Funny Moment

 Our special day had several funny and unexpected moments that we still talk about today. Moments like me (Daniel) spraying my hair with dry shampoo instead of hairspray before walking out, to our nephew meowing at the guests as he walked down the aisle in an effort to calm his nerves, to having a guest run with a bloody nose during the ceremony, and probably most memorable was struggling to get the ring onto Johan’s finger to which he replied, “I should lay off the salt.” Overall, it was a day full of happiness and love that we will never forget. Another surprise was seeing the venue come to life. When the florist arrived, Johan started to cry because up until that point we had not seen any of the flowers, they were so beautiful and really brought everything together.

What was the best part of your day?

 It’s very hard to pick one moment in particular from the day as our “favorite“ but two moments that really stick out for us both are, first, being able to stand in front of our family and friends and read our vows. This moment was overwhelming and honestly a bit surreal (tears were a plenty) and secondly, partying on the dance floor with all of our friends and family — from the beginning Johan and I agreed that the most important thing for us both was to be completely present and to truly enjoy the moment. Having the opportunity to have all the people we care about in one room was special and truly is what made our wedding day unforgettable. Shout out to our DJ, Demi, for really bring the jams; our friends still comment on how fun our wedding was!

Memorable Moments

Our first dance was to “Simply The Best“ (from Schitt’s Creek) and was followed by a surprise salsa performance by Johan and I to a mix of Conga by Gloria Estefan and Piragua by Eliseo Roman. With Johan being Puerto Rican, this was a great way to bring a bit of his culture and it really got the crowd going. Johan is a rehearsal director for a major contemporary ballet company here in New York, so yes, there were scheduled rehearsals in our dining room every night for the month leading up to the wedding. The speeches were all incredible and brought us to tears, but our nieces and nephew were by far the highlight, both in their own way shared heartfelt messages and memories of our love for them.

Advice from the couple:

 Get a day-of coordinator! We cannot stress this enough! We did not plan for this, but luckily we have a wonderful gem of a friend, Chloe, who stepped up and really got us both through the day. It’s the one thing we look back on and say, “How did we not think of this?” Make sure to really find time to enjoy and be in the moment (and eat your dinner, you’ll thank us later!). Truly, the day goes by so fast so being present and in the moment was key – we would have stayed there forever if we could. [And,] if you’re throwing an after party, make sure to have some yummy snacks. [Lastly,] get a day-of coordinator! (Worth saying it again).

Anything you would have done differently?

Honestly, nothing. We both thought long and hard about this question. Of course there are the small things like not planning for the coordinator, but even that worked out for the best. Overall, our wedding day was magical! We were surrounded by people that understand that the most important thing in this world is love and, on this day, love won!