Wedding | Isabella & Sam

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Sammy is from Brooklyn, Bella is from Milwaukee; she moved to Brooklyn in 2017. Sammy describes himself as a cool-adjacent musician/songwriter who loves the Mets and could eat pasta every day of the week. Bella describes herself as someone who has her hands in different creative pots, and lives to eat beautiful food! If you asked what her “perfect night” would be, she’d tell you to “give me a great glass of wine and let me plan the ideal dinner spread, and I’ll be happy.”

Bella and Sammy met on Hinge in June 2021, where Bella liked Sammy first. Their first date was at a diner in Queens, where Sammy notoriously ordered French onion soup and a tuna sandwich.

Afterward, they drove around Brooklyn and Queens for three hours during a combination of a thunderstorm and a heat wave. Sammy was determined to not move too fast by bringing Bella home, and Bella enjoyed the conversation too much to notice how long they had been in the car.

At the end of the date, Bella made the first move and Sammy accidentally head-butted her … if that sets the tone in any way. Fast forward, a month before Bella moved in, they got their Pomeranian Frank and the rest is history.

Since then, they’ve built a home full of cookbooks, LPs, forgotten 2000s DVDs, unresolved paint swatches, and somehow four different couches. Sammy has learned far too much about Bachelor Nation and Bravo. Bella has learned some Mets players’ names, mostly the ones with cute butts.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We knew we had to be married in New York. As a native New Yorker, Sammy realized that getting his family to travel to Milwaukee, where Bella’s family is from, was a lot harder to do than convincing Bella’s side to make the trek to NYC.

Prior to finding Ainslie, we visited dozens of spaces. Some had the decor we were looking for, but were too expensive. Some were in our price range, but wouldn’t allow loud music and dancing. Some were … just not it. Ainslie provided everything we were looking for in a space, and their staff was so lovely that we knew we had to have our wedding there.

How many guests did you have?

We had around 175 people at our wedding. This was one of a few compromises we had to make for this wedding, as Bella wanted to do a small courthouse affair, and Sammy wanted to invite everyone, including that guy he shared a cab with five years ago.

What was your budget?

The initial budget was $30,000. We obviously failed in that pursuit. It’s not possible to have a New York wedding with an open bar and food for nearly 200 people with that budget. Keeping the full wedding (outfits, wedding rings, flowers, photographers, etc.) under $50,000 with our guest count was no small feat.

Tell us about your outfits.

Bella, while being a lover of fashion, had never thought about her dream wedding dress. She never thought of her dream wedding, so this was far more challenging than she had anticipated. Would she have one outfit or TWO outfits? How do you know when it’s “the ONE”? The inspiration was endless, and overwhelming. After trying a range of options, all she knew she wanted was: something she’d be able to move freely in, she wanted something timeless, and she wanted something effortlessly “Bella.”

Her dear friend Lexi saw the dress on Instagram, sent it to Bella, and almost immediately Bella and her mom knew this was “the one.” Bella had never considered a veil, while her mom felt it was the “most bridal thing you could possibly wear,” so why not have one for this most perfect occasion? Bella had remembered a tailor she went to in Williamsburg, Chasing Tailor and they had mentioned they made veils … there was no question of where she was getting it made. She shared with Ash (Workroom 1991) her vision, and it was brought to life in a way that she couldn’t have dreamed of. A perfect blush veil that just barely matched the length of the dress, a detail designed intentionally at Bella’s request. She wanted a veil that moved elegantly, still made a statement, but didn’t drag on the floor. When it came to choosing the accessories,

Bella knew she wanted pearls to echo the pearl details on the flowers along the side of the dress. She knew she’d keep her short bob, so having a bigger statement earring was also important. While bows slowly became a decorative theme at their wedding, it only felt fitting to wear them. Bella’s mom found the perfect satin shoes with bows on them and Bella, a lover of all things Simone Rocha, found her dream earrings. Dreamy, feminine, playful bows that draped to her shoulders, with little flower pearls at the base.

After seeing how arduous Bella’s wedding dress journey had been, Sammy decided to keep his search easy and streamlined, hence the classic well-fitted black suit/white shirt/black tie outfit from Suitsupply.

