[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-alison-and-irene\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-alison-and-irene\/","headline":"Real Weddings: Alison and Irene","name":"Real Weddings: Alison and Irene","description":"Twice as Nice After a backyard ceremony in Connecticut, Alison and Irene take Manhattan By Sarah Gleim If you think celebrating your marriage with one...","datePublished":"2011-04-03","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/real-gay-weddings_allison-and-irene.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/real-gay-weddings_allison-and-irene.jpg","height":282,"width":637},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-alison-and-irene\/","about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings"],"wordCount":873,"articleBody":" Twice as Nice  After a backyard ceremony in Connecticut, Alison and Irene take Manhattan  By Sarah GleimIf you think celebrating your marriage with one wedding is joyful, imagine being able to experience the wonders of two ceremonies. Well that\u2019s exactly what New Yorkers Alison Zack and Irene La Grasta got when they decided to tie the knot in the fall of 2010. But the reason these two decided to have two weddings wasn\u2019t all about cakes and flowers. It was because New York State where the women live still doesn\u2019t recognize same-sex marriages as legal, and Zack and La Grasta were determined to have a legal marriage. Luckily for them, cousins in New Caanan, Conn.\u2014where same-sex marriage is legally recognized\u2014offered to have a ceremony at their home for the women, and arranged the entire affair. All Zack and La Grasta had to do was show up. \u201cThey decorated the backyard so beautifully and handled all the arrangements,\u201d La Grasta says. \u201cIt was their wedding gift to us and it was so incredibly sweet.\u201d The ceremony was small and intimate, with only their immediate families present. Everyone shared a dinner after the I dos, and while both women agree it was perfect, they still wanted a New York City wedding to celebrate with their extended family and friends. Vendors: Wedding Venue: Studio 450, New York City Caterer: Real Food Catering WeddingPhotographer: Jesse and Whitney, Our Labor of Love Engagement Photos: Erica Beckman of Clean Plate Pictures Photo Booth: StudioBooth Florist: SPRUCE Hair and Makeup: Michiko Boorberg Buffet Cakes: Billy\u2019s BakeryThat\u2019s where wedding No. 2 came into play, and it was as New York City as you can get. The October 10, 2010, ceremony and reception were both held at Studio 450, an all-white, two-story urban loft in Chelsea. The space\u2019s wraparound, floor-to-ceiling windows provided incredible natural light for the afternoon event, and 360-degree views of the Hudson River, the Empire State Building and all of Manhattan after sunset. The rooftop deck was the stunning backdrop for the ceremony, and in a break from tradition, the women decided to walk down the aisle hand in hand. They made their grand entrance together out of the loft\u2019s freight elevator\u2014Zack wearing a tea-length dress by Melissa Sweet and La Grasta in a custom suit by Mr. Ned in New York City. \u201cWhen we appeared to walk down the aisle, I took a moment, turned and looked at Alison,\u201d La Grasta says. \u201cWords can’t express just how good it felt to walk down the aisle with the girl of my dreams!\u201d They did incorporate several time-honored traditions, however, like a chuppah to honor Zack\u2019s Jewish heritage, and the customary breaking of the glass. \u201cI was very excited about breaking the glass at the end of the ceremony,\u201d La Grasta says. \u201cI smashed it!\u201d The two also had their siblings for their best man and maid of honor, and shared the customary father\/daughter dance. \u201cWe did the father\/daughter dance together, which was the most amazing and surreal experience,\u201d Zack says. {loadposition easysspallisonandirene}Photography by Our Labor of Love But the one thing the women agree really touched them were the words spoken by the cantor who was marrying them. She didn\u2019t shy away from the fact that two women weren\u2019t able to legally marry in New York State, or how thrilled she was when she first learned that she would get to marry a gay couple. \u201cBut then she said after she got to know us, she became excited about marrying Alison and Irene,\u201d La Grasta says. \u201cMost of our guests had never been to a gay wedding before. We got married twice, not just to make it legal, but also because we wanted to get married in the city we call home in front of our friends and family.\u201d And those friends and family had a ball, mostly taking photos in the full-scale StudioBooth photo booth, and sampling one of the six\u2014yes six\u2014cakes on the cake buffet. \u201cThey were one of our favorite parts of our wedding,\u201d says La Grasta. Of course, that doesn\u2019t even include the wedding cake. It was a two-tiered amaretto cake complete with bows designed to look like Zack\u2019s dress. With the entire celebration now such a blur, Zack says she was extremely grateful that they incorporated the Jewish ritual of yichud into their ceremony in which a newly married couple spends a period of time secluded in a room by themselves. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think too much about it beforehand,\u201d Zack says, \u201cbut I\u2019m really grateful that we chose to do it because it was one of the few moments of the weekend that we were actually alone together.\u201d So after a five-year relationship, a two-year engagement, two weddings and a honeymoon to Hawaii, what\u2019s next for these two? Perhaps wedding No. 3? \u201cIts just plain embarrassing that New York doesn\u2019t allow gay marriage,\u201d Zack says. \u201cI always said I would wait and in retrospect that was just stubbornness. The message I want to send is, \u2018you can\u2019t stop us!\u2019 and nothing says that like hauling it to Connecticut to swap vows.\u201d\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Real Weddings: Alison and Irene","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-alison-and-irene\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]