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Ashlee Holmes Explains Why She Decided to Elope — and Shuts Down the Haters In the Process

Go inside The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum's daughter's intimate nuptials to Pete Malleo.

By Jocelyn Vena Aug 9, 2018, 11:34 AM ET

Ashlee Holmes Gets Engaged!

When it came time to say "I do," instead of some opulent, over-the-top bash, Ashlee Holmes and Pete Malleo decided to keep it more low key and elope at City Hall. The Garden State newlywed explained why the couple decided to scale back their big day.

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"Thank you all so much for the overwhelming amount of love and support we’ve been receiving from our friends, family and followers! Only our parents have known about our plans, and they were luckily okay with the idea. Pete and I were going back and forth for a long time about whether or not we should have a big wedding or just elope. Even our elopement plans kept changing once we decided that’s what we were going to do. Pete and I feel like we’ve been married for years already. We’ve been friends since 2010, had a beautiful child together, and have been living together since 2016," she wrote on Instagram, following news of their wedding, alongside a video of Ashlee and Pete in the car on their wedding day.

Ashlee Holmes Got Married in the Classiest Mini Wedding Dress We've Ever Seen

Then, Ashlee, daughter of The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Jacqueline Laurita, had a message for anyone looking to criticize the couple's decision. "We weighed our pros and cons and decided that we would rather just save the money and put it towards our future together. I figured if City Hall was good enough for Carrie Bradshaw and Big that we could make it work. I wanted simple and affordable. Nothing fancy, just love. That being said, I would really appreciate it if all the social media keyboard warriors would just accept that instead of trying to belittle me or scold my parents on our special day. This is what we wanted. Please respect that," she wrote. "Today was a very happy day. And at the end of it, we’re all feeling incredibly grateful and blessed. Thank you! Love, the Malleos."

Photo: @ashleenicholemua/Instagram

Thank you all so much for the overwhelming amount of love and support weâve been receiving from our friends, family and followers! Only our parents have known about our plans, and they were luckily okay with the idea. Pete and I were going back and forth for a long time about whether or not we should have a big wedding or just elope. Even our elopement plans kept changing once we decided thatâs what we were going to do. Pete and I feel like weâve been married for years already. Weâve been friends since 2010, had a beautiful child together, and have been living together since 2016. We weighed our pros and cons and decided that we would rather just save the money and put it towards our future together. I figured if City Hall was good enough for Carrie Bradshaw and Big that we could make it work. ?? I wanted simple and affordable. Nothing fancy, just love. That being said, I would really appreciate it if all the social media keyboard warriors would just accept that instead of trying to belittle me or scold my parents on our special day. This is what we wanted. Please respect that. Today was a very happy day. And at the end of it, weâre all feeling incredibly grateful and blessed. Thank you! ?? Love, the Malleos.
A post shared by Ashlee Nichole (@ashleenicholemua) on Aug 8, 2018 at 7:59pm PDT

Pete also thanked fans for their support, and even slipped in a little humorous message for his new bride, which she seemed to co-sign on Instagram.

Photo: @c3peteo/Instagram Stories

Photo: @c3peteo/Instagram

The couple, who got engaged in 2016 and are parents to a son, Cameron Hendrix Malleo, also born in 2016, wed at City Hall in Manhattan. Ashlee revealed a few more details about the event, including what it looked like when they made it official, what her wedding band looks like, a casual moment of her new hubby, as well as a delicious-looking brunch.