At the heart of every wedding is a love story. A weak at the knees, let’s grow old together kind of story that sets my heart aflutter time and time again. But what makes this one a wee bit sweeter is that this adorable duo grew up together — even attending the same pre-school. But as fate would have it, it wasn’t until just five years ago that they truly fell in love. The celebration? A classic Long Island affair with pops of pink blooms by Bayport Flower House. The whole day was captured by Robert & Kathleen Photographers, and there’s an entire gallery and film waiting for you below.
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From Robert & Kathleen Photographers…Kathleen and Dan had known each other for years. Growing up in the same town, they seemed to orbit around one another – attending the same preschool, elementary school, high school. They knew each other’s names, would recognize each other in town. But in all those years they had never really gotten to know one another. Until a dinner on the Upper East Side five years ago changed all that for good. That night, they shared sushi and traded stories and, in the process, found that they had much more in common that just living within the same zip code as kids. They talked for hours and by the time the night was over, Kathleen knew she wanted to see Dan again. Because in those few hours with him, she knew deep down that something incredible was beginning.
After that night, Dan couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Kathleen’s laugh. That infectious, Julia-Roberts-style laugh that made him smile at the mere thought of it. He needed to see her again. He needed to hear that laugh again. Because seeing Kathleen’s smile, hearing that laugh, made Dan feel something he never had felt before. Over the next four years they shared many more dinners. They discovered new New York neighborhoods, traveled to beautiful places, and dreamt of the life they would share together. After all those years of passing by one another, they knew that this time the timing was exactly right. They had “found” each other and they weren’t going to take that for granted.
Last year there was another dinner. Another night on the East Side, sharing sushi and trading stories. After dinner Dan got a phone call. He was needed at work, right away. He had to go fix something at a job site. With no time to spare, he told Kathleen she would have to come with him and that it shouldn’t take long. She agreed, thinking it must be a serious emergency since Dan would never usually takes her to a job site. They were ushered into Grand Central, met by security and granted access to the 59th floor.
But there is no 59th floor in the MetLife building. There was no work emergency for Dan to rush to either. When the elevators door opened, Dan escorted Kathleen out onto the roof of the building. He took her hand and walked her around, showing her the view of Manhattan from nearly 60 stories up. There, with the city traffic rushing by below them and the Empire State Building standing tall behind them, Dan got down on one knee and asked Kathleen to be his wife. Fourteen months later, they gathered together all of their family and friends, all the people who had shared this journey with the two of them, in one of their favorite places in the world. They promised to love each other forever and hosted the celebration of their lives, with bonfires by the water and dancing well into the night. There, at the end of Long Island, Kathleen and Dan’s married life began.
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Photography + Cinematography: Robert & Kathleen Photographers | Venue: Montauk Yacht Club | Floral Design: Bayport Flower House | Wedding Cake: Manhattan Sweets Boutique Bakery in Islip, New York | Band: Peat Moss and the Fertilizers | Wedding Dress: Marisa via Bridal Salon: Bridal Reflections | Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Bridesmaid Dresses: Donna Morgan
