Forever began on a blind date in New York City on the coldest day of the year in January 2013. We met on the corner of Hudson and Morton Streets in the West Village. We were set up by two good friends who work together at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. My friend, Katie, overheard Mike’s friend, Courtney, talking about setting him up with another woman. Katie intervened saying she had another girl he had to meet instead. Courtney vetted me thoroughly while Katie provided me no information except that I had to go. Well a year later on that very same street corner on another frigid night in January, Mike got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes…repeatedly.We quickly decided on a New York City wedding because it’s where we met and fell in love, not to mention we think it’s the best city in the world. No other place felt right, even though I’m a Midwestern girl from Ohio and he’s from Southern New Jersey. We knew we wanted to be married in our neighborhood Catholic Church Our Lady of Pompeii. We then chose our venue, The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, soon after because we both wanted a downtown Manhattan location near where we live. After that big decision was made, all our incredible vendors fell nicely into place. We both wanted an elegant NYC affair but without any hint of stuffiness – “casual classy” as I liked to call it. The reason we decided to have a big wedding was because we wanted the rare opportunity to have everyone we loved in one room. Knowing brides and grooms never get enough time with their guests, we wanted to make sure everyone knew how special they are to us by writing handwritten notes as escort cards to welcome everyone. Our hands almost fell off after all that writing, but it was well worth it.
The look of the wedding all started with the dress. I chose Johanna Johnson’s Garbo gown that immediately set a subtle art-deco tone. And then Tricia Kim from Fourteen-Forty designed a custom invitation suite, programs, menus, among other pieces to fit the glamorous and vintage vibe. She started our wedding on the perfect foot. And the flowers, designed by Yumiko Fletcher of Hana Floral Design, made our wedding more beautiful than we ever could have imagined. I still dream about those coral peonies! I wish I could have carried around my stunning bouquet for days rather than just hours. Our wedding wouldn’t have been half as classy without her gorgeous work. And Glen Allsop from Christian Oth flawlessly captured every single moment of the day including our impromptu stop at an ice cream truck in Washington Square Park.
And last but not least, the food! To say I’m not the healthiest eater would be an understatement. Mike has gotten used to my not so fancy palate so it was important to me to have comfort foods that I love. So the night started with deviled eggs, meatballs, and grilled cheeses to name a few and ended with a chocolate chip cookie dough soufflé all by Abigail Kirsch. We really wish we got a chance to eat more.
Our other wish…that we could relive the entire day over again!
