Wedding | Lindsy & Corey

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We live in West Harlem in NYC with our pride and joy — our Frenchie, Sam. Corey co-runs a coffee brand — Kahawa 1983 — and also works for a tech startup. Lindsy works as a clinical psychologist, helping people with anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Our friends and our family are our world — we love getting together with them inside and outside of the city. We also love trying new restaurants, going for walks/runs in Central Park, going on adventures in nature outside of the city, and tuning into true crime documentaries.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Rule of Thirds was the first and only venue that we looked at, which was very out of the ordinary for us as we are rather particular and typically like to explore all options before making decisions. This speaks to how natural and perfect it felt — Rule of Thirds being a restaurant meant the food was excellent, which was a priority. We loved the warm, relaxed feel of the space and the skylight that brightened the ceremony space and made it feel almost magical. We were really excited about the unique nature of the Japanese menu, and we had also taken a very special trip to Japan the year prior, which made it feel even more meaningful and specific to us. We could also tell from our very first interactions with the team at Rule of Thirds that they were highly organized and responsive, which made us confident that working with them would be a positive and smooth experience.

How many guests did you have?

We had 103 adults and 4 kiddos!

What was your budget?

We set our budget to be generally aligned with what we gathered tends to be the cost of a wedding in NYC with about 100 guests. We were lucky and grateful to have support from our parents in making the event possible.

Tell us about your outfits.

Lindsy knew she wanted a gown with clean lines and a sheath silhouette — in line with her design preferences and also relatively easy to dance in! After trying on more dresses than she cares to admit and still not feeling like she found the right one, she came across a clip on Instagram of Moira Hughes’ yet-to-be released collection and inquired about it with Matija — owner of Princeton Bridal. Matija was amazing in connecting with the designer about this gown, even though it was technically not yet for sale. And, they were willing to make it for us, so Lindsy ended up being the first bride in the U.S. to wear this gown!

Since her dress was simpler in nature without embellishments, she was excited to select a more dramatic, flower-lined veil with a blusher. Lindsy selected an elevated version of her everyday earrings — U-shaped hoops with the addition of Swarovski crystals. For shoes, she went with white mesh leather kitten heels with little bows as she wanted something that felt modern, but still bridal.

Corey went with a tux from Proper Cloth — an old faithful that he has gotten many well-tailored items from in the past. He was excited to get a cream shawl collar for something that felt springy and special — the linen material was a good fit for him to avoid feeling too hot. He selected a black bow tie and black patent leather shoes from Suit Supply for a clean, classic look.

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

We wanted our wedding to feel like a joyful, fun party for both us and our guests. Great music and delicious food were key ingredients to this, so we were very intentional in our venue and DJ selections. It was also important to us that the year of planning the wedding be enjoyable, with stress kept to a minimum, so a solid planner that we could trust was also a priority.

We would be remiss to not also highlight the importance we placed on selecting our photographer and videographers — we knew the day would go by in a flash, and we wanted to be able to relive it through unique, creative photos and film.

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

We wanted to reflect both Lindsy’s Jewish heritage and Corey’s Italian roots — the ceremony included the Jewish tradition of breaking the glass, and we kicked off the dancing portion of the reception with the hora. Dessert included rainbow cookies — a nod to Corey’s Italian heritage and also one of our favorite cookies. It was important to us that the ceremony felt personal and intimate — having Lindsy’s cousin marry us was so special, as he and Lindsy have a close, lifelong relationship, and he and Corey have built a wonderful connection as well.

Our “welcome bag” was a tiny bag with mini brownies from Fat Witch Bakery — a nod to our initial encounter at the very start of our relationship, which was bantering about the coveted corner brownie piece through a dating app.

Last but not least, our Frenchie, Sam, had to be a part of the day! We worked with an excellent professional who cared for him throughout the day so that he could participate in photos and walk down the aisle for the ceremony. The paper goods also featured hand-drawn sketches of Sam by Lindsy — Sam as cupid on the invitation, Sam drinking a martini on the cocktail napkins and bar menus, Sam eating cake on the dessert menu, and Sam, Lindsy & Corey as a trio on matchbook party favors.

Any tips for couples getting married?

As detail-oriented, perfectionistic people, it was easy to find ourselves in the weeds of micro-decisions that would ultimately not have a huge bearing on our or our guests’ experience on the big day. We recommend trying to set limits around time spent making decisions about small details, and reminding yourself not to lose the thread of what the day is truly about!

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

Our planner, Anita Pandian at Morton Street Events, was at the heart of everything. Her no-nonsense, organized approach made us feel confident from the very beginning that everything would run smoothly. And she ensured things were addressed and planned for that we definitely would not have thought of or known to do on our own. We were able to thoroughly enjoy the day itself knowing that she was on top of everything. Her stellar vendor recommendations also allowed us to have a dream team for our wedding.

Our photographer, Cheyanna De Nicola, was amazinggg to work with — her non-intrusive, relaxed approach made having our photos taken fun and easy, and we were blown away by how the photos turned out — each and every one of them is so artistic!

Our DJ, Kevin Lim, knocked it out of the park with the tunes. The music, including the timing of the ceremony music, was very important to us — and he delivered! We got a lot of great feedback from our guests that he played hit after hit.

Our florist, Holly at Dancing Stems, beautifully executed Lindsy’s very specific vision for the color palette — the bouquets, boutonnieres, ceremony arrangements, and table arrangements were all stunning and had such a strong impact on the overall aesthetic.

Our videographers — Lovebrain Films — created a reel that perfectly captured what the day felt like for us. We have watched it many times over as we reflect upon the day.

Photographer: Cheyanna De Nicola Photography @cheyannadenicolaphoto | Planning: Morton Street Events @mortonstreet_events | Florals: Dancing Stems Design @dancingstemsdesign | Videographer: Love Brain Films @heylovebrain | Ceremony & Reception Location: Rule of Thirds @thirdsbk | Celebrant: Lyndy's cousin Michael | Ceremony Space: Rule of Thirds @thirdsbk | HMUA: Willowhouse Beauty @willowhouse.beauty | Catering & Beverages: Rule of Thirds @thirdsbk | Cake: Empire Cake @empirecakenyc | Stationery: Designed by couple, printed by City Papery | Entertainment: Kevin Lim @kdotlim | Ceremony Dress & Veil: Moira Hughes Couture @moirahughescouture from Princeton Bridal @princetonbridal | Second Look: Tojha @tojha_ | Suit: Proper Cloth @propercloth | Dog Sitter: Black Tie Kids @blacktiekids | Dance Lesson: Maya Moves @maya.moves | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Kim’s Jewelry @kimsjewelrynyc | Shoes: Bibi Lou via Anthropologie @bibiloushoes @anthropologie (Bride) & (Groom) Suit Supply @suitsupply | Wedding Party Attire: (Bridesmaids) various designers & (Groomsmen) Proper Cloth @propercloth Shirts, Suit Supply @suitsupply Ties