Drink Whiskey, Eat Tacos: our wedding party
Although I didn’t really want a traditional wedding, there were a few things that were important to me when we decided to get married. I loved that we eloped and had a really simple, no-fuss ceremony with just our parents and best friends present. I wanted to leave on an immediate and very tropical honeymoon, and it was such a wonderful vacation and way to start our married life. And I’m so glad that we opted to have a party in Brooklyn with our closest friends: it was so much fun to celebrate our recent nuptials with all of the people who have been most important to us in all of the phases of our lives. 
To be honest (like every wedding ever), it was a bit expensive and stressful to plan–although I think we did a good job of keeping costs and planning details pretty reasonable. But in the end, I’m so glad we did it: the weekend wasn’t nearly long enough, but we had so much fun! We decided to focus on things that we both love–whiskey for David, tacos for me, Brooklyn for us both–and threw a party at Kings County Distillery this past weekend for friends from New York, California and even England. Here’s a quick little peek into the party!
As per always, Gertie was the star of the night! I love her so, so, so much–isn’t she the cutest? 
Kings County Distillery is New York’s oldest operating whiskey distillery, the first opened since prohibition. We had our party in the Gatehouses, which is their tasting room that’s regularly open to the public (I highly recommend an afternoon cocktail there!) but we snuck into the barrel room to take a few photos before the party.
And maybe most important of all, a pre-party whiskey shot! They also do tours on the weekends–although we haven’t done it yet, I hope we can squeeze it in soon–the whole place has such a cool vibe, and the whiskey is delicious (even as someone who doesn’t really LOVE whiskey). 
The biggest bummer was definitely the weather: with highs in the 50s, it was far chillier than we expected for a late May mostly-outdoor party! That said, our friends were troopers about having drinks and tacos outside–although we eventually opted to make a last-minute switch to have the dance floor inside. 
Without a doubt, one of the best things was having all of our incredible friends in one place! For example: our Boston-in-Brooklyn crew, aka former roommates and failed book club members who are our absolute favorites for rooftop barbecues and football watching parties.
My former Vimeo coworkers turned great friends, who are also the best Gert-sitters around.
Class of 2005 at Christian Brothers! These three have been my closest friends since I was a freshman in high school, and I am so darn glad I met them back when I was an awkward, acne-prone 13-year-old. They’ve been there through all of the ups and downs, and I’m so glad they all ventured out from Sacramento for a weekend in New York City (complete with spicy chicken sandwiches and laid-back hang-outs at my apartment). 
CHICO STATE aka why it was such a good party! Incredibly grateful for the Chico State alumna who have been such a key part of my community in New York City, as well as the college friendships that have survived across the country.
And duh, a solid portion of those ladies are Alpha Delta Pi!
And although this was a party for our friends, we’re so glad that David’s parents and his sister and her fiance came! It was fun for them to catch up with so many of David’s childhood friends as adults, and as a reader of my blog and Instagram–I think his mom also thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of my friends in real life.
In terms of our wedding looks: I actually found this dress on ASOS about three weeks after we got engaged! I ordered it, and it fit and I loved it–the easiest wedding dress shopping ever. The dress is by Mr Self Portrait, the shoes are Calvin Klein (I actually bought them to wear to a wedding last summer–they’re very comfortable for dancing) and the earrings are from a little jewelry shop in Florence from a trip to Italy when I was 18. Hair and makeup by Glamsquad, and I would 100% recommend Carina for updos and Phillip for makeup. David wore his wedding suit from Suit Supply again, with a different dress shirt and minus the tie–and I think he looked great! 
One of the nuttiest things we did: a pug pinata! I realize now that it was extremely traumatizing for Gert to see her father hit it, but we found the whole thing completely hilarious and I still laugh just thinking about it.
The cocktails were fantastic: my favorite was the Blood Orange Creamsicle, and the tacos were pretty darn delicious as well. 
One of the wedding traditions we did want to keep intact was a toast from our friends–we had our witnesses give toasts at our wedding ceremony as well! I’m so glad that my friend Kate spoke for me, and David’s oldest friend (from kindergarten!) made a wonderful toast on his behalf. 
In college, Kate was my returner when I was a rookie on the lacrosse team–she taught me (for better or worse) how to take a shot (of alcohol, but also when it comes to scoring goals on the field). We kept up our friendship after college with plenty of postcards and snail mail magazine clippings, and I’m so glad that we were reunited in Brooklyn. Kate’s my go-to gal for gossip sessions while getting our nails done, double dates with wine and pizza, spontaneous beach days and trading all of the favors. She gave the most touching toast, and I’m so grateful to have a friend like her by my side! 
Our first dance was to Days Like This by Van Morrison, and it was perfect. 
And after our first dance, my best friend Katelyn and my one true pug love joined me on the dance floor for Dancing in the Moonlight! One of my friend’s Katelyn’s greatest pieces of advice: when you’re in a bad mood, listen to Dancing in the Moonlight. It’s impossible to stay bummed! We had a heavy 80s pop and 00’s hip-hop playlist for the rest of the night, and it was so much fun! If you need a DJ recommendation in NYC, more than happy to make an intro to our friend who moonlights as an awesome DJ.
And for dessert, we had a sundae bar from Ample Hills Creamery–our favorite ice cream shop in Brooklyn!
Yay! I love this guy and this pug the most, and I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful people who have been a huge part of our lives separately and will now be our greatest friends in our life together.
All photos are by Emanual Hahn: thank you for doing such an incredible job and for the insanely quick turnaround! Can’t recommend him highly enough.
Special thanks to all of our friends who came from near and far to toast us: we’re so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people. And if you missed it, here’s our engagement and our semi-elopement.
