We wanted the colours of the season to shine through with pinks, yellows, and oranges…
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We live on the Upper East Side of New York City, but both grew up in South Florida. Josh is finishing his residency in emergency medicine, and Alyssa is working in private wealth management. Throughout our relationship, we’ve had to juggle the physical locations of those chosen career paths – Alyssa took a job in New York and lived there for two years while Josh was in medical school in Miami, then Josh did a research year in Chicago, followed by short medical rotations in Boston and Jacksonville. Finally, we reunited in Miami before relocating to New York City together for Josh’s residency. We’ve had to prioritize each other while finding the independence to pursue our goals – and that has made us stronger!
We love to travel when we can and have been to 12 countries thus far. We’re hitting a few more this year, including Japan, for our belated honeymoon. We love trying new restaurants and bars around New York and beyond. We love dogs and have a rescue of our own named Ruby.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met while studying at the University of Florida. We were both in Greek life (Fraternity / Sorority) and met at a mixer event. That night’s theme was “rappers and rockstars”, so you can imagine our costumes! We were both juniors in college, so nearing the end of our time in Gainesville. When we first met, we both respected each other’s seriousness in our studies, but we also wanted to make the most of our time in college. …meaning we found that we would have just as much fun studying in the library together as we would going out to a bar. That’s carried through to today, too, whereby we can easily pivot from a serious conversation on politics or the economy to something more light-hearted.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Although it’s cliche to say, both of us realized that being with the other person made life more enjoyable. We both knew pretty soon after we met that we had something special, but it wasn’t until graduation, when we began a long-distance relationship, that we both had to make the conscious decision to invest our whole being into the relationship. Once we did that, we really had to work through ups and downs, but we both knew our whole lives still lay ahead of us, and we didn’t want to spend them with anyone else.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Yes! We were on a trip to Europe over the summer of 2021. We travelled to London & Paris. While we had been to Paris before, Alyssa especially wanted to go this time around to test out the French she’d learned over a year or so of lessons (a COVID-19 hobby that stuck!). Josh had actually coordinated a whole proposal with a photographer for one of the nights they’d be in the City of Lights. He proposed along the Seine River before an amazing dinner at Granite. Unknowingly to both of us, it actually turned out to be the Fete de la Musique, which is a day of huge celebrations and concerts around the city to celebrate the summer solstice. There were countless street concerts and so many fun events, which made that night unforgettable. It was as if the entire city threw us an engagement party!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
First, since the wedding was going to be held in the more rustic, laidback area of Puglia, Italy, we wanted to really lean into that. We wanted it all to feel “unstuffy” so that people could feel like they were on vacation. The dress code was Spring Formal, which didn’t require anyone to travel with a tux or a gown. Also, because it was in early May, which is very much peak springtime, we wanted the colours of the season to shine through with pinks, yellows, and oranges… These colours also allowed the whole vibe of the wedding to feel a bit more playful. The table decor carried this too – the bread plates next to everyone’s place setting had little Italian phrases like “Mamma Mia”.
Overall, we didn’t want to take ourselves too seriously and just wanted to throw a fun, easy going wedding!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
Being that we asked all of our guests to travel such a far distance to Italy, we wanted to make sure that they enjoyed every minute. Particularly, Italy is known for their cuisine – so we particularly wanted the food and drink to be a definite highlight. After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour in which there were several stations, including a cheesemaking station where people watched fresh cheese being made and then snack on it. Dinner had to – of course- include some fresh pasta. Toward the end of the party, we served panzerotti, which is tiny bits of fried dough stuffed with tomato sauce and cheese – a fun Italian twist on late-night bites!
Other Wedding Events
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
The weather! When we woke up that morning, our planner, Danielle, came to us and told us that we’d have to move the dinner inside because it was too risky to have it outside in the courtyard – where we had imagined a beautiful, candle-lit outdoor tablescape. We had to pivot and host the dinner in the restaurant of the venue, which actually turned out even better than we could have imagined. We hired a wonderful tenor singer to entertain the guests during dinner and the acoustics of the restaurant made for an awe-inspiring sound. The last song he sang was Mambo Italiano by Dean Martin, which made everyone get up on their feet, dancing and twirling napkins.
Also, it did end up raining during the dinner so we’re thankful we didn’t take the risk. We stepped outside to see a rainbow in the sky once the rain had passed. We just know it was our grandparents smiling down on us.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I (Alyssa) had been eyeing Danielle Frankel’s dresses for years. I knew I wanted one because they are timeless, but have certain elements that makes them incredibly unique and of-the-moment. I found a local boutique that carried a selection of them and I decided to go with the first one I tried on!
LOCATION Masseria Amastuola, @amastuola PHOTOGRAPHER Chloe David, @studiochloedavid PLANNER Wiskow and White, @wiskowandwhite FLORIST Amiscora Fiori, @amsicorafiori CELEBRANT Michela Solito at Apulian Weddings, @apulian_ceremony ENTERTAINMENT The Jay Walkers; Tenor Singer – Michele Vulpio, @vulpio_michele; DJ – Danny Howen, @dj_dannyhowen HIRE Chairs – Studio GMC, @studio_gmc; Plates/Tableware – In The Round House, @intheroundhouse; Lighting – Geolighting CATERING Masseria Amastuola, @amastuola CAKE Masseria Amastuola, @amastuola STATIONERY Invitations – Villa Studio, @villastudioweddings; Day-of – White Vines Studio, @whitevinesstudio SIGNAGE White Vines Studio, @whitevinesstudio ENGAGEMENT RING Vintage RINGS Ring Concierge, @ringconcierge BRIDE’S CEREMONY DRESS Danielle Frankel purchased at Brides by Lola Dre, @daniellefrankelbride, @bridesbyloladre BRIDE’S PARTY DRESS Abercrombie & Fitch, @abercrombie BRIDE’S CEREMONY SHOE Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S PARTY SHOE Jeffrey Campbell, @jeffreycampbell BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings – Lele Sadoughi, @lele_sadoughi HAIR & MAKEUP CESCA, @____cesca____ BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE From The Garden – Maison Margiela, @maisonmargielafragrances SUIT Enzo Custom, @enzocustom GROOM’S SHOE To Boot NY, @tobootnewyork GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Luna Rossa Carbon – Prada, @pradabeauty BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Réalisation Par, @realisationpar; Reformation, @reformation GIFT REGISTRY Food 52, @food52 TRANSPORTATION Antico Viaggi, @anticoviaggi
