and she looks forward to repeating it again soon :) If Lauren's not humming a few bars of music, she's traveling around the world and talking about her glamorous NYC lifestyle. Go Jets!

Shelley Rosenberg

Shelley was one of Dana's first friends in Philly. From watching (well, more like critiquing) The Bachelorette and attending awkward Jewish singles events, to dining like kings and queens in Yardley, they've come a long way together. Shelley has been a voice of reason, a sounding board and a shoulder to lean on for many years. Philly life would not be the same without her.

Caitlyn Jeronimus

Caitlyn and Dana met back in 2006 and became super close while living in Belmar in the years following college. Their days were spent soaking up the sun and sand, their nights were spent dancing to Bruce and watching Grey's Anatomy. Even though distance makes it hard for them to get together as often as they'd like, they've substituted ringing doorbells and honking car horns for ringing cell phone and beeping text messages.

Ashley Strasser

Dana's cousin Ashley is practically a sister. After Ashley moved to Florida, Dana and Arielle spent nearly every winter break flying down to visit. Dana's favorite memories include bouncy ball games and beanie baby fights, sleepovers at Nana's, and wreaking havoc - I mean, rollerblading - around Wycliff. Now that Ashley is in NYC, the memories they've been making recently might be even better than the old ones.

Christa Turek

Dating back to middle school, Christa has been a constant in Dana's life. Road trips, concerts, parties, high school reunions and so much more, they've experienced a lot together. Now, Dana's favorite times with Christa include sleepovers with Logan and Ella. Well, maybe the best times happen once the kids are asleep ;)

Marisa Skolnick

Since 1985, Dana and Marisa have been an institution. They were each others first friends and remain as close as sisters. Through pre-school, dance recitals, Hebrew school, sleepovers, birthdays, and everything in between, there is hardly a memory that doesn't include Marisa. They dreamed big together, saw the ups and downs of life together, and always stuck by each other.

Groomsmen

Nat Arem (Best Man)

Nat and Eric are basically brothers -- having spent the majority of their lives annoying one another. Their relationship encapsulates almost three decades of shared experiences -- growing up neighbors, being schoolmates, getting into trouble on the internet, traveling through Europe, driving across the US, starting businesses, making poker documentaries, eating IN-N-OUT burgers in Vegas, and thousands of other notable and not so notable things. Nat lives in Philadelphia but travels the world as the Chief Hooker at Hookgrip.

Ben Chittenden

Ben and Eric met in elementary school and became inseparable during their middle and high school years. Often mistaken for brothers (or members of a late 90s boy band), a weekend hardly went by without riding around in Ben's green min-van playing DMX on cassette tape. Ben lives with his wife (Megan), two children (Charlotte and Colby) and dog (Luke) in Southlake, Texas and works in the financial industry.

Adam Stempel

Adam and Eric met in day camp and grew to become close friends, travel buddies, business partners, and handsome gentlemen indeed. Always inspirational to one another, Adam convinced Eric to go on Birthright to Israel (where he met Dana) and also convinced Eric to move back to Philly and invest in real estate (which he does now). Adam lives in Manhattan with his wife (Blanca) and works in the financial industry.

Morty Ain

Morty and Eric met during the first week of college and became fast friends. Between ill-fated road trips to Florida, reckless house parties in Waltham, amateur reality show filming, and heavenly seafood meals in Rhode Island -- their friendship has been a never-ending source of adventure and ridiculousness. Morty lives with his wife (Halie), newborn daughter (Annabelle), and pooch (Milo) in Long Island and writes for ESPN.

Kellen Polito

Kellen and Eric met one fateful night before a Third Eye Blind concert… in 2012. A gentleman amongst men, Kellen is Eric's soon to be brother-in-law and golfing teammate. Kellen lives with his wife (Arielle) and dog (Tips) in Belmar, New Jersey and works as a social worker.

Justin Davidson

Justin and Eric met centuries ago in a past life and re-connected in this one. An up-n-commer in the rap game, J-Dizzle is Eric's other soon to be brother-in-law and 90s hip-hop lyric encyclopedia. Justin lives in Freehold, New Jersey and works in the sports apparel industry.

We’re getting married!