Describing her wedding to Danny, Bride Laura explains that the couple “wanted to have our wedding in the city where we met, fell in love and still live, and we wanted to share as much of it as we could with our friends and family.” The couple did just that with fun details and a colorful urban vibe designed by planner Tinsel & Twine. From the city tour bus, to the traditional Chinese lion dancers to their sprinkle-covered wedding cake by Baked , the couple threw an awesome party while incorporating aspects of both their cultures. The traditional church ceremony was followed by a reception at Houston Hall— an industrial-chic beer hall venue with the perfect urban flair. Chaz Cruz was a perfect choice for the vibe of the day and captured all the details in his editorial style as seen is these fun photos. Enjoy!
What made the wedding special and unique?
We wanted to have our wedding in the city where we met, fell in love and still live, and we wanted to share as much of it as we could with our friends and family. From the city tour bus that shuttled our guests from Brooklyn to Manhattan, to the traditional Chinese lion dancers to our sprinkle-covered wedding cake, we did our best to throw an awesome party while incorporating aspects of both of our cultures and making sure that it reflected who we are as a couple.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
First, let me admit that I was such a procrastinator with respect to the wedding dress. We got engaged in August 2014 and booked our venue in February 2015, but I didn’t start trying on dresses until six months later! I went to four or five places and tried on about a dozen gowns but didn’t find anything that resonated with me, so I decided to put the search on hold until I was in a better state of mind. Fast forward to January 2016 (five months before the wedding!), and I knew I needed to find a dress pronto. I went to RK Bridal and gravitated toward Eddy K. because I thought their dresses were a great balance between romantic and modern. The one that I fell in love with was sparkly and perfect for me, with a really flattering shape and the most amazing back. It was part of Eddy K.’s Spring 2016 collection and there was no way it would have shipped in time for the wedding, but luckily the sample fit perfectly! See, procrastination works out sometimes!
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
Above all, we wanted our family and friends to have a great time and we also wanted to incorporate aspects of both of our cultures. At the reception, we had a traditional Polish bread ceremony with our mothers, and then Laura changed into a traditional qipao and we had Chinese lion dancers to help us celebrate. Laura surprised Danny by arranging for a signature cocktail called “Death of a Ladies’ Man” borrowed from Ramona, one of our favorite bars in Greenpoint. Finally, our wedding cake was smothered in rainbow sprinkles because every cake deserves sprinkles.
Oh, and the truck. That truck in the photos is Danny’s – correction, our – 1937 Ford pickup truck. Since it fit with the overall feel of our wedding, we figured why not try to work it in? Thanks to an enormous amount of good luck we were able to park it right in front of Houston Hall.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
We chose not to do a first look so the most memorable part of the day was probably seeing each other for the first time as Laura was walking down the aisle. And then at one point during the ceremony our priest told us to turn around to face the crowd, and it was just amazing to see all the people we love who came to celebrate with us.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
We met during a coed volleyball game for a league sponsored by Danny’s company. The team was always short on women who wanted to play, so Laura got recruited by her coworker’s sister who worked at Danny’s company. After a few months of flirting back and forth via text and email, we finally had our first “date” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As an art history major, Laura was horrified to discover that Danny had never been to The Met, even though at the time he lived a few blocks away. (Side note: one of us (Danny) maintains that he had no idea this was a date, and this has been both a source of contention and a running joke between us for years.) In any case, in August 2014, there was a Garry Winogrand exhibition at The Met that Laura wanted to see. We both invited a few friends to come with us after work, thinking that we could see the show and get a drink on the roof with its incredible views of the city. To Laura’s great and expletive-filled surprise, Danny proposed on the roof of The Met in front of a few of our close friends and some unwitting Irish tourists.
Event Design + Florals + Calligraphy: Tinsel & Twine // Photographer: Chaz Cruz // Event Coordinator: Michelle Paul Events // Venue + Catering: Houston Hall // Music: DJ E-Phlat // Cake: Baked // Bride’s Dress: Eddy K. / RK Bridal // Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Groom’s Suit: J. Crew // Hair and makeup: Ai Saikai // Lion Dancers: Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute // Reception Lighting: Universal Light & Sound // Bridesmaid Dresses: Union Station