Bandana: Ana + Dana = Freaking Stylish Manhattan Wedding

Being creative and metro-stylish tends to lead to a stylish Manhattan wedding but when your friends are also performers and stylish… hold onto your hats.

What would you expect from a couple that brought me on the huge stage of the majestic United Palace for their theatrical engagement session? I already introduced them to you as a former performer and creative director in that blog so I will also skip their surprise proposal story in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Comes their wedding day and all my impressions of them as of people of taste were reinforced yet again. The venue for both getting ready and the celebration of their stylish Manhattan wedding was chosen to be the chic Hotel Eventi with the photo shoot at the Bryant Park and the New York Public Library several blocks away.

Of a touching significance was Dana’s bonding with his friend, best man, and performer Akil Davis who later played a powerful role at the ceremony. His expressiveness and artistic skills that I enjoyed in his videos (e.g., “The Art of Mask and Movement“) echoed throughout the day, masterfully complemented by the other talented singers, musicians, and an aerialist from his troupe LoudSol (I wonder if it was them who helped us get into the United Palace).

A summertime stylish Manhattan wedding is difficult to imagine without a rooftop ceremony. During the ceremony officiated by their friend Tina, Akil stepped in to conduct a ritual, variations of which I see on a rare occasions: “charging” of some matter (pebbles in their case) by all the guests during the meditation, later collected in a jar which you bet now stores some seriously maxed out positive energy to juice out the good vibes in their home. Similarly, another recent wedding I covered had guests passing the wedding bands right before the exchange, each pausing for a moment and making a wish while holding the rings. What a kindhearted gesture!

And, Dana wouldn’t be Dana, if he didn’t come up with a shocking surprise for the bride who would passionately hate-love being caught by something amazing! (I had seen such reaction twice already.) A classic, smooth, and sweet love song crescendoed into a collaborative performance party. As the couple walked up the aisle after being pronounced as husband and wife, the string quartet’s interrupted the processional tune and played “All You need is Love” as horns and saxophone were stepping in from different corners, several friends singing and supported by the audience’s choir and a rap interlude, culminated in an all-out finale to the thunderous applause, cheers, and tears. Bam! Gotta love Dana. Of course, he scripted it all carefully and sent it to us, not forgetting about one important note: “Do Not Step on Ana’s Dress! It’s long. She’ll murder someone. Probably me first.” The plot was rehearsed in a secret room out of Ana’s sight.

Oh… and how cool was Dana’s Jewish touch on the Mazel Tov! trigger by using the colored light bulbs instead of glasses? Get them some technology for a stylish Manhattan wedding! The beautiful and jubilant day concluded with some smooth moves on the dance floor between the gourmet dinner entries and an aerial show to indulge every sense and wrap up in a ballroom-size love and sentiments, all funneled towards our incredible couple.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered”

Many thanks to the vendors contributing to the beauty of this day:

Venue: Hotel Eventi
Wedding planner: Vision Event Co
Florist: Fleurs Du Mois
Decor: Ultrapom
Lighting: Pro Lighting Rental
Musicians (ceremony and cocktail hour): Stellar Strings and Hudson Horns
Aerialist: Reem Abdou
Makeup: Face the Day NY
Hair: Renee Haldeman
Videography: Orange Films

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