For John Lohn, the one thing he was sure of was Dana. Since the first night he met her, he had a feeling. “I remember looking across the room and thinking, ‘Wow,’ ” says John. So almost eight months after their initial meeting, John was inevitably down on one knee proposing. “I’m glad I got the right answer. She has made me the happiest guy in the world,” adds John.

And for Dana Caragine, the one place she wanted to get married was at the chapel of her alma mater, Princeton University. “Once you spend four years there, you never really get it out of your blood,” she says. “It’s always a place that feels exquisitely special.” Princeton also served as a convenient midpoint, since John’s family is from the Philadelphia area and Dana’s is from Boonton.

Originally envisioning a summer wedding, the couple realized they wouldn’t be able to pull it off in an eight-month timeframe. So they decided on a winter wedding in early 2007. “We gambled on the first weekend in January, and lo and behold, the day dawned 71 degrees and sunny,” says Dana. “Who could have imagined? My mother threw open the blinds that morning and turned to me and said, ‘Only you!’” For her balmy winter wedding, Dana wore a light-ivory Christian Michaud gown with lace and Swarovski beading and a chapel-length veil, and carried a bouquet of white roses, stephanotis, and winterberries dipped in diamond-dust sparkle. Her bridesmaids wore black Jim Hjelm dresses with bouquets of roses and stephanotis accented with crystals and pearls.

After the Catholic ceremony in the awe-inspiring architecture of the chapel and an incredible rendition of “Ave Maria,” the wedding party took advantage of the beautiful campus for photo ops, then headed across the street to the Nassau Inn.

With the help of wedding planner Kristin Rockhill of Details of I Do in Princeton Junction, guests were greeted with a white tree shimmering with gold accents and adorned with tiny buds of dendrobium orchids; surrounding the tree were guest seating arrangements set on gold paper, lit with candlelight. Rockhill decorated the candlelit ballroom in the theme of An Affair to Remember, with everything in tones of ivory and gold. Tables were adorned in ivory satin linens and gold-beaded overlays, and gold-beaded glass chargers held menu and donation cards tucked neatly into an ivory pocket, while ivory silk napkins were fastened with gold beaded rope. White Chiavari chairs with ivory silk cushions surrounded the tables, and tall centerpieces of winter white branches and dendrobium orchids were lit with pin-spot lighting. Capiz shells, which lined the dance-floor ceiling and window alcoves, shimmered in the candlelight, and the couples’ monogram shone subtly behind the head table.

As the bride and groom entered the room, they were followed by the Princeton Tiger Tones, who serenaded them on the dance floor just before their first dance.

After a dinner of filet mignon and chicken française and a simple four-tiered buttercream cake decorated with fresh orchids and a crystal topper designed by one of the bridesmaids, the evening ended with a decadent white candy bar featuring the couple’s names on white M&Ms. “It was a breathtaking setting that was both timeless and unforgettable,” says Dana.

After a sailing honeymoon in the Caribbean, Dana and John are now at home in Cranbury.