Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met watching Jurassic World 7 years ago. My old roommate and Nick’s friend from college, Liza, had asked me if I wanted to join for a movie. I was literally cleaning the apartment and in my pyjamas and decided to go. Apparently, Nick was pretty smitten by my ‘pyjama’ look - a vintage The Doors shirt and black Uniqlo pyjama pants. Before going into the movie theatre, I wanted to pop into a Bodega to get a sandwich to bring in and Nick joined me on my Bodega run. He was really impressed by my sandwich order and asked Liza for my number the next day. The rest is history.
I had just graduated from grad school and Nick was in between film gigs, so we both had the summer off. We went to the beach as our first unofficial date and hung out pretty much everyday for the rest of that summer. I won Nick over when I made him my famous miso chicken, and we both realized we had a thing for cooking and food. To this day, our favorite things are a good beach day and cooking a great meal!
Nick is the charmer. He’ll strike up a conversation with anyone and instantly be your new friend. He’s got a quick sense of humor, a tremendous knack for cooking, and loves holding out on decisions in favor of spontaneity.
Nicole is the endlessly creative and conscientious lady who always loves to bring her friends together for good times and good wine! She is a natural born explorer who is constantly planning our next great adventure.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We decided to elope on 2-22-22 (and also snagged the 2PM appointment) in a private ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan. There’s always been something romantic about City Hall, and we really liked the idea of a low fuss situation.
How many guests did you have?
23 guests total. We could have easily had a big wedding, but we decided early on that we wanted to be able to talk to and interact with every guest. To keep our number’s low, we decided to invite immediate family and local New York friends only. Our exception was our good friend Liza because she is the very reason we met. None of Nicole’s family could come due to the pandemic, so she invited her best friend, Raeling, who lives in San Francisco.
Tell us about your outfits.
The fun part about a Winter wedding is that you can have many looks without ever changing your outfit! Nicole is a long time fan and wearer of Kaarem, so she naturally wore their Saccha jumpsuit in white. For shoes, she found the Martiniano Party Heel in Sage which helped drive the green accessories for both of us.
To honor her Korean heritage on her mother’s side, she had a custom modern hanbok jacket made by MeeHee Hankbok. She ordered a green Norigae from Etsy to match her shoes. Nicole agonized over her coat and searched the internet high and low for the perfect one. She ended up finding the right coat on consignment - a Simone Rocha Lace Shawl Coat from her Winter ‘20 Collection. Her purse was beaded with pearls and found on Etsy. Earrings were the Long Pearl Shower Earrings from Wwake as well as the engagement ring and wedding band. Our dear friend, Michael from Speaklow, made Nicole’s bouquet filled with green orchids, brussels sprout, and more.
Nick already had a great suit, so he wore that the day of the wedding. Nick decided to wear a green patterned Ferragamo necktie. His shoes were also by Ferragamo, and he wore a tailored white button down. Nick found a deadstock Tiffany’s wedding band from Pippin Vintage Jewelry in Manhattan. It was the first ring he tried and he immediately knew it was perfect. Nick also wore a boutonnière from Speaklow that matched the bouquet.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We’ve gone to so many weddings where the bride and groom have 'crazy eyes'. So our running joke was that we wanted to plan a wedding where we didn’t have 'crazy eyes', where we could be fully present and enjoy our day on our own terms. That was our goal and safe to say we succeeded - we enjoyed every moment and talked, hugged, and danced with all of our guests the entire night. We planned our wedding in one month, so we really didn’t have time to think about a lot of typical details of a wedding day such as speeches, guests gifts, etc. All of that went to the wayside. Planning our wedding in such a short time, we ended up doing whatever we really wanted and went with the flow.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We knew that we wanted to take photos in places that were special to us. Our first stop was in Chinatown to capture a photo we would always take when Nick’s late brother, Chris, was in town and to honor him. After Chinatown, we headed over to our best friends’ apartment where we spent many evenings listening to music and cooking together throughout the pandemic. It was the perfect place for our photos for this particular time in our lives. It was important that the dinner and party space wasn’t too big. There’s magic that happens when you're confined to a small space. The best thing about a NYC party is that you have to talk to everyone because you're usually in a small bar or someone’s 1 bedroom apartment. We both wanted the space to capture this vibe, so naturally Petit Paulette was cozy and perfect. They also have a red neon sign that floods the small space with an orange-red hue that added to the ambiance. We didn’t actually plan for speeches, but Nick’s dad ended dinner with a speech. He really inspired the rest of the guests, and we ended up having 8 amazing, spontaneous speeches. It was one of our favorite parts of the evening!
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Go with the flow. We planned our wedding in one month. We couldn’t really imagine having to plan a party for an entire year - if you’re doing something small or have decision fatigue, we’re proof you can plan your day on a short timeline. Plan your wedding the way you want it, not around other people’s expectations.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We didn’t have many vendors, but we really loved the ones we worked with. Our near and dear friends at Speaklow who helped us with decorations at Petit Paulette, and our florals. And for sharing their wonderful home for photos! Yellow Bird Visuals for the most vibrant photos. She captured all the details, small and big. We’re over the moon about all the shots! Kristine Ong who made our pistachio cream wedding cake. We were hoping for leftovers, but it was so delicious, there were none! And Rin NYC for our light green, heart shaped yuzu sansho mochi!
Photographer : Yellow Bird Visuals (Michaella Jelin-Till ) @yellowbirdvisuals | Ceremony Location : New York City Hall | Reception Location : Petit Paulette @petitpaulettebk | Floral Styling : Speaklow @speaklownyc | Hair : Salon Dumbo @salondumbo | Cake : Kristine Ong, Pastry Chef @kristineeeeeong | Dessert (Mochi) : Rin NYC @rin_nyc | Nicole's Outfit : Kaarem @kaaremvn Saccha Layered Onesie, MeeHee Hankbok @meehee.hanbok Silk Organza Jacket + Simone Rocha @simonerocha_ Lace Shawl Coat | Nicole's Bag : Etsy | Nick's Shoes + Necktie : Ferragamo @ferragamo | Engagement Ring + Nicole's Wedding Ring : Wwake @wwake | Nick's Wedding Ring : Tiffany’s band from Pippin Vintage Jewelry @pippinvintage | Nicole's Shoes : Martiniano Party Heel in Sage @martinianoshoes | Green Norigae : Etsy shop Joeun Hanbok