We both grew up in France before coming to study in the United States. I am from Paris and Elodie is from Bordeaux. We met while we were in college, seven years ago. Our college was relatively small so we ran into each other a lot during the first year, but without really talking or interacting. Then one day, at the end of our first year, we randomly sat down next to each other in the courtyard and started chatting.
For six years, we loved travelling and I proposed to Elodie on a three-day trip to Cartagena, Colombia. I had initially planned to rent a boat to Playa Blanca for the afternoon and propose on the boat, but the sea was rather agitated that day, and stepping foot on a boat was inconceivable. So instead I waited for the right moment, and ended up proposing on a rooftop in Cartagena’s old town, followed by a special dinner with a Bolero singer. Elodie had no idea I was going to propose but immediately said yes. Our wedding ceremony took place on the rooftop terrace of the Wythe Hotel in New York. We loved the industrial, modern style of the hotel. We arranged the guests in a semi-circle on the terrace so the Manhattan skyline became the backdrop for our ceremony. We ordered a three-tier wedding cake from Momofuku Milk Bar with three different flavours, and it was topped with a copper arrow of our initials that we found on Etsy – the cake was a huge success. We were lucky that almost everything went according to plan, although it was much colder than we expected for New York in the month of May, and a lot windier. To me, marriage means two things: it reflects our decision to live the rest of our lives together and solemnize this decision in front of our family and friends and, secondly, marriage becomes the foundation on which to build a family. Elodie has been both a trampoline and a safety net to me over the years. Since we met, she has pushed me to give my very best and encouraged me to do the things I love and explore new activities I have always wanted, but never dared to discover.
Photography, Jean Laurent Gaudy | Location, Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn | Brides Dress, E Rime Arodaky | Flora, Sprout Home | Cake, Momofuku Milk bar | Celebrant, Kimberly Worley Officant NYC
