Tell us a little about yourselves!
Alex and I met during the pandemic. We had matched on a dating app and texted on and off for months while I was quarantining at my parents’ house in Connecticut. Alex felt like my mystery pen-pal— we sent each other pictures of what we were cooking, reading, and listening to. Alex had good taste, which was vital, as I am a big snob!
When I came back to the city in July of 2020, I invited him to a friend’s rooftop birthday party. I was smitten instantly, and we have been attached at the hip ever since.
We live in Greenpoint (Brooklyn) and both work in art-adjacent fields. Alex works in fine art, and I work in music.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
When we first started planning our wedding, we had visions of an idyllic upstate NY weekend. We reached out to several different venues and were immediately overwhelmed with the logistics. I think Alex and I were both tiptoeing around the fact that doing it at City Hall in Manhattan would be both easier in terms of planning and would also make us more comfortable (we don’t love the spotlight!). We eventually admitted this to each other, and I remember quite literally feeling a weight lifting off of my chest.
Once City Hall was officially agreed upon as our ceremony spot, we decided to plan the rest of the wedding around our lives together in NYC. We kept the ceremony and reception on two different days, which helped us stay relaxed and present throughout the process. After we left City Hall, we celebrated with family with a luncheon, followed by dinner at Chinatown’s iconic Golden Unicorn. Our larger party was the next evening at One if By Land, Two if By Sea a sweetly nostalgic spot in the West Village that is quintessential New York.
How many guests did you have?
Ceremony: 40, Reception: 120.
Tell us about your outfits.
Dani: It was all about the reception dress for me (though I had a perfect, simple ceremony dress from Hai). I had seen the dress while watching the Simone Rocha SS 24 show on YouTube, and it felt like something that already belonged to me. I knew I had to wait to see if the dress was actually going to be put into production, so I went to the Simone Rocha store in Soho weekly to bug the sales associates. They assured me the dress was indeed set to be made, and so I waited for the collection to drop. The dress was one of the last pieces of the collection to drop, to the point where it had begun to felt like a myth. I eventually got a call from the store that it had come in (2.5 months out from the wedding!), and ran down to Soho with my sisters after work. It was the only dress I tried on.
I also had a custom bridal jacket made by Eva Joan Repairs. I wanted something somewhat bohemian and tough, as to counteract the girlish nature of the dress and serve as a sort of souvenir of the day that I could wear daily in the years to come. The jacket was inspired by vintage military jackets, sort of like if Ralph Lauren met Cassie from Skins. I wanted to look ethereal, timeless, and a little bit weird (in a pretty way!).
All of my jewelry was borrowed from my mother and grandmother. Pearls pearls pearls!! I had a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for the ceremony and Manolos for the reception (I also brought along a pair of silver Nodaletos just in case the other pair started to pinch!).
Alex: Dani and I both decided to be more casual for the ceremony, and more dressed up at the reception. I wore a simple grey suit from Theory to City Hall, paired with my black vintage cowboy boots that I wear every day.
For the party, I commissioned a made-to-measure tuxedo at Todd Snyder. I really loved picking out all the fabrics (that came from Italy), and was ultimately most comfortable in something that was created just for me. It was an incredible experience, and knowing that the suit fit perfectly allowed me to not have to think too hard about my appearance and just be able to enjoy the evening. I chose velvet slippers over traditional dress shoes because I don’t like patent leather. I wanted to look elegant, and not like a gawky kid going to prom.
I was lucky enough to be gifted a vintage Rolex Datejust by my boss. It truly completed the look.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted a wedding that was timeless, chic, and that truly embodied the glamour of New York City.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We are both very particular people, and wanted to be sure that every detail felt as though proper thought had gone into it. We wanted the wedding to have a vintage feel— remaining aesthetically classic while having a cheeky subversive twist.
Good music was absolutely essential! Our DJ (Lauren Murada absolutely understood our vibe, and had people dancing to Pixies, New Order, Pulp, & The Strokes. The only wedding-type song we played was the “Hora”.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Dig your heels in on what matters. You will inevitably have to make compromises, but don’t settle for anything that doesn’t feel like yourselves.
Steal a moment alone with your partner to check-in with each other!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our wedding cake by Aimee France was a stunning vintage-y Dr. Suessian tower. The flavors we chose were cherry, almond, pistachio, and coconut. It was very important to us that specifically cherries were used as a decoration (cherries are the most wedding-like fruit, very Lana Del Rey).
Rajotte Photography (Photographer) & Dottie Morris (Videographer) captured our day. It was important to us that we use a mix of film and digital for documentary-style footage. Both Marybeth and Zack (aka Dottie) made us feel completely at ease and understood our aesthetic vision.
Lastly, the day quite literally would have never come together without our incredible planning team, Mudari Creative.
Photographer: Rajotte Photography @marybethrajottephoto | Planning & Styling: Mudari Creative
@mudaricreative | Flora: Love at the Flower Shop @loveattheflowershop | Videographer: Dottie Morris @xodottiemorris | Ceremony Location: NYC Courthouse | Reception Location: One if By Land, Two if By Sea @oneifbylandnyc | Rentals: Party Rental LTD @partyrentalltd | HMUA: CEO Beauty
@ceobeautynyc | Catering + Beverages: One if By Land, Two if By Sea @oneifbylandny | Cake:
Aimee France @aimeefrance | Stationery: Mudari Creative @mudaricreative | Entertainment: Lauren Murada @Lauren_murada | Dresses: Hai & Simone Rocha @homeofhai @simonerocha_ | Suit: Theory @Theory_ & Todd Snyder @toddsnyderny | Watch: Rolex (Groom) @rolex | Bridal Jacket: Eva Joan (Custom) | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Haniken Jewlers @Hanikenjewlers_nyc | Shoes: Tecovas @tecovas and Ralph Lauren @ralphlauren (Groom), Manolo Blahnik @manoloblahnik and Jimmy Choo (Bride) @jimmychoo