AmandA, marketing and advertising & Nick, chef
SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: Modern zodiac-zen
SOUNDTRACK FOR READING: “This Must Be the Place” by the Talking Heads
FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE WEDDING
One of my favorite memories was how many people danced. And the incredible dance-off my dad and Nick had… absolutely awesome. My dad can move and so can I, so it was always important for me to marry someone who could move.
OTHER COOL STUFF WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Since we first met in Los Angeles and moved to New York together, Nick and I have a shared love for both coasts. We wanted a destination wedding on the Sonoma Coast, but the planning process was trying. We were engaged in February… and I was determined to have an October wedding. We had a pretty short runway already, made even harder because my husband was opening a restaurant in mid-August. Even though he was busy, Nick wanted to be involved, and wanted to help make the decisions. He recognized this wedding was not for me, but for us and our partnership.
We wanted a wedding where the place could do most of the talking, which lead us to Timber Cove. The wedding felt like a culmination of our journey together: we got to choose a destination (that’s pretty much one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen) and bring together loved ones from every US time zone.
We put a lot of ourselves into crafting an “experience” for the weekend, and the process was surprisingly enjoyable. Nick and I sent each guest a flash drive with a music playlist for the lush drive up along the coast (which is totally a part of the adventure). Nick was the designated foodie, and worked hard to pull together a dinner menu that represents all the places we hold dear: beef from Kansas, Graeter’s Ice Cream from Cincinnati, and Island Creek Oysters from Massachusetts. Our wedding was actually the first time my godmother ever tried oysters.
My incredibly dapper father helped pick out an outfit that made my fiance look rather handsome. I had some help from family too: “something borrowed” earrings from my mother and a heirloom starburst brooch that belonged to my great grandmother. My dress was a work of art created in partnership with Monica Byrne, a designer I met through a friend of mine. It went from inspiration board to final fitting and the two of us became friends through the process. I love art, design, and fashion. The dress was a way for me to express myself—nothing I could have found on the racks.
On the actual wedding day, we got lucky, and the weather was basically perfect. I am a very detail-oriented person, but day of, I found myself letting go. I had both my mother and father walk me down the aisle, and our guests shielded their eyes from the bright sun with vintage fans (which doubled as favors.) Our longtime friend, Peter, officiated the wedding, and read a poem he’d written especially for us. The ceremony also referenced our stars aligning (we are both Capricorns, as is Peter). All of the planning led to a magical moment by the ocean, reflecting on family history, and dreaming of the future to come.
