Jolyn and Colin describe their wedding as “a coming out ceremony for [us] as a couple.” They first met more than ten years ago at a dance event that Jolyn was hosting in New York City. It was through their mutual love of dance—Colin had studied contact dance in India and Jolyn has a masters in dance and teaches and facilitates creative movement—that they became friends.
There was an immediate connection, which Colin describes as “electricity” between them, but life and circumstances always got in the way. It wasn’t until 2009 that they decided to move in a romantic direction, when Jolyn held Colin’s hand on a stroll home from a night out with friends. At that moment they knew it was finally their time to be together.
One particularly beautiful October day, lush with all the richness of the fall, they went hiking in Rockefeller Preserve in Irvington where they live. “I heard Colin rustling in his pocket and then say to me ‘So…?’ and I knew right away what was happening,” Jolyn says. Colin had been carrying the ring around with him everywhere for months, waiting for the right moment—“and something just felt right to do it then,” he says.
They enlisted the help of their many creative and talented friends in collaborating and planned every step of their wedding together. “We knew we wanted to get married in our area because we wanted people to come and see where and how we live. Most importantly, we wanted everyone to feel an authentic experience with us and for it to have a lot of meaning,” Jolyn says.
The ceremony was set to take place inside Irvington’s Mathiesson Park to give what Jolyn hopes would be a shabby-chic feel. The week before the wedding, however, the weather was, of course, stormy, so they opted instead to have the reception at the Dobbs Ferry Women’s Club just to be safe.
Thankfully, on the morning of the big day, the rain finally stopped — and just in time — because all 100 guests began showing up around 11 am. To start off the celebration, they had invited everyone for chai tea and samosas from a local Indian restaurant, Chutney Masala. The bride had provided parasols of every color for their guests, which created a particularly amazing view for the couple as they watched this colorful procession of parasols walking toward them and into the ceremony.
“I had my guitar on hand to play ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’—the Hawaiian singer Iz’s rendition—for Jolyn to walk down the aisle to,” Colin says. “We’d spent the night before the wedding decorating a bicycle made for two with tons of vibrant ribbons for us to ride into the reception on. What I didn’t know was that my uncle—whose bluegrass and swing band played our music for the day—was going to surprise us by playing ‘Bicycle Built for Two’ as we came in.”
Wanting to unite everyone in their celebration, the couple incorporated multiple faiths and traditions into the ceremony. “One particularly special moment we shared was when our heads were wrapped under a large piece of fabric. It was like we were the only two people in the world at that moment,” Jolyn says. They then spontaneously danced out of the ceremony together.
Another important part of the day for both of them was to use all local providers for everything from the catering, flowers, liquors, and wine. “It was a lovely way to make a connection with our town, which increased both our sense of community and helped us to really bond with local vendors over the experience,” shares the bride.
“We had a lot of do-it-yourself projects to help create the exact feel we were going for. All of our vases were actually these rustic mason jars that either myself or the florist had. We decorated them with twine and personalized name tags with every individual’s names on them. Our friends also sewed all of our table runners and there were handmade signs throughout the festivities, such as their names hand-painted on a piece of tree bark.”
Perhaps the most unique and special moment of the day came when Colin’s mom told the happy couple that, “I really feel like you gave us all a gift, because of all the meaning that was put into the day.”
VENDORS
Photography
Todd Shapera Photography
(914) 631-8353
Food
Geordane’s Food World
57 Main St, Irvington, NY
(914) 591-6911
Wine
Irvington Wine & Liquor Inc.
50 Main Street, Irvington, NY
(914) 591-8181
Florist
Sunnyside Flower Shop
45 Main St, Irvington, NY
(914) 591-7377
Music
The Coyotes
Wendi Bourne
(267) 261-3735
E-invitation Design
Neeti Kapadia
neetikapadia@me.com
Bridal Attire
Reiss
309-313 Bleeker St, New York, NY
(212) 488-2411
Engagement Rings & Wedding Bands
Bride
Golden Beauty Designs
Fred Bobson Custom Design
(800) 223-0877
Groom
Catbird
219 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY
(718) 599-3457
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