A CAPELLA
As far as ‘how we met’ stories go, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one better than theirs. “Hillary and I met in 2005 while attending college at UMass Amherst,” Whitney recalls. “I went with some friends to hear the university’s a cappella group. I quickly took notice of Hillary, whose rendition of The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” completely floored me. When I decided to try out for the same group, Hillary was the only member who voted against me, thinking my voice wouldn’t blend well with the rest. Thankfully, she was outnumbered by everyone else!”
Despite that hilariously questionable start, they became fast friends and then girlfriends. Besides their mutual love of music, both are big travel buffs. While dating, they travelled all over South America for six months, with a minimal grasp of Spanish and a wide-open agenda! Sounds both amazing and a smidge risky to us; the stress of international travel can crack even the strongest foundations. But not for these two—turns out, being adventurous, easygoing and totally in love can take the edge off. “We made it back home, stronger than ever,” Whitney says. “Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for our Spanish skills.”
‘SOUVENIR’
Several years later, the couple found themselves living in New York, building their careers and still loving every day together. You can probably guess what happened next. “Of course, marriage had been in our conversations, because by that time we were already together and domestic partners for five years,” Whitney says. “I proposed at home after I came back from travelling in Israel for a few weeks. As I was walking around Tel Aviv, I went into a jewelry store and found the perfect ring. I bought it on the spot and proposed the night I got home. Hillary was definitely surprised with that ‘souvenir.’”
DESIGNING THE BIG DAY
As most married couples will concur, planning a wedding is fun and exciting business, but the unexpected details and decisions can cause some friction. These two kept the bridezilla moments to a minimum, but they did have a few stressors. “We’re both Jewish but didn’t necessarily want a rabbi. Yet, we wanted to include some Jewish traditions and have a woman officiate the wedding,” Hillary says. “It was tough, but through recommendations, we found an interfaith reverend who worked out great!”
Of course, they had to figure out what to wear. “Finding my outfit was also a challenge,” Whitney says. “I wanted something feminine, but not too feminine—definitely not a dress. Particularly for a dressy occasion, [finding something] that’s appropriate for a bride on her wedding day was hard. Eventually, I found the perfect suit.” It’s true: They totally nailed the often-difficult task of capturing their own style while keeping things fashion-forward, gorgeous and classy. Whitney’s Roberto Cavalli suit was an ideal complement to Hillary’s spectacular Vera Wang dress. On October 12, 2013, they tied the knot among a small crowd of friends and family at MyMoon, an abandoned factory-turned-beautiful-restaurant/event space in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
PRETTY AS A PICTURE
The couples’ breathtaking wedding photos have popped up on multiple fashion blogs, and their invitation designs are making appearances on Pinterest. Their designer, Dara, from Rafftruck Designs, explains, “They knew what they wanted from the start—a minimalist design with a feminine touch. I was thrilled to design and print this suite…they shared with me a beautiful floral mood board, which acted as the inspiration behind the design.”
MAGIC MOMENTS
The brides tried to pin down the most memorable moments from their wedding day, but that’s kind of like trying to choose your favorite Beatles song. “The whole day was incredible from start to finish…getting ready at the hotel, seeing each other completely dressed for the first time, reading our vows to one another and celebrating at a gorgeous venue with our closest family and friends! It was an unforgettable day,” they tell us.
Since music brought them together, we found this to be an adorably fitting highlight: The couple danced to their own personal version of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” sung by Hillary to Whitney. Conveniently for the romantics among us, you can hear the audio clip on the website of their friend and wedding photographer, the talented Erica Camille.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
We’re looking forward to watching this couple continue to grow. It’s already starting out to be a busy and exciting year.
Thanks to Whitney’s roots in the NYC club scene and experience at the helm of the city’s biggest bashes, including Mayor Bloomberg’s Pride Party, Rapture on the River, her own New York City Pride after-party, her event production and DJ career have blown up. She’s creating a name for herself across the country and beyond, and Whitney Day Events has helmed some of the hottest new after-work girl parties in the city. Most Wednesdays, Whitney has the beautiful party people flocking to various locations, or as TimeOUT put it, “local lesbians dancing and flirting the night away as if Thursday morning isn’t a thing.”
As the director of marketing at Booker, a cloud-based service management platform, Hillary is a seriously busy lady, too. During the day, you can find her executing go-to-market strategies for new products and partnerships, in addition to implementing programs to help customers better utilize the software. Oh, and what does she have to say about their fabulous wedding? “We would do the whole thing over again in a heartbeat,” Hillary says.
Needless to say, their future looks bright. Five years down the road, Hillary and Whitney say they hope their relationship is just as easy and balanced as it is now. “Where we’ll be and what we’ll be doing, who knows? Maybe living abroad. Maybe owning a beach bar somewhere beautiful and warm. We’re open to whatever comes our way,” they say. “As long as we’re doing it together, we’re sure it will be amazing.”
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