Ellie and Tara hold each other close on the subway platform while a train blurs past behind them

An Upper West Side Community Garden Wedding With a Karaoke After-Party

llie (she/her) and Tara (she/her) planned their Upper West Side wedding to feel like a backyard party in the biggest city in the country. It all started with a Hinge match in Washington, D.C., a Bad Bunny shirt Tara simply had to ask about, and dinner that same night.

They said their vows privately at ArtHouse Hotel, wandered through Central Park, and married in the tucked-away West 87th Street Community Garden. Then they moved through the neighborhood with their people: ice cream from Sugar Hill Creamery, Italian food stations at Felice, and a karaoke after-party at RPM Underground. It’s one of those stories that proves you don’t need a ballroom to throw a party.

The lovers, one in a white satin gown and one in a black halter gown, hold hands and smile as they walk a path through Central Park on their way to their Upper West Side wedding
Close-up of a hand holding a bouquet of orange roses and deep pink calla lilies against a white satin gown
Ellie and Tara cross a busy Upper West Side street together as a yellow taxi passes and a long veil blows in the wind
An instant film photo of a bouquet of orange roses held beside a satin gown on a set of brownstone steps
Close-up of a pink ballet flat peeking out from under the buttoned train of a white satin wedding gown
A floral welcome sign hangs from the iron railing above a planter of pink flowers at the entrance to the West 87th Street Community Garden
Tara, wearing a veil and holding her bouquet, walks down the aisle in the garden arm in arm with her brother and her mom, who wipes away a tear
Ellie and Tara share a kiss surrounded by ivy and greenery in the West 87th Street Community Garden, with a long veil trailing along the paving
A Sugar Hill Creamery server scoops ice cream into a cup beside a sign listing the flavors at the garden cocktail hour

A Bad Bunny shirt, a first date and a double proposal

Tara couldn’t understand why this white girl was wearing a Bad Bunny shirt (before he blew up) and knew she needed to learn more. Ellie wasted no time and asked Tara out to dinner that same day. Ellie peppered questions at Tara throughout the date, nervous she was talking way too much, but Tara loved every second of it. The most important commonality? Our love of reality TV, especially Jersey Shore.

Tara told Ellie she loved her for the first time after seeing her perform at a karaoke bar, lighting up the space in a way Tara had never seen before. We were engaged six months after moving to NYC together, Ellie proposing first and Tara proposing immediately after in the same night.

How did you find a ceremony spot when Central Park fell through?

Initially, we wanted to have our wedding by The Pool in Central Park but learned that the space was not available, so we had to quickly pivot. We went searching for other small community spaces in our neighborhood and found the West 87th Street Community Garden. It was a little tucked-away haven in the middle of the busy Upper West Side.

For the reception, we knew we didn’t want a formal sit-down dinner. Once we saw the lounge area of Felice, we immediately envisioned our family and friends being able to float around, eating dinner and having drinks in a cozy, intimate space.

A small wedding with room to breathe

Ellie tended to get pretty overstimulated at weddings in the past, so we wanted to build in time for us to take breaks. Moving from the ceremony to the reception to the after-party allowed us to take some time for ourselves or with smaller groups and get some fresh air throughout the night.

Thinking about what mattered to us allowed us to pare down the number of vendors we needed. Having the after-party at karaoke meant we didn’t need a DJ. Having our ceremony in a community garden meant we didn’t need a florist. Ellie (with the help of her sister) made Tara’s bouquet, which is akin to Ellie making Tara arrangements from Trader Joe’s flowers throughout the relationship.

Our day-of coordinator, Cassie, helped direct all of our guests between the different locations and was always available when we needed her.

How did you find a queer photographer who wouldn’t make you pose?

We knew we wanted to work with a queer photographer with experience in a more candid approach to wedding photos. Mae from Mae Krell Photo was immediately reassuring that she would capture the day without making us pose. She thoughtfully asked us how we tended to show love day to day in public (hugging vs. kissing vs. holding hands) so she could make sure we weren’t photographed in ways that didn’t feel true to us.

