Dana + Ben by Chelsea Palatucci

We wanted it to look like a party, not a wedding.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Well, we both love our two dogs – Toffy and Behr. We were really worried about blending the family, but Behr is obsessed with his sister, and Toffy tolerates it. Ben plays a bunch of different string instruments, is passionately devoted to his Boston sports teams, and loves telling Dana obscure history/geography/linguistic tidbits. Dana is a psychotherapist who mostly works with high-conflict couples, neurodivergent adults, and all things gender/sexuality. She also loves the gym, spending time drinking dirty martinis with her friends, and vacuuming.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Our story has a lot of false starts. We technically met on Hinge six and a half years ago and dated with the blessing of a few mutual friends. Ben ghosted Dana after about a month of amazing dates because there was another girl torturing him! After the dust settled, we continued to booty call each other until the pandemic. We didn’t talk for a few years, and each had other very long-term relationships. In August of 2025, Dana texted Ben out of the blue, and it just so happened to be his birthday. It didn’t take long for Ben and his dog to move in–we uhauled. We formally got engaged in June, but started designing the rings in February and were married by December. When you know, you know. And I think we both knew pretty immediately. We are both grateful that we didn’t really formally date in 2019–we never would have made it here. I think both of our first impressions were surprised by the comfort and chemistry–we just needed some time to grow into ourselves and learn from bad relationships to know how to do this thing.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

The season and date really inspired the whole thing. We loved the idea of New Year’s because 1. it was soon, and we didn’t want to wait, 2. it took some of the pressure off of us and onto a night everyone already would be celebrating, and 3. We hate being sweaty. We also both don’t love how girly and pink wedding decor usually is, so we leaned into darker florals and greenery. We wanted it to look like a party, not a wedding.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Google spreadsheets galore! Honestly, we didn’t enjoy it that much and were just happy it was well planned and that our vendors were amazing, so we could enjoy the night.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All of our vendors were top-notch, honestly. Dana found our photographer from Instagram, and it turned out to be Ben, and she had worked in restaurants together years ago, which kicked off the juju of the wedding feeling really special. Our florist also went above and beyond, from hand-making our chuppah to finding the exact florals we wanted days after a snowstorm. She performed miracles. Our planner also just had everything so tight that we couldn’t see any seams of the event. We actually got to have fun, and she was so good with our parents. We can’t forget the DJ who delivered, from top to bottom, the dream oldies club night we wanted.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

We both chose to go second-hand. Both because the wedding industry is full of waste and single-use purchases, but also because we wanted looks that felt timeless and one of a kind. Dana got her dress for less than $50 from a Goodwill online auction with almost no photos – just a hunch she struck gold. Dana also hired a line sitter to get to the Manolo Blahnik sample sale at 4 am so that she could get some shoes, which definitely completed the look. Ben got both his tuxedo and suit for the rehearsal dinner from Ebreo, a vintage Italian store a couple of blocks from their apartment.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Our engagement rings have stones from both of our grandmothers. Both rings were designed by Alexa Runsdorf at Nina Runsdorf Jewellery. Alexa has been one of Dana’s best friends since college. She also designed Ben’s band and sourced Dana’s vintage, French-cut Edwardian wedding band from The Antique Parlour.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Photography 100%. We will have those forever, and we were not willing to settle – Chelsea was a huge score. We also focused our venue search on places that had really well-established restaurants that were maybe a bit more experimental.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

For Ben, it was watching Dana walk down the aisle–” there is no way to prepare for what that actually feels like”. Also, probably when it hit midnight, and we had our first New Year’s kiss together (last year Dana was sick and Ben was working). For Dana, it was how real it all felt when I got to Ben under the chuppah. I wish I could bottle how real life felt. Also, having my uncle officiate under my grandpa’s Tallis was extremely powerful.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

Being married is like life becoming easy. It’s like coming up for air or taking off a heavy, wet coat. We try to make out a lot.