Wednesday August 22, 2012
Flash Mob Wedding Band in Brooklyn: Julie & Nick’s Wedding
Even people in bustling Brooklyn stop, smile and look when they see a bride and groom. We all usually smile and keep walking while wishing the couple the best, but the nosiness in side of us wishes we knew the love story that lead the couple to get married. Nick and Julie, a couple living in Brooklyn, tells us their story.
In Brooklyn, there are two-sides to every love story.
The Pre-Wedding Love Story
“In the early spring of 2007″, recalls Nick, “our Co-ed softball team was in desperate need of some female help. As the manager, I was on the look out for some fresh new talent. Low and behold I found someone who fit the bill. She was in her mid 20′s, had just moved to NY and played softball all the way through high school. Home run, I thought. I would never be so right in my entire life.”
Fast forward to one spring Sunday, as this lowly softball manager was making his way to the field for the first game of a new season. Carrying several bags full of bats, gloves, balls and bases, he trudged along to the field dutifully ready for the start of another season under the sun. But on his way to the field on this fine, sunny day he encountered a young lady who asked if he needed help. Of course he said, “No thank you, I’ve got it!” She told him she was meeting a team for the first time that she signed up to play for and wasn’t sure exactly where the fields were. The manager asked with disbelief, “Are you Julie?,” and the girl asked back in disbelief, “Are you Nick?”. The rest, as they say, is history…
“We knew after 3 dates that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.” says Nick. “So there was no formal proposal. We were fully committed to each other, living together for 3 years saving up to buy a house (last summer we bought a condo in Brooklyn). It was just a matter of when would be a good time to get married.”
Nick& Julie’s First Dance with Flash Wedding Band Playing Recorders & Tamborines
The wedding dress
Julie & Sandra Created a Custom Sentimental Wedding Gown
“I had my wedding dress custom-made by an amazing designer and friend, Sandra Usherov. Sandra is incredibly talented and specializes in custom wedding gowns.
“My process start to finish was about 3 months. Sandra and I first met to discuss what I had in mind. We looked at a lot of dresses and magazines to narrow down a general design, we discussed the fabric, the silhouette and fit – the fun part for me was knowing this would be a work in progress, I could change it as we went along! We went fabric shopping and since we were using my mom’s wedding dress for the lace in the body of the dress I had to make a trip to Chicago to bring it back to Brooklyn.
“We started the muslin fittings to get the shape, we did 3 or 4 of these fittings, and this is when I got to play with different elements of the dress. Did I want wide straps or a full lace back? Did I want a sweetheart neckline or a V-cut? I didn’t have to worry about not liking part of the dress because I got to decide what was perfect for me! When the muslin design was finished, Sandra took about 4 weeks to make the pattern and start making my dress.
“I loved my dress the first time I put it on, it was exactly what I had pictured in my head, but even better! We had weekly fittings for the 3-4 weeks leading up to the wedding to make minor adjustments until it fit me perfectly. I’ve never felt more beautiful than I did in my dress, how could I not when it was made exactly for me!”
Julie’s Wedding Dress
Julie tells us what’s special about her wedding dress.
“My dress is actually my mom’s wedding dress reworked into a new design. At her wedding, my Mom wore this beautiful lace gown with a sleeves and hoopskirt, so there was a lot of lace to work with. My dress reuses her lace for the entire body and we added lace trim and a layer of silk tulle over the top. My Dad passed away in 2008, there’s not a day I don’t miss him, and it was especially hard not to have him there to walk me down the aisle. Sandra sewed a patch from his favorite t-shirt to the inside of my dress near my heart so there was a piece of him with me all day. It was so special for me to have something from both of my parents as part of my dress.”
A Special Patch Inside Julie’s Wedding Dress
Nick’s Version of Wedding Planning
How Nick came up with the flash mob wedding band during their reception for your first dance and what song they played.
“I wanted to do something special for Julie as a surprise gift on our wedding day. I wanted it to be something personal and meaningful. I wanted to be able to put my touch on it and I wanted to do something that everyone would remember.
“What I decided to do was to surprise Julie by having all of our guests perform our first dance. I already had some of my best friends playing music at the reception, so I figured I would just arrange this crazy flash mob performance right there on the patio. I bought 30 recorders (those little plastic wind instruments you played way back in elementary school) and a whole bunch of toy tambourines. I put scotch tape on all of the recorders so everyone would play the right notes.
“I arranged a piece of music that I wrote for Julie entitled, “The loveliest of you”. My friends were going to be the backing band and I got Julie’s brother and sister to play trumpet and clarinet (they hadn’t played since high school). I even had some of her best friends in on it. We had 30 recorders, 20 tambourines, guitar, bass, drums, 2 trumpets, saxophone and a clarinet. 57 instruments.
“On the morning of the wedding I delivered all of the instruments to the venue before the ceremony and hid them under the tables. At a certain point in the reception, we had the photographer take Julie outside to take some “individual portraits”. Once she left, I broke out all of the instruments and explained to our guests what was about to go down. We handed out the recorders and tambourines, rehearsed the song a couple times and away we went. I went outside to find Julie and walked her to the back patio where our entire guest list broke into song. We danced, we laughed and it was everything I had hoped it would be.”
Julie & Nick’s Wedding Party (left to right) Geoff, Nick, Julie, Julie’s Sister & Julie’s Brother
Wedding Party Attire
Nick’s suit designer
“Funny story, so a few weeks before the wedding I went suit shopping. I thought I found a really great suit. Got it tailored, brought it home. But when I tried it on a few days before the wedding I didn’t like the fit of it and freaked out. I guess you could say I had a little “groomzilla” moment there. The next day we went to Macy’s, found an amazing suit right off the rack. Perfect fit, perfect color, not a single stitch of tailoring needed.”
What about softball?
Julie
“I have actually only played one time this season – I was too busy with wedding prep and quite frankly a little worried I would get injured to play in any games before the wedding! I think I’ll make my big comeback next season!”
Nick
“I’ll never stop playing! But Julie hasn’t played an inning since…”
