Tara Donovan and Robbie Crawford
September 1, 2007, at Freemans, end of Freeman Alley near Rivington Street
“We planned our wedding in a weekend, and it all took place on one block. Nothing about it felt packaged or rehearsed. We were married at the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden on Rivington Street (there was some begging involved—and a $500 donation). We crammed 130 people in there, and my best friend officiated. At the ceremony, our family put on this beautiful puppet show for us: a fairy tale narrating how we met. After that, our band led everyone toward Freemans where the reception took place. In this picture, our friends are cheering and throwing flowers—mums because they’re small and look like confetti—as we walk down Freeman Alley. The restaurant closed to the public that night; it was a Saturday, but we didn’t have to call too far in advance to get it. Around $50,000 included everything. My friend baked the cake, I made the cake topper, and we did a buffet instead of assigned seating. The reception carried on until midnight, and then an artist friend let us use his studio down the block for the after-party. We drank and danced (our friend D.J.’ed), and partied until the cops showed up at 4 a.m.”
As told to Denise Penny