Joyce Englander & Ariel Levy
The New York Public Library
September 29, 2012
On New Year’s Eve 2008, Joyce Englander and Ariel Levy, both 31, repeatedly noticed each other from afar at an after-party for a My Morning Jacket concert. “We were dancing together from across the room and then slowly started moving toward each other,” says Joyce, a yoga instructor. They dated for two and a half years before Ariel, a real-estate developer, popped the question on a Montauk beach. “It ended up raining really hard, so the beach went from being jam-packed to just us under our umbrella,” Ariel says. They married at the main branch of the New York Public Library, a landmark building that symbolizes “wisdom and strength,” says Ariel. The pair scheduled their wedding festivities to coincide with a full moon; their song, naturally, was “Moondance” by Van Morrison. “Throughout history, full moons have been a time of festivity,” says Ariel. “Plus,” adds Joyce, “the extra light at night was beautiful and so sexy.”
The Details
Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Suit: Freemans Sporting Club
Rings: Little King Jewelry
Catering and event design: Lawrence Scott Events
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Photographs by Shawn Connell/Christian Oth Studio
“We love the fact that we’ll always be able to go back inside the library. It will always be there.” Photo: Shawn Connell/Christian Oth Studio
“Having access to that building at night felt like we were being let in on some secret. It was so romantic.” Photo: Shawn Connell/Christian Oth Studio
