Hello dear friends and family!
We can't wait to celebrate our wedding with you over Memorial Day Weekend 2025.
Our vision for the weekend is to bring together our favorite people to create a weekend of connection and memories— celebrating not only our love, but our relationships with all of you as well!
Please explore all the pages on this site to learn everything you need to know about our wedding.
(Make sure to check out the FAQ page!)
Aviva would like to honor her Grandmother Etta Fay (of blessed memory) by writing an overly-thorough and lengthy history of Aviva and JD's love. Aviva would like you to know that it could be even longer, so please enjoy!
Once Upon a Pride Party in Brooklyn...
We had noticed each other a couple times at a mutual friend's parties in 2021/2022 and ended up messaging after one, connecting about growing up with motorcycle dads and sharing cat photos. But per many a modern romance... JD stopped responding to Aviva's Instagram DMs 😅. Six months later, when Pride 2022 rolled around, we somehow popped back into each others' minds and each individually asked our mutual friend if the other would be at her party—and we were! (Unbeknownst to us, our mutuals Nicole and Dana thought we were a good match and were scheming to get us together for a while! Lucky for us, they were right!)
A week later we shared our first kiss at one of Aviva's shows, and the next day had our first one-on-one "date"—to a protest over Roe v. Wade being overturned 🤬. An unfortunate event to bond over, but indicative of our shared values and what initially drew us together: a fervor for social justice, care for community, and a willingness to bear the crowds in Washington Square Park when necessary.
The rest of the summer, JD would meet Aviva and friends at Queer Beach on the weekends, packing snacks for everyone in very J-Daddy fashion (Aviva later found out JD dislikes the beach—and sun in general, and was only doing this to see Aviva more). Aviva started coming over to JD's house more to play with the (at one point) 14 cats and hang out for their building-wide brunches. Interest in each other grew, and Aviva loved learning about JD's work with queer youth in NYC, their passion for fostering, giving nature, and incredible handy-person skills. JD was drawn to Aviva's creativity and drive, ability to think outside the box, and passion for connecting with others. Plus, it turned out we were both equally busy and highly committed to a good costume ✨
Same Page, Different Paragraph...
Our bond deepened quickly, surprising both of us. (Although, JD once told Aviva to be careful because they were, "easy to fall in love with"— but it turned out so was Aviva!). We found ourselves as two sides of the same coin, naturally bringing balance to one another (and yes, sometimes butting heads!). JD helped Aviva slow down and appreciate time at home, as well as the joys of getting to bed before 12am (still only successful half the time). Simultaneously, Aviva encouraged JD to get out more for fun instead of just work, and to expand their dietary comfort zone.
Over the following months, we met each others' families and started traveling together, to both new and old favorites—Montreal, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, California, and lots of cabin weekends away with friends. Aviva adopted one of JD's fosters (Nyxi), adding to the Black Cat Kingdom on Marion St. that Aviva moved into the next year, with roommate Michael in tow of course!
To Saturn and Back
Our lives intertwined and expanded, bringing our shared home to life, (designed by Aviva, mostly executed by JD). We supported each others' successes (Aviva's performances and projects, JD's graduations and grants), held each other through global tragedy, and continued to dream about our future. Even when that future seemed scary and the world dark, together, we felt we could face it.
2023 and 2024 brought many international adventures to celebrate loved ones in Turkey, Portugal, Mexico, Japan, (and can't forget Novi, Michigan!)—each wedding having us wonder, what if...?
~
Interlude
While all of these experiences were incredible, one special moment stood out in Portugal, when Aviva and JD visited the Dark Sky Preserve and clearly saw Saturn through a telescope together. It was an other-worldly experience, and sparked our love-saying, "To Saturn & Back" (relevant for later 😉).
~
The concept of marriage itself was less important to us than the idea of building a lasting life together, including hopefully children one day. Because of anti-LGBTQ laws and sentiments continuing to brew across the country, we agreed getting legally married would offer us the most protections. So before either of us officially proposed, we decided we would get married (so romantic!). And if we were going to get legally married... we might as well throw a grand party for our friends and family, right?? (Plus Aviva was excited to share Jewish wedding rituals with JD and our friends.) And to continue our out-of-order approach, we found our dream venue the next month.
Finally, right after New Years, surrounded by dear friends, JD beat Aviva to the punch and proposed to her at a magical waterfall—Cascada Las Delicias, in her beloved Puerto Rico. JD had even plotted to bring Aviva's best friend Abby to the Island for the surprise. JD rambled adorably and used the word "adventure" about 10 times—and of course, Aviva said yes!
Then, a few months later, Aviva's secret plan for JD came to fruition—she proposed back to them in front of a custom mural at The Deep End! With the help of Lorena to find the right wall, she had commissioned artist David Puck to illustrate their cosmic love, making our mark on NYC with "To Saturn & Back" (at least until someone tags over it). Aviva wanted to honor JD's love of street art, something we share, and create a concept that would truly surprise JD (historically hard to do). And it worked!
Not taking any chances 🏳️🌈
Now with both of us officially engaged, we had one last thing to secure before our Jewish wedding—our federal rights! With the looming chance of a second trump presidency 🤮 👎, and the very real possibility of a challenge to marriage equality from the supreme court, we wanted to get legally married before the election.
So on October 25, 2024, we made it legal at Brooklyn City Hall, complete with a shared dollar slice, the chaos of a busy NYC afternoon, and JD returning to work immediately after for a 1pm meeting.
And that's it for now! Thank you for coming along on this "adventure" (as JD would put it) and we can't wait to celebrate with you soon! If you've made it all the way through, come tell us at the wedding and we'll give you a smooch 😘