Zach and Julie met the old-fashioned way, like most couples their age… on Hinge! They met for drinks at The Binc in Brooklyn Heights in May of 2022 and ended up spending hours together that night. But… he was only in NYC for that month before moving to Texas for the next three years! They spent that month ordering sushi, getting to know each other and their friends, all while knowing it would come to an end when he headed to the Lonestar state in June. Despite having sworn off long distance, as the end of May neared, the two found themselves reconsidering – one visit to Texas later by Julie, they said “why not?” and took the plunge! They spent the following year flying between Texas and NYC, eating and exploring their way through innumerable cities, cheering on the Yankees; moving, grooving, and singing along at concerts; getting to know and love each other’s families, and spending hours and hours on FaceTime realizing they were meant for each other.
In May 2023, Zach flew to NYC to celebrate his birthday – where Julie “thought” she was planning a surprise birthday party for him with all of their family and friends. But little did she know, Zach was planning a surprise of his own. He had worked with her brother and their friends to reimagine the supposedly-surprise birthday party as their engagement party! On their way to the bar where the party was, they took a walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park and Zach got down on one knee and popped the question – and Julie said yes! The reverse-engineered double surprise party full of all their friends and family was just the icing on the cake, and was a testament to just how well Zach knows Julie: he knew she’d want to plan her own engagement party (even if she didn’t realize it at the time)!
When it came time to plan their New York wedding, Julie and Zach chose to have Around Town’s Altitude Band provide the live music for their special day at The View at Battery Park! On one of those strange December days that started out somewhere in the 50s, but suddenly dropped into the single digits, just as the sun had set, the pair tied the knot in the beautiful second-floor room of The View, overlooking Battery Park, with the gorgeous backdrop of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty rising out of the water in the distance. Accompanied by Around Town’s oh-so talented pianist and violinist, the bridal party led the way down the aisle to a stunning rendition of “Kiss the Girl” from Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ – a sweet and very apt precursor to Julie’s entrance. Coming down the aisle to a positively swoon-worthy and tear-jerking “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, as Julie and Zach closed all of the distance of their relationship to come together, forever. Once the vows were exchanged, they made their way back up the aisle to Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” – a perfect song for the celebration.
Then it was on to the reception! The Altitude Band kicked off the party with a classic – ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” as the new Mr. & Mrs. grooved their way into the room. As a treat for themselves and their guests, Zach and Julie brought Altitude’s saxophonist in on the action, which elevated the whole vibe – especially since they cleverly slowed down a lot of the songs for their most important and special moments. Their touching first dance was a beautiful, stripped down version of “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – a perfect song for two people whose love grew over lots of distance and lots of travel. Of course, the energy wouldn’t stay slow for long – not with an energetic Hora to follow it up!
Julie and her father took to the floor with a gorgeous, ballad-like rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” and Zach and his mother followed it with a similarly slowed and poignant version of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.” One thing is for sure, this couple knows how to have a perfect and heartfelt moment with the people closest to them! Of course, these two also know how to party – and the Altitude Band really brought the heat with energetic bops galore. From Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” to DJ Sammy’s “Heaven” the dancing went til eleven o’ clock – with nary a mention of anyone named Caroline or how sweet she might or might not be for these Yankees fans! Of course, most appropriately, Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close” played – reminding everyone of just how much distance, time, and space these lovebirds traveled and overcame to be together.
