The Second Time Around: A Spiritual Celebration

In the spirit of seizing the moment, most of us have put the proverbial “cart before the horse” at one time or another in our lives. Such was the case with this lovely couple and, in retrospect, they are so very glad that they did.

Jeannette always had considered herself blessed. With celebrated Chef Jean-Jacques of Jean-Jacques’ Culinary Creations in Pleasantville as her dad, an equally wonderful and devoted mom, and a terrific brother to boot, any joy that life brought her way was indeed a cherry on an already generously adorned sundae. Add to this a fulfilling career within her family’s French gourmet catering business and Jeannette truly couldn’t imagine feeling any more fulfilled.

While she took none of these blessings for granted, she never took the time to picture her future, nor worry about finding that special someone within it. As she saw it, just as everything else seemed to fall into place somehow for her,why not continue to allow destiny to take...

Photography by David Mielcarek

Do you believe in zodiac signs? The meaning of birthdates? The moon and the stars? Karma? Sure, many of us casually flip through the Sunday paper and amuse ourselves with our latest horoscope, but do we really take it that much to heart? As our bride of this month will attest, perhaps we very well should.

Danya was born on October 1, 1982; our groom Frank, the same day and month to the letter (two years earlier), but that was just the beginning. From the get go, these two learned that not only do opposites really attract, so too do those who are very much alike. When Danya and Frank first met, the more they found in common, the deeper they fell in love. Both are very family oriented, share old-fashioned tastes and...

July 4, 2009

Photography by Christina Rossomando, Forever in Focus

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? For this actress, it turns out he was…right on her living room sofa. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. A lot went down before their curtain rose, starting with the obvious—their common careers.

Act One: Miguel and Kelly are both actors. Miguel hails from Texas; Kelly from Nebraska. Both move to Manhattan in pursuit of acting careers. Both are passionate. Both are unattached. Jeff is Kelly’s roomate and, as fate would have it, also a close friend of Miguel’s. In passing one day, Jeff shows Kelly’s professional...

Once upon a time (actually, it was November 6, 2009) in a land far, far away (okay, it was right here in Westchester) a very lucky girl (Chrystalle) married a very special guy (Michael). After a magical Castle reception (this part is true) they drove off into the sunset in a Lamborghini (also true). This is their story.

Two special people—two artists who found themselves single once again. In the case of this lovely couple, two was indeed the charm.

Truth be told, neither Jennifer nor Manny were actively searching for romance, in fact, their relationship developed quite by happenstance when a group of three colleagues began to spend frequent coffee breaks together at the office, commiserating on their new common grounds of being recently divorced. While Jennifer brought the female perspective to the table, her two friends, Manny and another divorced newbie, represented the male point of view.

Little by little, the three came to realize that not only did they have a lot in common, but that they had developed quite a special bond along the way. And while...

Love can be complicated. Of this, no one can argue. In the case of Adam Dworkin and Dale Riedl, however, the falling in love part was easy. As they both attested, they just simply and naturally did. That said and done and despite these more progressive times, when it came to planning their official marriage and wedding, this gay couple knew full well that there would be many obstacles to overcome, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves—the fate and destiny part came first.

The two met back in 1999 while brunching with mutual friends at Time Café in Manhattan, but despite their instant connection, their stars were not in alignment. As circumstances would have it, in early 2000, Adam was headed to England on a two-year assignment, forcing a hiatus before the...

Born and raised in Peru, Nadia Pinedo had her heart set on becoming an architect. When it came time to select an internship, Nadia chose to broaden her horizons and pursue an opportunity in the United States. She completed her internship and was then offered a job at a different company. With a heavy heart and an ambitious soul, she went for a job here, promising herself an eventual return to her beloved Peru where all of her friends and family awaited her.

One fortuitous night, Nadia ventured out with a group of friends. They decided to stop at a bar in Nyack for last call. There she met Matthew, a “friend of a friend” who had clearly indulged in one too many. Even though he was tipsy, Matthew recognized a wonderful lady when he saw one, so he worked up the nerve...

Deep into the fall semester of 2002, two Boston College students who traveled within a common social group came to realize that their friendship had taken an undeniably romantic turn. Despite their longstanding baseball-team rivalry (“perhaps even because of it,” the bride playfully jokes), given Chris’s dedication to the Red Sox and Laura’s loyalty to the Yankees, the couple fell in love.

In December of 2007, right around Laura’s birthday, the now inseparable twosome visited Mystic, Connecticut, a place they had both been eager to see. For Laura, this holiday jaunt was expressly geared toward enjoying the historic village’s famous holiday candlelight tour, with perhaps a little shopping thrown in. Chris, on the...