Wedding | Emma & Joe

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Joe: We met through Craigslist.

Emma: We really met through mutual friends 9 years ago. My work wife at the time was roommates with one of his best friends from home (through a Craigslist ad). After she met me a few times, she mentioned that she had some guy friends that she thought we should all meet. I still remember when the crowd parted at Sweet & Vicious (RIP), I thought he was super cute and had to see him again. Soon. We never stopped hanging out after that night and the rest is history.

About us individually though? We’re unfortunately pretty cliché Brooklynites. I’m an art director and artist. Joe works in the alcohol industry, drives a pickup truck, and spends his free time wrenching on motorcycles and eating breakfast burritos.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Emma: Greenpoint is really special to us and holds a lot of meaning. Joe was living there when we first started dating, so it holds a lot of fond memories. Since then we’ve moved to other boroughs and neighborhoods, but we eventually came back to Greenpoint to move in together during covid.

Joe: We originally really wanted to do something outdoorsy like the Catskills but something kept drawing us back to Greenpoint. It’s the only place that really meant a lot to both of us and we realized that connection was important.

Emma: We ended up choosing The Neptune Room at Radio Star because we wanted to re-create some of our favorite nights out with friends in the city (which always involved dinner and dancing), but with everyone we hold near and dear. Instead of a traditional wedding, we wanted it to feel like a lively, funky dinner party so the intimate space and outdoor patio was a perfect setting for that. We knew the food and cocktails would be delicious which was also a must for us.

How many guests did you have?

105 guests.

What was your budget?

Joe: Our original budget was $40k but we quickly realized that was going to be challenging with what we wanted to do. The idea of spending that amount of money on one night was tough for us to come to terms with. We ended up spending closer to $50k but we were happy as we were able to spread the celebration over 3 days which made us feel like we got more time with friends and family. That’s what we really cared about most when it came down to it.

Tell us about your outfits.

Emma: My wedding dress journey was kind of wild. It was one and done. I’d saved a Rodarte look on Pinterest ages ago as a “if-I-ever-just-happen-to-need-a-wedding-dress” pin because I’ve always loved their romantic, whimsical designs (their SS19 show is my Roman Empire). I was never a young girl who dreamed about her wedding growing up. When I saved it, it was very “you know... just in case...?!” It’s always good to be prepared, right?

A few days after we got engaged, I reverse-image searched the pin thinking it was a total long shot. To my surprise, it was still available and on major sale because it was a few seasons old. I ordered it from Net-A-Porter, tried it on, and then had my mom come in from Long Island while Joe was away for a second opinion later that week. We looked at each other and went, “I think this is it!?” Then it lived in my closet for almost a year and a half.

I knew I didn’t want anything that felt like a gown or a costume. I wanted something a little funky, nostalgic, romantic, and sweet—and this dress checked every box. The green vines tied back to the bicolor Montana sapphire in my engagement ring and our neighborhood, Greenpoint, and if you look closely they even form tiny hearts and bows.

A few months later I found a tulle veil from Sandy Liang with the exact same ruffle as the sleeves. It felt meant to be.

Shoes were the hardest part. I’m a big shoe gal and originally wanted a fun pop of pink to pull out the flower embellishment on my dress, but everything I tried felt like it competed with it. After probably a dozen pairs, I went with simple white patent cap-toe Mary Janes from Anthropologie. All of the satin wedding shoes in various shades of white and pink were gorgeous, but they felt so impractical for only a few wears. I ended up loving the idea of my heels being not too precious and re-wearable. I love that I can throw them on with jeans and a white tee on a random Tuesday and secretly know they’re my wedding shoes.

Joe: I went the typical route and hit up your classic suit stores but I ended up not being happy with how cookie cutter everything felt and how expensive most options were. I ended up finding a tailor on Reddit named Jason who owns a business called Mad King George in Queens. He specializes in retro cuts and fun fabrics. The process of going to his studio and selecting a style and fabric was super fun. He made me a really great jacket using a tartan wool fabric and black pants with a retro looser cut. 10/10 experience.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

Emma: We tried to be really realistic about where we wanted to splurge while still staying budget-conscious so we planned everything ourselves and DIY’d a lot.

I was determined not to do things just because “you’re supposed to,” or because Instagram makes it look like everyone’s wedding has a budget equivalent to a down payment on a house. While we started off DIYing to save money, it accidentally morphed into a passion project for me that was like a creative thesis of all of the experience I’ve gotten over the years. It was just so refreshing to dream up ideas and make things with no one else to answer to but us. And I loved that our friends and family could actually experience the details and take a little piece of it home.

A huge part of making it feel authentic to us was finding vendors who genuinely got the vibe and were down to have fun with it and put a little twist on tradition. We were looking for people who were excited to collaborate and open to play with ideas.

