An Intimate Jewish Wedding at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Diana (she/her) and Thea (she/her) were set on seeing each other for the first time at the aisle. So the morning meant separate getting ready plans, carefully timed arrivals and Diana casually driving herself to Brooklyn Botanic Garden in her wedding dress.
With fewer than ten guests gathered under the chuppah, they began the day with an intimate Jewish ceremony shaped around the traditions that mattered to them. They wrote their own vows, broke the glass together and made space for their friends and family to be part of it all.
From there, the day moved into garden photos, really good food, dancing and a drag show to finish the night. Tiana Michele Photo captured it in the candid, documentary style Diana and Thea loved.
How did your love story begin?
Diana: We met on the queer dating app Lex, which did not show profile pictures, just a short blurb about your interests and what your idea of a perfect day looked like. I remember reading that Thea’s perfect day would be going out dancing, then coming home to pizza and Bob’s Burgers. I thought, okay, dream girl. Then I saw her photo, and somehow it only got better.
When we met in person, I knew there was something special there. After our first date, I invited her to Friendsgiving. She was vegetarian at the time, but by then I already had a turkey brining, so I was determined to make it work.
I even made a playlist to show her I was fun but had a little bit of class. She had to come late because she was working as a hairstylist in the city, and I made everyone wait to eat until she arrived. By the time she got there, everything was completely cold, but I did not care. I had also told all my friends to be on their absolute best behaviour. Then she arrived, and I was completely hooked.
Thea: I had only recently realised I was interested in dating women when I saw Diana’s Lex profile, and something just clicked. Her blurb made her seem fun and whimsical, which, looking back, was a huge understatement in the best possible way.
She also happened to be friends with my best friend from college, which made me feel safe. I still remember her pulling up in her light blue Honda Fit, hanging out of the driver’s side window and waving. Everything after that felt so easy and natural.
Within the first week, she had completely won me over, and by the end of the month, I knew I would marry her one day. I even told people I was happy I would never have to date again. Looking back, I am very grateful I was right.
What was the hardest part of planning the wedding yourselves?
We got a lot of the big decisions out of the way pretty quickly, but about three months before the wedding, all the little logistics started to feel much more complicated.
We did not have a wedding planner, so every detail was planned and executed by us. On the day of the reception, we even set up all the decorations ourselves.
We also had moments where we found a place or idea we loved, got our hearts set on it, then saw the price and had to let it go. Our advice is to reach out to a few options, but remember that you really only need to find the right one. Stay open minded and do not build your whole wedding around one place or detail before you know it is going to work.
What led you to have your ceremony at Brooklyn Botanic Garden?
We wanted to find the prettiest spot we could without spending a fortune. Somehow, probably through TikTok again, we discovered that you could get married at Brooklyn Botanic Garden during their off hours for a much better price than their regular rates.
There were some restrictions around the timing and what we could bring into the gardens, but honestly, it was perfect for what we needed.
We kept the ceremony really small, with fewer than ten guests, and held it before 10am. It was quiet and beautiful, and it gave us this calm little moment before everything else began.
How did you decide what was worth spending money on?
Our biggest advice is to prioritise what actually matters to you.
For us, that was cocktail hour, drinks, little bites and dancing. Assigned seating and a traditional sit down dinner were not really our thing. We knew we wanted a smaller wedding, really good food, an open bar and a fun after party that did not break the bank.
We focused our budget on amazing food, photography, good music, drinks and creating a night that actually felt like us.
We also skipped a traditional wedding cake and served two family dessert recipes instead. It saved us some money, but it also brought something really personal and nostalgic into the celebration.
An Excel spreadsheet was our lifesaver for keeping track of everything. There is always going to be some stress when planning a wedding, so our mindset was to control what we could, focus on what mattered most and let the rest work itself out.
How did you choose your photographer?
We are pretty sure we found Tiana Michele Photo on TikTok. Every time we did more research, we somehow ended up back at her work. It just kept pulling us in.
Once we connected with Tiana, we had zero doubts. We knew she had our backs and understood what we wanted. It honestly felt like we were hanging out with friends, which made such a difference.
We were really drawn to a documentary style, with real and candid moments rather than staged portraits. We wanted the photos to feel natural and honest, like a true snapshot of the day.
Our videographer was Tiana’s brother, Jeremiah Kargbo, who we found through her. That felt like a very lucky bonus. We genuinely cannot imagine having anyone else document the day.
How did you make your Jewish ceremony feel like your own?
Diana: We knew from the beginning that we did not want our wedding to follow heteronormative roles just because something was considered traditional.
There were still traditions that felt really personal and important to us. Thea always knew she wanted her mom to walk her down the aisle, while I knew I wanted both of my parents to walk with me rather than only my dad.
We also had lots of conversations with our rabbi about making the ceremony feel authentic to us. Traditionally, the groom breaks the glass at a Jewish wedding, but we wanted to do it together.
We did not have a traditional wedding party either. Because the ceremony was so small, everyone there became part of it. Friends and family held the chuppah, walked us down the aisle and recited a prayer.
Those little decisions made the whole ceremony feel intimate, inclusive and completely ours.
Talk us through the wedding morning and that first look down the aisle.
Diana: We really wanted a true first look down the aisle, so we committed to not seeing each other beforehand.
The night before, we stayed in separate places. Thea stayed with her mom, which felt really special for her, while I stayed with my best friend, who painted my nails. It was such a sweet and grounding way to start such a big day.
The next morning, we got ready separately and carefully timed our arrivals at Brooklyn Botanic Garden so there was no chance of accidentally seeing each other. I even drove myself there in my wedding dress.
We had two friends acting as our day of coordinators, and friends and family helped set up the chuppah. We each had a song queued so we knew exactly when it was time to walk.
Seeing each other for the first time while walking down the aisle was everything. I also surprised Thea by wearing a dress. We wrote our own vows, broke the glass together and surprised everyone with the Parent Trap handshake.
We got incredibly lucky with the weather too. It was a perfectly warm October day. After the ceremony, we spent time with our family and friends, wandered through the gardens for photos and then headed to The Mermaid Inn for a celebratory late lunch.
What did you eat on the wedding day?
Honestly, not much!
We spent so much time talking to everyone and dancing that we barely ate. We chose passed food instead of a sit down meal, which we loved, but it also meant we were constantly moving.
We definitely managed to eat some very good French fries, but an actual meal? Not so much.
For our guests, though, we put a lot of thought into the food. We wanted things that excited us and that we would genuinely be happy to see at a wedding. The menu at Kabin included whitefish crisps, Kabin fries, a hot dog station, a sweet waffle station, an asparagus bite and a seafood tower.
Our advice is to put aside a plate for yourselves. When one of those rare quiet moments happens, you will be very glad you have something waiting for you.
What made the reception and after party feel like you?
Food is our love language, so working with Alex at Kabin felt really important to us. We wanted everything to feel intentional and like something we would actually choose for ourselves.
We were able to bring so much of ourselves into the space, and Kabin welcomed that. We got to try the menu, customise the drinks and watch everything come together.
Then came the after party at Playhouse, where we watched a drag show.
Everyone understood the assignment. The energy was electric, it was hilarious and fun, and we felt so seen and celebrated. It was exactly the note we wanted to end the night on.
Captured by Tiana Michele Photo
Videography by Jeremiah Kargbo
Celebrant / Officiant Tobi R Innerfield
Ceremony Venue Brooklyn Botanic Garden
DJ DJ King Who
Dress Boutique Frank Darling
Florist X&O Blooms
Venue Kabin
