Dylan + Harry by Superlove Film

Something that felt us authentically, warm, cozy, eclectic… like home.

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

Harry is a producer, and Dylan is a freelance art director. We live in Brooklyn with our dog and two cats, who unfortunately weren’t at the wedding. We love all animals and hope to fill an entire estate one day with a zoo of furry friends. Dylan spends most of her free time either crafting or DIY’ing (Dylan creates, Harry enjoys), thrifting, cooking, and making cats her personality. Harry loves music (and recently – dangerously – began collecting vinyl, cassettes & CDs), video games, walking & rollerblading, documentaries or any food shows, and consuming all the food Dylan makes. Together, we fill our time with lots of yummy food, movies (especially horror), animals, giggling, and down-to-earth friends.

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

The way we first met is much debated. Harry moved to New Jersey from California in seventh grade. Dylan remembers him as the “mysterious new boy”. Harry does not remember Dylan at all. Five years later, Dylan walks over to the “hockey table” in the cafeteria, trying to find dates for her friends and flex her best matchmaker skills. This is when Harry notices Dylan. In his words, she was “the most intimidating, confident, and cool girl he’d ever met”. Although we didn’t go to prom together or begin dating until months after, Harry never lost sight of me. He was more reserved, and Dylan was more wild, but they ended up levelling each other out in the end. During Dylan’s freshman year at college in NYC (30 minutes from where we grew up), Harry was taking a gap year to play hockey. He visited Dylan constantly, and it became clear that we only wanted to see each other. 10 years later, here we are!

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).

When we first visited Handsome Hollow, we knew it was right for us, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the views speak for themselves. The Catskills are stunning, and we knew we wanted to be surrounded by the quiet, peaceful oasis of nature. Secondly, the venue’s owners, Kate & Huck, made the experience even more special and personal. Besides the beautiful canvas they began us with, the decor was a huge focus for us. Pinterest was our best friend, and Dylan’s love for DIY and crafting made it both more doable and more stressful. Basically, every detail was done by Dylan, from the graphic design for the menus and invitations, to the calligraphy on the invite envelopes, to the hand-painted signage, to the personally draped band backdrop for the band. Our friend Sarah recently stayed in our apartment to catsit and said that the vibe for our wedding made a lot more sense now, and that our apartment was essentially an extension of that vision. At the end of the day, that was all we could’ve hoped for. Something that felt us authentically, warm, cozy, eclectic… like home.

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

As people who don’t naturally love attention, a lot of the anticipation for the wedding was stressful. But because of that, we chose to pour ourselves into the small details, as previously mentioned. All of the little projects were a piece in the larger puzzle. A friend of mine who got married before me gave me some great advice. She said that instead of making the planning process a monotonous process that you stressfully check off throughout the week, set aside an afternoon to sit at your favourite coffee shop and dedicate the time and attention to each other so you can allow it to be a more personal experience. I definitely agree with that sentiment and would suggest that any other couple do the same.

Besides the little details, there were specific vendors we were very excited for and commanded a lot of our attention – this included photography, music, and tattoos (yes, this was a must). Creating a setlist for the band & a moodboard for the photographers was so special for us. And as creatives ourselves, the way it was all encapsulated in the photo & video was the most important thing to us.

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

Absolutely! As we mentioned, in the planning process, we cared most about photography, music and tattoos. Alex & Alexa at Superlove Film were a dream to work with. They shoot everything on film (with digital backups, of course), made us feel incredibly comfortable, and, not to mention, are so incredibly talented. Beyond making our vision come to life, they have such a unique perspective of their own, and it made the entire process so special. Everyone in the wedding party (plus guests generally) was obsessed with them, and the entire night, they just felt like part of the group. We could not be happier with the end result and to have such amazing friends in them.

For the music, the band (the Hey Nows based out of Newburgh, NY) was so talented and energetic. Their manager, Barbara, was so lovely, and the frontman, Paul, was so helpful in the planning process. He was understanding of our disdain for attention and did everything in his power to make us comfortable. They really did justice to all of the songs they played and interacted with everyone in such a fun way – it truly made the night what it was.