We were super particular about who we hired and it paid off. Even without a coordinator there were definitely moments where I was like, is this going to work, or is it going to look insane? I am a maximalist at heart, and direction, execution and editing is key. The team at Glasserie Events was so helpful, especially Emily, our venue point person. When we walked in before the ceremony they were all giddy to show us the final setup. That’s when we knew everything came together. All of our vendors absolutely nailed it!

And to keep it real, I know a lot of people say wedding planning was carefree and stress-less... but that was not our experience. It was chaotic, but amidst all of the craziness it came together in a beautiful way, kind of like living in New York is.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Emma: Finding personal touches to make it feel like “us” from the invitations to vows to decor to the entire wedding weekend itself. Little personal easter eggs were really everywhere.

Joe: We had our first date at Hometown BBQ in Red Hook so we knew we wanted to incorporate them in some way. We ended up having dinner and drinks the night before the wedding at one of our favorite bars, Pete’s Candy Store, and had Hometown drop off some BBQ.

Also, instead of doing the typical post-wedding brunch, we loved the idea of renting a bus and bringing all our friends and family down to the beach the next day. One of our favorite things to do in NYC in the summer is a beach day, so we wanted to recreate that. We chose a Friday wedding on purpose so no one could use “we have to travel tomorrow” as an easy out. We may have gone a little too hard the night before, so the bus ride was... a literal struggle bus, but we made it. The water healed our hangovers, and the concession chicken tendies brought us back to life.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Joe: A good friend of ours gave us a tip to make sure we spent 5 minutes alone at some point in the night and to just enjoy the moment. We were able to do that before the ceremony kicked off and it ended up being one of our favorite memories from the night. We will pass along that wisdom.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Emma: We were so happy with all of our vendors. We really couldn’t say enough good things about them. Support small, local businesses!

Aly Hansen (Photo): Amazing documentary-style photography that feels like little vignettes of memories of the day. She made us feel so comfortable and captured everything in a way that feels real.

The Neptune Room (Venue + Food/Drink): The atmosphere, food, drinks, and staff were incredible. It felt 100% worth it for the value, and they made everything feel easy (which is saying a lot).

The Red Pavilion (Afterparty): Such a fun experience from start to finish. They worked with us on the full vibe from the lighting, setlist, the whole production. It felt like a true “after party.”

Velvet Valley Cakes: Maybe the most literal personal easter egg of them all: our green DOME Fabergé egg cake. Blair brought our vision to life and it tied our whole wedding decor together in one object. We did the Hawaiian cake flavor, and although we’re very biased, it was genuinely one of the best wedding cakes we’ve ever had.

Mad King George (Suit): Joe’s tailor. He absolutely crushed the suit. No notes. Highly recommend.

Tovert (Florals): We cannot say enough great things about Jin and her team. I collaborated with her a lot, and it felt like she took note of every tiny detail and made it even better. I never knew so much joy could come from flowers!

Duchess Natalia (Makeup): Natalia is the sweetest and so much fun. I had major PTSD from past professional makeup experiences, but she made me feel like myself just a little more amped up. We also collaborated on a funky, fun, retro-inspired look.

Mayuu Hayashi (Hair): My go-to hairstylist in Greenpoint at Floor hair studio for the past few years. She is the coolest person, and true hair fairy godmother. She made everyone look beautiful and nailed the nod to 60s bouffant hair.

City Papery (Paper Goods): They printed all my custom stationery and wedding paper goods. I cannot thank them enough for my countless visits, their patience, and how helpful (and cost-effective) they were.

Pre Wedding Dinner & Drinks:

Pete’s Candy Store: We hosted friends and family the night before at Pete’s Candy Store, one of our favorite local dive bars that’s been around since ’99. They let us take over the backyard, and they were super nice and accommodating to work with.

Hometown BBQ (Catering): This was where we had our first date so we definitely wanted to incorporate them somehow. They were able to work within our budget and the BBQ is the best.

Photographer: Aly Hansen @alyhansenweddings | Flora: Tovert @tovertnyc | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Neptune Room @glasserienycevents | Hire: Reverie Social @reverie_social | MUA: Duchess Natalia @duchessnatalia | Hair: Mayuu Hayashi @hair.by.mayuu | Pre Wedding Dinner & Drinks: Pete’s Candy Store @petescandystore; Hometown BBQ @hometownbarbque | Cake: Velvet Valley Cakes @velvetvalleycakes | Stationery: City Papery @city_papery | After Party Venue: The Red Pavilion @redpavilionbk | Dress: Rodarte | Suit: Mad King George @madkinggeorgetailors | Veil: Sandy Liang @sandyliang | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Macha Studio @machastudio | Shoes: Anthropologie @anthropologie | Signet Ring: Digby & Iona @digbyandiona | Bride's After Party Outfit: Collina Strada @collinastrada & Marques ’ Almeida @marques_almeida | Groom's After Party Outfit: Tombolo @tombolocompany & Mad King George @madkinggeorgetailors