Love: Andrea Irrera & Ernie Barile

Ernie walked onto the deck of the Sea Isle City shore house just as a gold car pulled up.

"Excuse me," said the woman with long, brown hair who stepped out. "Could you come help me with this case of water?"

Ernie knew this had to be Andrea - a first-grade teacher at George Sharswood school whose summer break had just started. Ernie is a Philadelphia firefighter, as were some of the other dozen or so housemates that summer of 2008. They told Ernie he'd like Andrea, as she is as fun-loving and outgoing as he is. They made similar predictions to Andrea. They were right.

Andrea and Ernie were the youngest of the housemates, still in a "party phase," he said. Everyone hung out at the beach, but at night, it was often just Ernie and Andrea hitting the OD, Springfield Inn, and La Costa to hear Mr. Green Jeans, Secret Service, and LeCompt.

Friendship grew quickly. Then one early morning, back at the shore house after the bars closed, there was a kiss.

Ernie and Andrea did not discuss what it meant. But "when we got back to the city . . . I was making efforts to see what he was doing, so I could see him more," she said. Ernie, who works out of Ladder 24 in West Philadelphia, did similar recon. Then the two began spending time alone, in quieter venues where they could talk. The more they learned about each other, the more they realized they were kindred spirits.

Wanting to protect the friendship they had built above all else, they took romance slowly, Andrea said. But by the time another shore house was rented for summer 2009, "We were solid," Ernie said.

In late January 2012, Andrea, who is now 33, left her South Philadelphia apartment to meet Ernie, now 32, at his place in Northern Liberties. The weather was unseasonably warm that afternoon, and her hope was to get to the music festival at the Piazza ASAP to start enjoying it.

In the kitchen, Ernie motioned to the healthy foods poster on his fridge. "Can you take that down and throw it out?" he asked. Andrea had teased him about this being his only fridge decoration for years, but it never really bothered her. "Why?" she asked. "It's fine."

"Just throw it out," he insisted. Andrea thought he was being weird, but if throwing it out meant they'd be on their way faster, she'd do it.

"What's under here?" she asked when she got closer.

"Lift it up," Ernie said.

Beneath the paper, he had arranged Scrabble-like tiles - in honor of a favorite cold-weather pastime - into a question: "Andrea, will you marry me?"

"Am I asleep?" asked Andrea, totally stunned. When she turned around, Ernie was right behind her, kneeling and offering a ring.

After she said yes, Ernie opened the fridge and took out the champagne.

The couple, who live in Roxborough, wed in a traditional ceremony at St. Monica Roman Catholic Church. Their reception for 170 was held at Tendenza. "It isn't a typical ballroom kind of venue. It's more modern, with a lot of light, white walls and zebra-print rugs," Andrea said. "It looks like a place to have a good time," Ernie added.

Homage was paid to Sea Isle through the No Shower Cocktail Hour and its signature drink: lemonade and vodka. Instead of a guest book, wedding-goers signed Sea Isle postcards. As a nod to Andrea's work, table numbers and seating charts were drawn on chalkboards.

From soon after they met in seventh grade, Andrea and her friend Kathleen pledged to choose each other as maid of honor. Kathleen died of cancer 12 years ago, when they were 21, but Andrea still named her maid of honor. Kathleen's photo was tied to Andrea's bouquet with a leopard-print ribbon, both women's favorite pattern. Centerpieces were trimmed with the same, and the bridesmaids wore leopard-print shoes.

Ernie's brother Nick was best man, and his toast had the guests' sides aching with laughter. "It's a good thing Andrea's a first-grade teacher," he quipped. "She knows how to handle Ernie's behavior."

nolead begins

When it was time to cut the cake, the couple asked Nick and Anthony, Ernie's bud from the fire academy, to do them a favor: Hold up flowers behind Andrea for the photos.

Suckers!

After the cutting, the couple smushed cake not into each other's faces, but Nick's and Anthony's. Ernie got his brother and Andrea got Anthony. But then Ernie had to get Anthony, too. "I owe him a couple," he explained.

When the doors at the back of the church were closed, Ernie knew Andrea was behind them. "I could not stop smiling, I was just so happy," he said. "It was a surreal moment, just the anticipation of waiting for those doors to open. And once they opened, just watching her."

Andrea said Ernie's smile was unlike any she'd ever seen him wear before. "It was just so happy - like his face was going to crack it was so big," she said. She was also relieved that she no longer had to keep her ivory dress with the sparkle and beading a secret. It's hard to keep something so exciting from your best friend, she said.

A bargain: Andrea said florist London Creative was easy to work with, did a great job, and saved the couple at least $500 compared with other florists they considered.

The splurge: The caterer, Cescaphe. "It was the experience we wanted for us and our guests," Ernie said. It cost about a third more than other caterers the couple had considered, but more food and drinks were included.

A week in Aruba and Miami Beach, a week in Sea Isle City.

Planning gets intense. "Sometimes you have to step away and say, 'Let's not talk any wedding stuff today, and go out, or go to dinner, and forget about it,' " Ernie said. Andrea said her best decision was setting an early deadline. Everything down to the wrapping of the bridal party's gifts was done two weeks out so the time right before the wedding was stress-free.

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