Bride: Demi + Tommy
Demi + Tommy
-Liesel Schmidt
Despite meeting in college, Demi Schilleci and Tommy Brocato didn’t go on their first date until the summer after they graduated in 2018. Over hot dogs and conversation at Dat Dog on Freret Street in New Orleans, the two realized they had a real connection—one that required more time to explore.
Two and a half years later, Tommy took that connection to a more permanent place. “He totally surprised me,” says Demi of the day in late March of 2021 that changed their future. “We had dinner plans at one of our favorite places to eat, Mr. B’s, but at the last minute, Tommy said we were going down the street to the Cabildo first. We went to the top of the Cabildo, to the balcony that overlooks Jackson Square, and Tommy proposed. Our families were down in Jackson Square and saw it all, but I didn’t notice them until after Tommy proposed and I looked out and saw our families—and all of the people in Jackson Square—cheering! We went to dinner at Mr. B’s with our families to celebrate afterwards.”
Celebration came again on October 15, 2022, when Demi walked down the aisle at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in New Orleans to meet Tommy at the altar. Wearing a Justin Alexander strapless ball gown and a cathedral length veil by Sara Gabriel Designs, custom made with the lace and pearl beading from her mother’s wedding gown, Demi exchanged vows with Tommy as 180 of their loved ones stood in witness. “We chose Holy Name of Jesus because my grandparents met on campus while they were attending Loyola, and it’s where Demi went to college,” says Tommy.
“The priest who married us, Father Gregory Waldrop, was one of my professors at Loyola, which was really special,” Demi adds.
