Tell us a little about yourselves!
Matias and I met in 2014 on Tinder of all places! I think we both knew it was a done deal at the time, but we still took 5 years and 2 apartments to really get to know each other before getting engaged during a trip to Italy in 2019. We both lived in Brooklyn for about 11 years (and throughout our entire relationship), until a new job offer brought us to Oakland, CA in May 2021. We basically moved cross-country and then had two months to plan a wedding that was going to be back in NY! I work in fashion (fabric development, to be exact) and Matias is a painter and certified sommelier. Together, we have three cats: when we met I had two and he had one, and I think that’s what sort of “sealed the deal” for me if we’re being honest! I couldn’t say no to a cute guy in his 20's living alone in Brooklyn with his cat! We also own a house and farm in upstate NY where we plan to settle down one day; our dream is to open up a wine shop and/or vintage boutique in town there.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Matias’s late father opened Sweetwater Restaurant in 2004, and when we lived in Brooklyn we would go there for dinner at least once a week – it was truly our second home and the staff became our “famiglia.” Our wedding was initially planned for August 2020 and was going to be much larger scale, so we had booked a proper wedding venue. Once we rescheduled for 2021 and decided to have a smaller wedding, we knew it had to be at Sweetwater, and we even asked the restaurant’s long-time manager to be our officiant. It is so special to us that our wedding memories will now forever be tied to Sweetwater, and that we were able to have a bit of Matias’s father’s presence there on the day.
How many guests did you have?
25! Last year’s wedding was going to be 100+, so we took the opportunity to narrow down the guest list to just immediate family and closest friends due to the pandemic (but also because that’s what we really wanted). Our photographer Yellow Bird Visuals captured our day.
Tell us about your outfits.
I ordered my wedding dress from an Australian brand, Paris Georgia, without ever trying it on because their fit sample got lost in the mail. My dress arrived 2 weeks before the wedding and was too big, but I found a local tailor who was able to rush alterations and make it fit me perfectly!
My veil was custom designed in collaboration with One Blushing Bride whom I found on Etsy. The shop owner, Alisha, was great to work with and I would highly recommend her! I chose silk tulle rather than polyester because it had a softer handfeel and drape, and a beautiful natural ivory color.
I found my vintage purse on Etsy too – it had a weird wood handle so I sourced some matching silk in NY’s fashion district and fabric-wrapped the handle the day before the wedding.
My after-party outfit started with the corset – I found it on Instagram and instantly fell in love. I knew I wanted to pair it with a long A-line organza skirt but couldn’t find the right one anywhere, so I enlisted the help of my dear friend Shawn Reddy (who is a fashion designer in NY) to make a custom skirt for me. He also helped source the silk organza fabric locally in NY and sent me swatches so that I could pick the best weight and color to go with the rest of the look. We had our first (and only) fitting just 2 days before the wedding – I had no idea how it would come together with the corset and shoes but it was absolutely perfect – my only regret is that I didn’t get to wear it longer! Matias always knew he wanted to get married in a dark green suit but couldn’t find one in the right shade (which we actually call “Sweetwater green” because the front of the restaurant is the same color!). He also had very specific ideas about the type of cut (wide lapels, high waisted pants with front pleats) that was hard to find. We had recently moved to Piedmont, CA and he stumbled into a men’s tailoring shop on Piedmont Avenue called Anatoly + Sons one afternoon – turns out they specialize in custom suits and were able to make him the wedding suit of his dreams!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Trying to stay open to “going with the flow” and allowing things to happen as they’re meant to be, which was really hard – it goes against my nature and need to plan and control everything! Planning an out-of-state wedding in such a short amount of time required a bit of flexibility, since there were some things we couldn’t do until we got to NY just 4 days before the wedding. We were still finalizing certain aspects the night before the wedding, but it all turned out perfectly!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Ultimately, it was most important that the whole event felt like “us.” I think this was manifested through the intimacy, the location, our attire, the songs we chose to play, and definitely the wine list! It was super important for us to have a really strong offering of natural wines we love to drink.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
I think our wedding felt successful because we kept it small and outdoors, so all of our guests felt at ease. We also made sure to communicate expectations regarding vaccination, masks, etc – you want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and can enjoy themselves. In terms of planning – stay flexible and open! Things can change at a moment’s notice so you can’t get too attached to any particular expectation. Trust that no matter what, it will happen exactly the way it is supposed to.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our florists were our dear friends Thomas Cowan and Claire Lancaster. They had never collaborated on floral arrangements for a wedding before, but they killed it!! We would hire them again and again for any floral needs. Our cake was made by Bakeri, which is Sweetwater’s sister restaurant/bakery. It was a buttermilk sponge cake with a Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and jam filling: the top tier had apricot jam and the bottom tier was strawberry. It was divine!
Photographer : Yellow Bird Visuals @yellowbirdvisuals | Ceremony + Reception Location : Sweetwater Restaurant @sweetwaterny | After-Party : Nicky’s Unisex @nickysunisex | Celebrant : Patrick Del Punta @patrickdel_verona | Flora : Claire Lancaster + Thomas Cowan @clair.fleur | Cake : Bakeri @bakeribrooklyn | Wedding dress : Paris Georgia @paris__georgia | Veil : Custom One Blushing Bride @oneblushingbride | After-Party Outfit : Corset by My812 @my8i2 with custom skirt by by friend Shawn Reddy @s_reddy | Matias' Suit : Custom by Anatoly + Sons @anatolys.oakland in Piedmont, CA | Shirt : Theory @theory__, Tie - J. Mueser @j.mueser | Rings : Engagement - custom designed by Matias, Wedding bands : Vintage 22K gold bands from the 1930's, purchased at Esqueleto @shopesqueleto | Shoes : Maryam Nassir Zadeh @mnz_store (Wedding) + Martiniano @martinianoshoes (After-Party) | Matias's Shoes : Brioni @brioni_official | Earrings : Sophie Buhai @sophiebuhai | Necklace + Bracelet : Mejuri @mejuri | Matias' Bracelet : Nikolai Rose @nikolairose