Velekei, Party of THREE
April 4, 2024
Molly & Sean Velekei Welcome Baby Addison to the Stroudsmoor Family
In 2017, Molly and Sean Velekei celebrated their fairytale wedding at Lawnhaven, but in welcoming their first little girl late last year, Molly revealed that her own journey into motherhood was anything but storybook.
While things have settled in the Velekei household since bringing home their first child—Baby Addison Velekei—Molly took some time to talk about many of the difficulties that come with becoming a mom and all of the obstacles she overcame during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
“Pregnancy was very difficult for me,” she admitted. “I was extremely sick the entire 10 months…so it was a bit hard for me to ‘enjoy or have the pregnancy glow.'”
Consistent morning sickness and nausea aside, she added, “I also ended up having preclampsia at the end and was induced on 8/31 due to extreme high blood pressure.”
Nevertheless, “Addison was born [healthy] on 9/1/23, 5.7lbs, 18inches long [at] 8:41am!”
The mama of one said of her little girl, “she is just the most amazing blessing.”
So much so, in fact, that Sean and Molly are going to try for Baby #2 once their little girl is 1.5 to 2 years old—”We want her to have a sibling!” Molly explained.
Overall, we like to think that the journey to motherhood is defined, each pregnancy and delivery following the same generic framework. However, Molly’s experience and how she describes it reminds us that pregnancy is not always smooth, and hardly is it simple. That said, we thank her for her transparency and congratulate her for overcoming all of the obstacles she overcame in her journey to motherhood.
After welcoming baby Addison to the world last September, Molly shared, “I ended up having to be in the hospital after delivery for an entire week due to my blood pressure, which was very hard considering we all wanted to go home and learn how to start being a ‘family.'”
She added, “I actually…end[ed] up advocating for myself and signing myself out as they were not going to release me.”
While she knew her blood pressure issues were “no joke,” she assured, “I had the tools to be able to monitor myself at home.”
In addition to preeclampsia, Molly explained that she also struggled with certain individuals while at the hospital regarding best methods for feeding her baby. Looking back on her experience, she insisted, “We need to fight for ourselves [as moms] and our children when it comes to doctors!! Trust your gut mamas!!!”
Fortunately, since coming home and establishing their routines as a family of three, things have settled a bit. However, that’s not to say things were immediately easier for Molly and Sean upon going home.
Molly Adjusts to Life as a Full-Time Working Mom
Thinking back on her journey, from Addison’s arrival and their stay in the hospital to now, Molly shared that she was able to enjoy several months’ maternity leave with her little girl.
“I was so, so blessed that my company offer[ed] 5 months’ paid maternity leave,” Molly gushed, “and my husband does investments so [he] works from home [too].”‘
As such, “We were really able to enjoy that time together and figure out how to be a ‘family.'”
Sadly, as all parents know, the time spent with little Addie went all too quickly and Molly had to return to work five months after her arrival. She admitted, “I sobbed and cried my eyes out the entire Sunday before going back to work; even though I knew Addison would be with my husband all day.”
She explained, “It still felt like she was being ripped from me and I would be missing out on so much. Mind you I also work from home, so she was only a few rooms away, but it was still so hard.”
She continued, “Adjusting to working full time and being a mom was really hard [because] I had to learn how to separate anything that was going on at work from my home life to be present and truly enjoy the time I have with her each night when I’m done working for the day.”
All About Baby Addison
Though things for the Velekei family of three got off to a bit of a rocky start, baby Addison is doing very well and learning new things every day.
Molly said, “Addison is a great eater, sleeper, and pooper! Ever since [she turned] 2 months, she does 12 hours over night and has been in her crib!”
The proud mama continued, “She brings so much joy to our family and makes Sean and I laugh every day. We love ‘learning’ with her every day, and we are all growing together. It’s amazing watching what new things she does each day. I had no idea what I was missing before being a mommy.”
As of now, baby Addie likes watching Bluey, jumping in her bouncer, rolling back and forth, clapping her hands, being outside, and hanging with her pups. She’s also working on a big milestone at the moment, learning to eat solid foods.
“Right now, we are learning how to eat solids,” Molly said, “and that has been so much fun! She gets so messy every day but is definitely great entertainment…watching her taste new things and explore!”
We’re so excited to see all of the ways that Baby Addison, and the Velekei family, continues to grow.
The Velekeis Prepare to Welcome Their First Baby
July 14, 2023
Molly and Sean Velekei’s Stroudsmoor fairytale began nearly six years ago, when they were wed at Lawnhaven on September 30th, 2017. Since then, they have looked back at their wedding venue with grand affection, stating that the renowned Stroudsburg Inn continues to be “one of the biggest symbols of [their] love” to this day.
A year after saying “I do,” the couple returned to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Molly and Sean took advantage of Stroudsmoor’s ‘Remembering Your Wedding Day’ package, which allows couples to spend the anniversary of their wedding night at the Inn. During their stay, the couple enjoyed champagne and strawberries, dinner for two, and even a miniature wedding cake that both Molly and Sean fondly remember.