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

It’s hard to pick one aspect that we focused on, but we knew we wanted to create a certain atmosphere for the space. We wanted our wedding to be romantic, intimate, a little bit silly and a raging party all at once. To do that, the music needed to be just right, the food had to be both delicious and plentiful, and the space’s decor needed to be dreamy and playful while remaining tasteful.

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

We wanted to have our wedding feature elements that were distinctly us: we had a giant cannoli instead of a traditional wedding cake; our dog Frank was our ring bearer; Sammy’s siblings recited all of the Jewish prayers during the ceremony; Sammy and Bella’s friends helped set up and design the chuppah.

Oh, and our DJ said he’s never seen such a detailed list of what he’s “allowed” and “not allowed” to play at a wedding. Thank you, Bill, for accommodating our insanity!

Any tips for couples getting married?

Planning this thing is not easy. Up until 6 weeks before our wedding, we did all of the work ourselves. You have to be part scheduler, part accountant, part graphic designer, part event coordinator, and (most importantly) part therapist. Each spouse will have their own wants and desires for the wedding. It’s important to prioritize what’s most important to you both as individuals, and figure out where to make those compromises.

Most importantly, you need to be there for each other throughout the process. We’ve had so many friends talk about the wedding planning process being one of the most challenging things in their relationship. We’d like to think we navigated it extremely well. Were there emotional breakdowns? Absolutely. But there was never a moment where we lost sight of why we were doing this.

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

Honestly, everyone we worked with on this wedding was extremely helpful in their own ways, and so great at what they do. Tom Leung, our photographer, and his assistant Derek, and Reilly Tweddle, the videographer, did such a great job of “being there” while also being nearly invisible, allowing moments to look and feel as real and natural as they can be.

Tangni at Ora La Casa de las Flores was the perfect florist to bring Bella’s vision to life. Right up to the wedding day, the two of them collaborated on every detail: the bar installations; table layouts; bouquets and boutonnieres; and various arrangements around the space. Tangni really understood the direction, respected the budget, and brought creative freedom to every arrangement without losing sight of the vision.

Sammy has been getting his hair cut by Cori Mortley for over a decade, and eventually introduced her to Bella, and now she’s our family hairstylist. She and Bella were working together for over a year to ensure that her hair would be the exact right length for the wedding, and styled perfectly for both her earrings and veil.

Bella already sang the praises of Workroom 1991 and Chasing Tailor in the “outfit” question. They accommodated every last-minute change, answered every text and call promptly, and truly built a friendship and creative relationship. She’ll be using them for years to come, which is the strongest endorsement you can give a vendor.

Lastly, we want to shout out our officiant, and Sammy’s longtime friend, Ken Shadford. They met 17 years ago at a music festival, and have remained good friends despite their 15-year age difference. Ken worked incredibly closely with us to customize a script to fit our personalities. He was also a supportive guide we could bounce ideas off of for our personal vows. The work he put in helped elicit the perfect blend of happy tears, laughter, and love that filled the room throughout our ceremony.

Photographer: Tom Leung @tomleungphoto | Planning: Carli Visconti at Cheersy @carlivisconti

coordinator | Flora: Ora La Casa de Las Flores @ora_lacasadelasflores | Videographer: Reilly Tweedle @_yllier | Ceremony & Reception Location: Ainslie Brooklyn @ainslienyc | Celebrant: Ken Shadford | Hair Stylist: Cori Mortley @coralea | Catering & Beverages: Ainslie Brooklyn @ainslienyc | Cake: Fortunato Bros @fortunatobrosnyc | Stationery: Zoe Trungale (with the couple) @zoetrungale | Entertainment: DJ The Professor @dj_theprofessor | Dress: Holli Worldwide @holliworldwide | Suit: Suitsupply @suitsupply | Veil: Workroom 1991 @workroom1991 | Chuppah & Yarmulkes Design: Amy Vergeront @am__very Engagement Ring: Neves Jewelers (& Sam) @nevesjewelers | Wedding Rings: Neves Jewelers (& Sam) @nevesjewelers | Shoes: Dolce Vita @dolcevita Bella); Vince Camuto (Sam) @vincecamuto | Earrings: Simone Rocha @simonerocha_