One of the lovers gently wipes the other's face as they stand close together on a sunny Upper West Side sidewalk
Ellie and Tara, one in a white gown and veil and one in a black gown, walk down the stairs into the 86th Street subway station
Two hands wearing wedding rings rest side by side on a colorful mosaic tile wall in the subway
Ellie and Tara kiss on the subway platform as a train rushes past and a veil lifts in the breeze
Ellie and Tara hold each other close on the subway platform while a train blurs past behind them
The lovers sit on a wooden bench beneath the 72nd Street subway sign, one reaching up to adjust the other's necklace
Close-up of two clasped hands beside a yellow subway floor marking and the folds of a white satin gown

A camp flower boy, Carly Rae Jepsen and “Butterflies”

Ellie chose to walk out first because she wanted to watch our flower boy in action and be able to watch me (Tara) come down the aisle. Our dear friend served as flower boy, handing out individual long-stem pink roses to guests (very camp). Our officiant, another dear friend who is also gay, worked the names of several Carly Rae Jepsen albums into our ceremony.

I (Tara) walked down with my brother and my mom to “Butterflies” by Kacey Musgraves, a song Ellie often sang to me while we were dating. Dwayne played it on the violin with a guitarist, and the two of them sounded like a full band. After our “I dos,” we walked back down the aisle to “Ojitos Lindos” by Bad Bunny.

Ice cream instead of cocktails

We didn’t feel strongly about cake but both feel very strongly about ice cream, and Sugar Hill has long been Tara’s favorite in the city. Them showing up to scoop (with vegan and dairy-free options) out of their special tricycle allowed us to have a cocktail hour that truly felt like us, since neither of us drink.

Dinner at Felice was Italian “girl dinner”: lots of stations, so vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free and dairy-free guests and guests with nut allergies could all indulge.

A guest in a sparkly purple outfit has a bracelet fastened at the reception
Ellie and Tara laugh together on a lounge seat at Felice beside a guest, in front of an exposed brick wall
Two pink drinks with cherries sit on a wooden table beside a stack of napkins printed with Felice
One of the lovers signs the marriage license at a counter while the other and two guests in suits look on and smile
An instant film photo of the lovers laughing on a dark staircase, one in a short white ruffled dress and one in a sparkly black gown
Ellie and Tara hold hands and laugh as they cross an Upper West Side street at night in their second looks
A pink cocktail in a coupe glass sits on a wooden table beside a woven brown bag and a pink handbag with a green scarf
Tara and Ellie dance together at their karaoke after-party at RPM Underground as guests watch

How did you find a queer photographer who wouldn’t make you pose?

We knew we wanted to work with a queer photographer who had experience with a more candid approach to wedding photos. We knew we wanted very few posed photos and wanted someone who would feel comfortable capturing the day as they saw it happening live.

Mae from Mae Krell Photo was immediately reassuring that she would capture the day without making us pose. She thoughtfully asked us how we tended to show love day to day in public (i.e. hugging vs. kissing vs. holding hands) so she could make sure we weren’t photographing in ways that didn’t feel true to us. The experience was amazing, and I’d highly, highly recommend working with Mae.

What’s a karaoke after-party like instead of a DJ?

We rented out three connecting private rooms at RPM Underground so our guests could decide the playlists and perform. Instead of a typical first dance, we kicked things off with “Baile Inolvidable” by Bad Bunny and danced salsa during the interludes. Ellie’s brother performed many an Elton John song, and we ended the night with a slow dance to “Your Song.” One beloved guest performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” in every single one of the three rooms. #encore

After the last song was sung, we jumped in a yellow cab and were back in our own apartment within 15 minutes. We took one last selfie with our two cats and went to bed!

Captured by Mae Krell Photo

After-Party Venue RPM Underground
Attire Jenny Yoo & Badgley Mischka
Ceremony Venue West 87th Street Community Garden
Coordinator Mostest
Dessert Sugar Hill Creamery
Musicians Jaguar Strings
Reception Venue Felice Columbus

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