Since then, the Velekeis strive to spend each wedding anniversary somewhere new and special, visiting places like the Finger Lakes, Mexico, and Jamaica. And if exotic getaways aren’t on the table, Molly shared, “We at least try to go out to dinner” each year.
This year, however, plans look a little different as Molly and Sean’s party of two is due to become a party of three on September 18th. With a sweet baby girl set to arrive just 12 days before their sixth wedding anniversary, the pair decided they would again return to Stroudsmoor, but this time to celebrate the coming arrival of baby Addison Velekei with a maternity photoshoot.
Molly glowed in a pink and white floral maxi dress, the soft fabric gracefully falling over her sweet baby bump. Sean’s excitement over the upcoming arrival of baby Addison was palpable, his tone conveying just how anxious he is to meet his baby girl.
“Happy and healthy,” Sean said, thinking about his wishes for his baby girl. “It’s cliché, but it’s true.”
While here, the couple also reflected on their wedding day, exploring their venue outside the lens of their wedding. Tears pricked the corners of Molly’s eyes as she took in the stone gazebo, the vine-covered trellis, and the grand lawn.
“It’s so peaceful,” she remarked.
Thinking back on their experience planning their wedding at Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Molly and Sean had nothing but kind words. They shared that they “still hear from people to this day” about how remarkable their ceremony and reception were.
Molly added, following their photoshoot, “What struck us most about Stroudsmoor while we were there was how beautiful the property is, how well it’s maintained. It’s like Lawnhaven gets better and better each time we see it! I felt like we were taking a walk back into our wedding day while we were there, and got very teary-eyed seeing it for the first time in so long. [It] made us have all those wedding feelings rush right back to us! We feel so lucky to be a part of the Stroudsmoor family, and [to be] able to come back here…to merge two huge moments of our life together was so memorable.”
They also offered some advice for other to-be-weds moving through the planning process now.
“Let people help,” Sean said. “And take advice from the professionals.”“Let people help,” Sean said. “And take advice from the professionals.”
We look forward to seeing Molly and Sean’s maternity photos, and we can’t wait to hear about the arrival of their baby girl.
And, if you’re in the middle of planning a wedding of your own, consider reaching out to our “professionals”—Sean’s words!—about scheduling a tour. Call our Event Office at 570-421-6431 | Ext. 420, or contact us via our Inquiry Page, which you can access here.
Molly & Sean Velekei are Married at Lawnhaven
"The entire night went off perfectly..."
How and where you did you meet?
Sean and I met in May 2011 through mutual friends, (my best friend and her boyfriend at that time). Her boyfriend knew that I would like Sean and wanted to make sure we met each other; so I tagged along to a party with them. Sean and I started spending lots of time together, and it was history ever since! Sean proposed in November 2015, and we were married at Stroudsmoor’s Lawnhaven on 09/30/2017. It was the best day of our lives!
What was your first impression of one another, and the day you knew you would be together forever?
Our first impression was that we both knew that our friends did us a solid by setting us up!! We were both attracted to each other and instantly wanted to start spending all of our time together. We both knew that we would be together forever after we moved in together and were able to accept each other’s flaws/quirks! We have spent the past 5 years since being married enjoying our time together, traveling to new places, trying new drinks/foods, and enjoying time with our dogs. We spent one of our first anniversaries at Stroudsmoor – we got to stay in the same suite where we had our wedding night, eat the same food and cake we had on our wedding night. We got to walk around the property, and felt the same love we did on our wedding day. Stroudsmoor even sent us a bouquet and my mom had sent us cookies and milk to our room which was our wedding favor! It was a very special trip. This year we are expecting the birth of our first child, a daughter, in September 2023. September will forever be our special month, as Stroudsmoor will always be our special place.
Tell us about the proposal?
Sean proposed in front of all our family and friends at our house the week of my birthday. He tricked me; I thought that all of our friends and family were busy and could not be with us for my birthday, and when we walked in everyone was waiting for us!
Tell us what led you to Stroudsmoor and your reason for celebrating at the Inn?
Plans for the new baby! We are having our shower at our home the end of July with all our friends and family, co-ed style! We are really looking forward to spending that day with our family and friends to celebrate baby Addison! We did not have a gender reveal, as Sean and I both knew immediately it was a girl, we just had a feeling! We only ever even worked on girl names before we knew “for sure”!
What was the one menu and décor detail you loved most about your celebration?
We want to take our maternity photos at Stroudsmoor, because Stroudsmoor just gives us all the warm and fuzzy feelings every time we visit. Stroudsmoor is one of the biggest symbols of our love going strong forever. We loved Stroudsmoor so much and just couldn’t think of a more beautiful background for our maternity photos as special to us as Stroudsmoor.
What made your Stroudsmoor Wedding Journey most memorable?
So many parts of our wedding stand out in our minds. The flowers, the food, the drinks, the wonderful service to our friends and families, and our wedding attendants! The entire night went off perfectly without any issues. We still get compliments on our wedding from our friends and family, that it was the best wedding they ever attended!
Share a hope for your first anniversary.
We hope to be able to continue to visit Stroudsmoor with Addison once she’s here, so she can see the beautiful place that her Mommy and Daddy celebrated their love year after year!
