Why have just one wedding celebration when you can have two— especially if one of those fetes takes place in the Icelandic countryside? That's exactly what brides Maura McGill of LineUp Digital and Jess Caragliano of Terrorbird Media decided to do for their nuptials. The couple flew to Iceland for a small, intimate ceremony with family and friends, and then returned home to Brooklyn, where they had a second blowout celebration."While we had never been to Iceland, from afar, it seemed like such a magical place," says Caragliano. "The ceremony location remained a complete surprise until the moment we walked hand in hand. It involved walking together up a rocky path and around a bend, passing sheep along the way, and then everything opened up with gorgeous rocks and mountain views."
Two months later, McGill and Caragliano rented out the Music Hall of Williamsburg and — with help from Bethany Pickard of Brooklyn event planning company Modern Kicks— hosted a second celebration that featured DJ sets, tacos, and a badass drag show to close out the night. If there's one wedding we wish we'd been invited to, this might be it.
The Icelandic ceremony was planned by Pink Iceland and took place on the continental divide, overlooking cliffs and waterfalls.
"On the actual ceremony day, we were lucky to have a beautiful, clear day," says McGill. "The ceremony was held outdoors in a breathtaking location in Thingvellir National Park, along the continental divide."
The scenery is almost too good to be true.
"As we approached, we walked through a loose semi-circle of family towards the Nordic chieftain, who would lead the day," says Caragliano. "Perched on the rocks were two Icelandic musicians, Sindri Sigfússon (of the band Sin Fang) and Sóley, who are not only personal favorites, but are also clients at Jess’ company, Terrorbird Media, so it was extra special to have them be part of this. "
And they're back! Next stop: Music Hall of Williamsburg.
"After having a small, private ceremony, we knew we wanted to have a big bash back home in Brooklyn to celebrate our marriage with friends and loved ones," Caragliano says. "Our goal was to throw a super-fun party, or as Maura would call it, 'an extravaganza,' that fully reflected both of our distinct personalities, and to avoid having a traditional sit-down dinner and expected wedding rituals."
Maura and Jess knew each other growing up, but reconnected on Facebook years later.
"We actually went to a small high school together, completely ignoring each other for four years while clinging to our very different high school cliques of slacker punks versus academic jocks, only to randomly reconnect via Facebook over 12 years later," says Caragliano. "We shockingly expressed interest in each other and promptly fell in love."
True colors shining through!
"We both appreciate creativity and art," Caragliano said, "so the space was visually enhanced with video art projected on the stage from Lauryn Siegel, a multimedia producer, director, and artist."
Let the party begin!
"It was important to have a curated lineup of friends and clients to DJ the event, which is why we had our friend Kirk — DJ Lifepartner — kick things off and DJ the cocktail hour, followed by JD Samson — of Le Tigre and MEN — to get everyone dancing, and then closed out with Chrissy — formerly Chrissy Murderbot," says Caragliano.
Little table setups were peppered throughout.
How cool are these wedding favors?
"The ultimate swag was created by our favorite illustrator, L.A.-based artist Paul Windle, who drew a super-cool portrait of our dog, Harpo, that we printed on T-shirts to give to our guests. These personal elements were really special to us."
YAS.
"Since Maura has a long history of love and respect for drag queens, we decided to surprise our guests with an amazing drag show where two of Brooklyn's fiercest queens — Mocha Lite and Misty Meaner — blew everyone’s minds with their dynamic performances, outfit changes, and song selections. "
And that's a wrap. Congrats, ladies!
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