Our Wedding Day

After a year of planning, it was finally time for our wedding. On October 21, 2017, we got married at Beach Point Club with our ceremony on a terrace overlooking the Long Island Sound followed by a reception in the Club's harbor room with panoramic views of the Sound. We lucked out with a 75-degree sunny day with a light breeze.

After a primping and preening all morning with my bridesmaids, mom, and mom-in-law, it was time to get married. Alex and I signed our ketubah in the Club's board room with our closest friends and family. We fit in all of our posed pictures before the ceremony so that we could truly enjoy the day.

A wonderful friend filmed our entire ceremony.

It was perfect in our eyes. Covering our huppah, we had a 100-year-old hand-crocheted table cloth passed down through four generations of my mom's family. A string quartet played personally chosen classical music. Our rabbi was incredibly thoughtful, personal, and lovely. The ceremony was so full of love. Alex had a huge smile as the canon sounded in perfect sync with his breaking of the glass. And we were clutching each others hands with bliss as we put on our wedding bands for the first time.

I must admit that parts of the ceremony were super difficult. My entire body was shaking in the moments leading up to my solo walk down the aisle. As I breathed in and out, a warm glow from within came over me and I suddenly felt like everything was going to be alright - I truly believe that my dad was with me in that moment. I also cried my eyes out each time my father was mentioned by the rabbi.

Huge monarch butterflies were weaving in and out of our huppah. Many guests said they imagined that was my dad showing he was looking down on us from heaven. I like to think that he was definitely present, smiling and proud.

We took a yichud where we relaxed, ate a few appetizers, drank a glass of champagne, and took in the glorious first few moments of being married.

My meticulous planning and very specific timeline meant that we actually got to enjoy our reception. We ate the scrumptious food. We danced with family and friends. We drank a little of the wine we had carefully selected. If anything actually did go wrong, I didn't notice it. And we were on a cloud when the party wrapped up.

It was magical in so many ways. Framed pictures of me and Alex sailing were placed all around the rooms where our cocktail hour was held. I felt like a princess in my wedding gown. Our chef did an incredible job with every aspect of our menu. Beautiful speeches were made. Our photographer captured so many special moments. The transportation company we hired was on time at every juncture. The bridesmaids and groomsmen looked like they stepped out of a picture book. Our cake was absolutely delicious and topped with adorable bride and groom skier figurines. My hair and makeup was in perfect order from sunrise to sunset. Our DJ stuck to the program and customized the music to our liking. My sparkly shoes were actually very comfortable. Our flowers were exactly what I wanted, right down to the billy balls and dusty miller. Little chocolate sailboat pops were the perfect send off for our guests to nibble on as they headed home. And happiest of all, I now have a handsome, loving husband.

After the party ended, we headed back to the hotel and met a bunch of our out-of-town guests for a drink and snacks at the hotel lobby bar. Alex and I were still full of energy and had so much fun catching up more closely with our friends and family from all over the globe.

When we retired to the bridal suite, we were greeted with a bottle of champagne and chocolate strawberries. Before we settled in for our first night as husband and wife, we read all of our cards and relished in the glow of being newly wed.

Last Sail Before the Veil

The nautical theme has carried through to all aspects of our wedding, from our sailing engagement photo shoot to the theme to my bridal shower and bachelorette. It must of been on our minds when we booked our rehearsal dinner as well since it was at Morgans Fish House in a room decorated with photos and drawings of sailboats. It was a perfect last party before our wedding. And a great way to thank our guests that traveled to be with us for our special day. We had relatives and friends who came in from Peru, France, California, Colorado, and so many places along the eastern seaboard.

I took a breath before walking into the rehearsal dinner with Alex and my mind kept returning to a memory: right after my dad passed away, Alex took me out for a sail, and in the throws of grief and depression, just for a moment, I focused on the horizon and the sound of the ocean and I knew everything was going to be alright. Sailing has a way of doing that. Of making you feel small and insignificant in the world and at the same time powerful and mighty. And I have Alex to thank for that feeling. Alex taught me to sail and he keeps me calm through our adventures together.

The rehearsal dinner itself was a huge success. Aside from the delicious food and wine, we had so many touching moments with our family and friends. My nerves were calm and my mind was clear. I was ready to face the excitement of our wedding day.

The Bachelorette

No I'm not auditioning for the bachelorette....although at one point in my early 20's I did think about it. I'm talking about my own bachelorette party.

I love this tradition so much. One last hurrah for the single lady you've always been and one shot of tequila for the married lady you'll become. The big requirement I had for the gals planning my bash was that it be in NYC. The place where all my crazy dating stories took place, where I've spent most of my adult life, where I met Alex, and my favorite city in the world.

The festivities were entirely a surprise so I had no idea what I was in for at the top of the weekend.

My two college roommates (maid and matron of honor!) arrived in NYC on Friday night and we had dinner just the 3 of us at a french bistro in my neighborhood. After a relaxing night, we woke up early, grabbed bagels, and enjoyed them on the roof deck of my apartment building. Then we got our hair done at dry bar in preparation for the night ahead. The girls took me to a cute hotel in the flower district of Chelsea. And while Michele decorated the room to a spectacular degree, Nicole and I were across the street having a pre-dinner cocktail at a rooftop bar with a stunning view of the Freedom Tower.

And then the real partying began. I wore a sash that read "Future Mrs. Levi" and a number of engagement themed temporary tattoos. Michele even made hair ties for everyone attending. Alayna joined us to get ready for the festivities and we polished off a whole bunch of champagne before heading to an adorable restaurant, Out East, in the East Village where a large group of ladies was waiting for us. Dinner was served family style and we ate a delicious array of dishes from tuna tacos to decadent lasagna to deconstructed pies for dessert.

With full bellies, the party continued! We headed to Mr. Purple, a night club on the Lower East Side with a a terrace and a beautiful view of the city. We partied hard for many hours before returning to our hotel room in Chelsea where I quickly hit the hay.

The next morning we awoke early for brunch at Revel in the meatpacking district. And another group of lovely women were there to brunch with us. Bottomless pitchers of mimosas and bellinis were on the table for our drinking pleasure. Michele made us super cute matching shirts to wear as a squad.

After brunch, we stayed at the bar at Revel for a bit as the group petered out. Then a few of us continued on to a roof top bar to drink rose and enjoy the beautiful weather before grabbing a snack at a beer garden and calling it a weekend.

Overall, it was everything I could have hoped for. Great friends, too many drinks, tons of eating and laughing. So many of the women in my life were there to celebrate with me and I was floored at the number of gals who came out for it! I felt so loved and I'm more excited than ever for the wedding...which is only days away now. I can hardly believe it!