For tattooing, we have an artist that we use religiously in Brooklyn, Brody Walsh (@sheetless.ghost). He is not only an incredible tattoo artist, but he also makes every session comfortable, fun and easy. We worked together on a flash sheet ahead of time that felt very us, but that wasn’t blatantly about us.

The last thing we wanted was to have a flash sheet of D+H= <3. This resulted in some cute ghosts, cats, stamps, and other fun items that felt very fitting. He brought along one of his tattoo artist friends, Sid (@sirpluswherehouse), to help the whole night, and they both took charge of the balcony of the venue and became the ultimate hot spot for the guests. It was our dream to have tattoos at our wedding, and we are so grateful for how Brody made it come to life in such an effortless way.

Last but not least, our wedding planner, Kayla Smith, went above and beyond for us. Not only in the planning process but for the wedding itself, she made us feel so at ease. She had everything under control and had a confidence about her that didn’t even leave room for worrying – she had it handled! She was comforting, organised, and always had such an amazing, lovely energy. I would hire her 100 times over.

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

For our outfits, I guess it would be considered pretty unique. Dylan made her own wedding dress. The whole bridal party went out and did the classic wedding dress shopping day, and while there were some beautiful dresses, they either felt a little off or were just way out of the budget. As a lifelong creator (and designer years & years ago), Dylan just said: “Ah, I’ll do it myself”. Lots of fabric samples were seen, sketches were made, and the dress itself was started over 3 times. It could only be worked on in our apartment when Harry was out with friends or otherwise. As two remote workers, this was a tough situation for the dress, particularly. But at the end of the day, it resulted in a dress that felt very authentic to Dylan and was reminiscent of vintage designs, which was the goal.

Harry’s suit is vintage Halston. It was a happenstance find, but Harry put it on and had never felt so good in a suit in his life. It was a vintage, boxy cut, which we both loved, and it had this incredible texture that felt very him.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Dylan’s engagement ring was created by Harry alongside a jeweller who was a friend of Dylan’s family. Harry knew the style he was going for exactly and brought it to life in such a beautiful way. Just like with the dress, we love things that are unique to us but feel vintage in nature. The ring feels so perfect given the style we both love. Especially having Harry be able to collaborate on the minutiae of the design makes it all the more special.

Harry’s wedding band is from Fragment Studio out of Paris. Harry knew when we began the search for his band that he wanted it to be rough and irregular. He never likes wearing things that feel too clean-cut or perfect. With this ring that he found, he was able to have the perfect jagged look he was looking for!

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?).

We touched upon this earlier, but photography was definitely an element we were willing to spend more money on. We love film so much, and finding Alex & Alexa at Superlove was so special because they shoot everything on film & Super 8. This was so unique and special for us (alongside their amazing creative vision) that we knew we needed to work with them, and we are so glad we were able to put the money there – it was well worth it. In addition, we were willing to spend more on the venue because we wanted it to speak for itself. By allocating the money there, we didn’t feel as though we needed tons of supplemental rentals & decor, because the setting itself was so stunning.

Once again, that was another thing we were so glad we spent on. Finally, the food. Amy Miller at Early Bird Eats is a visionary. We met with her before the wedding to do a tasting and craft the menu together, and the result was an incredibly unique menu that felt so us, and not at all like a “typical wedding meal”. It was flavorful, unique, and delicious, and had everyone raving. We also owe our incredible venue owner, Kate, for having the most incredible recommendations and understanding our personalities and vision so well.

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

The 30 minutes after the wedding and before the after-party that we were able to spend alone at the farmhouse at Handsome Hollow were so special. We were able to quickly decompress and actually talk alone for the first time that day. It was so special and quiet, and we were just on cloud 9 from all of the love people gave us all night. This wedding came after 9 years of being together, so it almost felt like a culmination of nearly a decade, and it was so special to experience it with the people who love us most.

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

Harry is a very poetic writer, so I’ll let him answer this one…

If falling in love is a leap, then marriage is a soft landing into the embrace of a future that promises commitment, authenticity and joy. Having only been married for 7 months, daily life doesn’t look much different. But every once in a while, I look down at my ring, rose-tinted glasses fall on my eyes, and I’m reminded that the world can be a beautiful place where weddings like ours take place, the people who made it happen exist, and a love like ours can flourish. Marriage is proof that love is real.