When did you become engaged and how?
We got engaged late March, in 2022, at Union Square Cafe, a classic New York City restaurant. We aren’t ones for a big show, so Ralph got a great booth at the back of the restaurant, we had a delicious dinner, and the restaurant helped deliver the ring with dessert. Luckily the other diners in the restaurant were being real New Yorkers, and no one really paid attention… New Yorkers have already seen everything.
#CeremonyGoals
We knew we wanted to have a great party with our family and close friends. The most important things were great food, a fun dance floor, and comfort and fun for our family and friends, many of whom came from far and wide to celebrate with us. In terms of design, we approached it with a sense of curiosity and allowed the look and feel to come together as we went, which made it a lot of fun!
#VendorRaves
Our wedding planner, Leslie from Dandelion Events, was just spectacular—she pulled off a dream wedding at a private residence in six months. She was calm, had amazing attention to detail, fantastic relationships with the best vendors, and allowed us to truly be guests at our own wedding. It was a joy to work with her, and I could not recommend her highly enough.
How would you describe the ceremony? Was there anything specific that made it unique to you as a couple?
Personal, joyful, fun. The ceremony was wonderful… it was outdoors with beautiful fall foliage (including a bright red tree) in the background. The ceremony was officiated by the bride’s uncle, and he did a beautiful job making his commentary personal to us and balancing the importance of the occasion with great humor and lightness. We had some of our siblings read three separate readings that we selected, spanning from song lyrics (“Of Love and Life”, by Caamp) to poetry, and we decided to write our own vows. We felt present and joyful and supported — exactly what we’d hoped!
Unexpected Moment
Right when the ceremony started, a neighbor (who had been told about the wedding) started using a loud leaf blower. I was standing at the front and saw Ralph’s sister throw a look at her husband, who stood up and took off running toward the sound. He had to sprint up a steep hill, champagne glass in hand, and got the neighbor to stop leaf blowing. Ralph was so in the zone that he apparently never even heard it!
What was the best part of your day?
Elizabeth: Ralph’s vows to me were incredibly special. He really surprised me with what he wrote (in the best way), and it just felt so personal and I felt really connected and present on a day that can feel like whirlwind.
Ralph: The ceremony was my favorite part. It was a really special and surreal time, and I was just so incredibly happy.
Advice from the couple:
Try to be flexible. The most important thing is that you’re getting married, and with the people you love, and that love you. If all else fails and you just get married that day, it’s been successful. As long as that is at the core, you will realize that no detail actually matters that much and you can enjoy the process more. Also, if you hire people to help you, let them do their jobs! Don’t hire a wedding planner and then plan your whole wedding yourself. When we hired our floral designers, we showed them the table linens and settings, talked about the feeling we wanted for the wedding, and I told them to ‘do what they thought would look amazing’. I trusted them to do amazing work, and then got the added bonus of a really fun surprise on the wedding day, (the florals ended up stunning).
