Tell us a little about yourselves!
Victor and I actually both attended NYU and had a lot of the same friends, but didn’t end up meeting until almost three years after we’d graduated while on a weekend trip. One of my bridesmaid’s husbands had to skip the trip at the last minute and she asked me to join in his place, which I excitedly said yes to. Victor and I met for what surprised us both to be the first time when he arrived at the Airbnb and spent the rest of the weekend listening to Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ (which happened to be released the day we met and seven years later we played for our guests while they settled in for our wedding ceremony) and getting to know each other.
Fate clearly had plans for us to meet on that particular weekend, since we realized that we’d been only one friend away from meeting for six years. Victor made the first move and asked me out shortly after that weekend – which I allegedly told our friends was “smooth” – but we didn’t officially start dating until a year later and the rest is history. We now live in Brooklyn with our cat, still talking, and of course still listening to ‘Blonde’.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Getting married in New York actually wasn’t our first choice, but it ended up being the perfect one. We looked at what felt like every venue the city had to offer and everything was coming up just a little bit short. (I’ll admit that we were very particular) Wave Hill was our last visit and we immediately knew it was the one. It felt intimate and timeless and the spaces had so much character, it was easy to envision the evening we wanted to share with friends and family happening there.
Wave Hill was so transportive that it made our wedding feel like we were in a dreamy bubble, but was also close enough to Manhattan that we were able to bring all of our guests back to the Lower East Side to cap off the party with late-night karaoke.
How many guests did you have?
134.
Tell us about your outfits.
I fell in love with Danielle Frankel’s Nina dress before we even got engaged, so I knew that I’d need to try it first to be able to consider any other dresses at all. I tried on a few other dresses, but it was the only one I kept coming back to and could see myself in. It felt romantic and timeless and a little dramatic with its spectacular cathedral length train. For my veil, I knew that I didn’t want to take away from the train’s moment. Danielle Frankel kindly designed a custom, short veil for me inspired by the top tier of my grandmother’s veil from her wedding in the 60s. I had planned to make a more unexpected choice for my shoes, but ultimately opted for a classic pair of Manolo Blahnik slingback pumps. The finishing touches were a pair of diamond stud earrings that my mom wore on her wedding day and a necklace that my great-grandmother had made from my great-grandfather’s tie pin.
For our after party, I changed into a Victoria Beckham dress that I actually bought the week of our wedding. None of the “little white dress” looks felt like me, but this dress with its open back and black and white two-tone design couldn’t have been more perfect.
Victor wore a custom double-breasted tuxedo from J. Mueser in the West Village. His jacket was lined with a dark red, floral printed silk material that tied into our invitation suite’s colors. He wore shoes from Crockett & Jones and a vintage Rolex Datejust that was his father’s.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We knew right away that we wanted our wedding to feel like an extension of hosting a dinner party at home that turned into a big party and it was important for us that our guests had an amazing time from the minute they arrived at the venue.
For me, that meant food, drinks, and wine would be painstakingly curated and for Victor, that meant that the music had to be perfect.
Our caterer Great Performances worked with me to create a menu that felt like fine dining meets classic bistro than a wedding dinner and sourced the perfect wines to pair with it. They also made an excellent Cynar Spritz welcome cocktail for our guests to enjoy during the ceremony.
Our DJ Op Miller collaborated with Victor to develop a setlist straight out of Studio 54 that kept everyone dancing until our last song, Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time”. (Also my go-to karaoke song). The week before the wedding, we decided to incorporate a azz band into our happy hour and found The Creswell Club. They set the tone for the reception with a selection of 20s/30s-style jazz covers.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
It was important for us that we incorporated both of our cultures into our wedding weekend events. We spend so much of our time seeking out our next best meal, so it was an easy decision to do this through food. I’m Italian and Victor is Chinese, so we hosted our rehearsal dinner at Roscioli’s in New York and included a pasta course in our reception dinner and then invited all of our guests to join us for a dim sum brunch at Golden Unicorn to wrap up the wedding weekend.
Any tips for couples getting married?
When the day arrives, choose to be present and let yourself experience and savor every moment. There are so many details and moving parts with weddings and no matter how much you try to control, the universe has its plans.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our photographer, LeeAnn B Stephan was so wonderful and we were on the same page from day one. We felt so comfortable with her, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to capture our day.
Our florist, Abby owner of Hellabloom. She took my vision of a dark, moody, opulent floral design and made it a reality even better than what I could’ve dreamt up.
Our planner, Laura Remmert Events helped us tackle every curve ball that was thrown at us – including a massive storm hitting New York the day before our wedding – and made every little detail happen exactly how we envisioned.
Our DJ, Op Miller was so dedicated to building the perfect setlist for the night. He met with us multiple times to curate the music for the evening to make sure the vibes would exactly what we wanted.
Photographer: LeeAnn B Stephan @leeannbstephan | Videographer: Dottie Morris @xodottiemorris | Ceremony + Reception Location: Wave Hill @wavehill | Celebrant: Isaac Liang (Friend) | DJ: Op Miller @opmiller1 | Planner: Laura Remmert Events @lauraremmert | Hire: Party Rental LTD @partyrentalltd | Flora: Hellabloom @hellabloom | HMUA: Crystal Gossman @crystalgossman_ | Catering + Beverages: Great Performances @gpfood | Cake: Velvet Valley Cakes @velvetvalleycakes | Stationery: Rabbit Rabbit Design House @rabbitrabbitdesignhouse | Lighting: Pegasus Productions @pegasusproductions | Jazz Band: The Creswell Club | Ceremony Dress: Danielle Frankel @daniellefrankelstudio | Reception Dress: Victoria Beckham @victoriabeckham | Victor's Suit: J. Mueser @j.mueser | Engagement + Wedding Rings: Antique + Custom Gray & Davis | Shoes: Manolo Blahnik + Stuart Weitzman, Crockett + Jones (Victor) | Christine's Earrings: Vintage, borrowed from her mother | Necklace: Vintage | Victor's Watch: vintage Rolex @rolex