This wedding. The heart! The tears! The colors! The joy! Like countless classic love stories, Tara and Jeff met while working at a puppetry studio one summer in high school. As fate would have it, they both ended up at Brown University. They fell into different friend groups at college, but then during their junior year they created their first play together, which would be the start for their current theater company, Piehole. A few years into post college life they ‘came out’ to their friends that they were dating. If you’ve ever dated someone in your friend/work group you know this is always a difficult and frightening thing to do because the “what if” of breaking up means a painful division of work and friends. However for these two the scary “what if” never came.
It was such an honor to photograph this wedding. I’ve celebrated Tara and Jeff’s work as part of Piehole for many years, but to come together with their friends and family to celebrate them as a couple was moving. I joined the chorus of guests and wept during their vows. It was brilliant to see them collaborate with so many of their guests to create this beautiful day. There were Persian traditions, Jewish traditions, and contributions for their artistic community throughout the day. The wedding band was made up of friends, Tara and Jeff entered their reception by performing The Cranberries, Dreams, and the final toast included a surprise performance of Bette Midler’s, The Rose (one of Tara’s favorite songs), which was of course arranged by…..a friend. One friend started the song, 3 more friends joined to make a quartet, and for the final two verses more than 30 friends stood up and joined in. Watching Tara and Jeff’s amazement and joy unfold during it will forever be a top wedding moment for me. Tara and Jeff , aka (to quote Tara’s sister) the Jay-Z and Beyoncé of Brooklyn’s experimental theater scene, thank you for being you, and for bringing so much joy to me and so many others. Congratulations!!
Venue: Red Maple Vineyard Dress: Jenny Packham Suit: Heights + Kenchi Flowers: Hops Petunia Makeup: MG Hair and Makeup Invitations: ProFailure Press Invitation Type: Laila Ahmadinejad DJ: Ali Gruber
