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Angie and Eric are college sweethearts, but they were friends before they started dating right before graduation. It set the foundation for a solid relationship—and five years in, Eric proposed on the Brooklyn waterfront. “We were living in Dumbo for the summer, and it was our last couple days in the city,” Angie remembers. “He proposed in the morning and then that night, surprised me, as well as our friends and family, with a dinner at Celestine.” Two years later, they would celebrate their wedding anniversary with a brunch reception at the very same spot—but first came lots of planning and replanning.
“We had planned a big hotel ballroom wedding for November 2020, but when COVID-19 happened, we had a sense early on that it was going to impact our wedding,” Angie shares. “We decided not to wait on a big party to get married; we scrapped our 200-person guest list and gathered just our immediate family members in my parents’ yard.”
They pushed their original plans back a year, then had to scrap them once again as a second wave of COVID-19 crested. This time, they narrowed the guest list to friends, the group who would have been bridesmaids and groomsmen had they hosted the larger wedding. “We had no idea when we hired [planner] Callista Osborn that we would be navigating ‘unprecedented times’ together,” Angie says. “She was absolutely invaluable in planning—and replanning and re-replanning—both of our events. She helped us plan five events in the course of two years, although only two ended up becoming reality.”
So, in the end, they celebrated twice: In Los Angeles in November 2020, and back in Brooklyn one year later. “We had a deconstructed wedding, of sorts,” Angie says. “Looking back, we feel lucky beyond belief to have been able to celebrate our marriage with all our nearest and dearest, once on each coast. It wasn’t what we planned, but it was perfect nonetheless.”
Despite the small size of each celebration, Angie and Eric didn’t skimp on the details. Read on to see how each party came together, planned by Callista & Co. and photographed by Mashaida.
For the official wedding day, Angie wore a sculptural crepe Toni Matičevski gown. “It just felt like ‘me,’” she says. “I had tried on a lot of dresses, and this one felt right as soon as I put it on. It’s nothing like I ever envisioned, but it felt very familiar.” Her mother handmade a veil and pinned it on the morning of the wedding.
“We wanted to take our portraits before the ceremony, so we did a first look rather than wait until the ceremony itself,” Angie says. “But it ended up being one of our favorite moments of the day. Our anxiety was building as we got ready and took our solo pictures. It just felt amazing to be able to finally see each other and bask in the wonderment of our wedding day together!”
Moon Canyon designed the florals for the L.A. celebration, including covering the chuppah in bold red hues. “I remember distinctly our planner telling me they included chocolate cosmos,” Angie says. “I loved their sweet smell.”
Both bride and groom were escorted down the aisle by both their parents. “We played two songs by Delicate Steve, the musician we saw together on our very first date,” Angie shares. “Our processional was the aptly titled ‘Love,’ and our recessional was ‘Redeemer.’”
Eleven immediate family members looked on as the couple exchanged personal vows. “We wrote reflections to each other before reciting more formal vows that match what is written on our ketubah,” Angie says.
“Our photographers, Andrew and Ada, were amazing and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera,” Angie says. “They do a special trick where Ada sits on Andrew’s shoulders to really ‘get the shot.’ They shocked us with this on our wedding day—and then shocked all our friends with this at our reception a year later!”
“We lucked into very balmy November weather, which allowed us to hold everything, from the ceremony to the intimate dinner afterward, outside,” Angie says. “We had never imagined getting married at home, but it felt just right.” She was blown away by the tablescapes, even in such an intimate setting. “Each family ‘pod’ was seated together at their own little 2- to 4-person table, illuminated by flickering candles and heat lamps, with artful flowers from Moon Canyon.”
Angie changed into a red dress by La Ligne for their traditional Chinese tea ceremony, dinner, and speeches.
To cap off the night, the newlyweds cut into a classic white wedding cake.
One year later, the couple celebrated their anniversary with another intimate “wedding”—this one a reception for 23 friends in Brooklyn. “For COVID-19 safety reasons, we kept the gathering outside again, and made it a brunch because November in New York City is not as balmy as November in LA,” Angie says. “Our friends bundled up in their winter best, we put out heat lamps, provided two blankets per guest, and put hand and feet warmers in every guest’s goodie bag. But I suspect all the drinks going around did the most to keep everyone warm.”
Both bride and groom looked wintry chic: She wore a white satin suit from Club Monaco and a colorful teddy coat by ottod’Ame; he chose cowboy boots from Lucchese, a blue felt fedora from Goorin Bros., and a leather and fur coat gifted by the bride’s father. “Since we already were married, we decided to just go big for the reception and wear whatever made us happy!”
“Our long table had the most beautiful fall flowers from Fox Fodder Farm, and personalized menus that Callista mocked up and had printed herself based on the typefaces and monogram our graphic designer had created,” Angie says. “The attention to detail blew us away—and we didn’t lift a finger. It felt like showing up to someone else’s beautiful party.”
The party started at 11 a.m.—and ended long past midnight in a friend’s backyard for the after-party. In keeping with their “deconstructed” timeline, the couple delayed their honeymoon, too, but eventually took one at a resort ranch in Montana six months later, celebrating “I do” one final, special time.