01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 7, 2003

Allison Joslyn and Christopher Puglia

Immaculate Conception Church, Cranston

7.5.03

"I feel like we should bring Allison's sister on our honeymoon," says Christopher Puglia. "She's done so much to help plan our wedding."

Puglia, originally from Long Island, New York, and his bride, Allison Joslyn from Cranston, now live in Charleston, South Carolina. He's a police officer; she is a special ed teacher. Their wedding plans have involved tying together the three states.

"I have six bridesmaids -- two from Rhode Island (including her sister Jennifer, the maid of honor, in photo above with best man, Edward Puglia, leading procession of attendants out of the church), one from New York, and three from South Carolina. Do you know what it's like to get six women to agree on a dress with over 500 miles in between them? Not pretty.

"I have a very stressed-out mother in Cranston, and an isolated mother-in-law-to-be in New York. We have been frantically e-mailing and running up high phone bills trying to plan this wedding for 150 guests in eight months' time.

Not everything has been difficult: Allison bought her dress when she was visiting Rhode Island on Labor Day last year. "It was the first one I tried on. It has lots of beads and pearls, and I even bought a tiara. My mother and sister were shocked because I'm a jeans and T-shirt person. But I wanted to sparkle on my wedding day."

Sister Jennifer and mother Loretta heard a band on Federal Hill, and booked them on the spot for cocktail hour. "Four old Italian guys," says Jennifer.

Christopher and his mother picked out the wedding rings, a surprise for Allison.

"It was all about communication," says Jennifer Joslyn. "The tuxedos: we had to make sure to choose a chain available in all three states. Same with bridal registry -- we had to choose national chains, with real stores in each area, because we have too many family and friends not comfortable with online shopping."

Allison, now 23, and Chris, 24, met at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, just south of Myrtle Beach. They had both signed on as resident assistants and, at the end of their freshman year, were assigned to the same dormitory for the following fall. "It was love at first sight for me," says Chris, "and I had the whole summer to get up the nerve to make my move. I'm real shy, and Allison is very open. She was the aggressor -- within three weeks we were going on our first date.

Chris says that for Allison's family, "this wedding is like the Super Bowl."

"My mother and sister have done so much. I'll think of something, and they'll have already done it two weeks ago," says Allison.

"The only thing wrong so far is the boutonnieres are wilted," says Jennifer today, as, dressed and ready to go, she sits in the living room of her parents' home. "But the florist is coming with replacements."

"My sister and I are very close but very different," says Allison.

"Yeah," says Jennifer, "Allison is laid back, go with the flow, while I need to dot all the I's and cross all the T's!"

Says Allison: "We're a good blend."