My dear friend Jill and her fiancé Tommy were scheduled to have the most beautiful NYC Central Park wedding in May, until COVID-19 hit. My BFF Sam is one of her Maids of Honor (she has three!), so I’ve been up to date on all of her fun planning and events from the beginning. Once May approached, instead of finalizing the details for their wedding, they instead were going through the stresses and options of how they could still have a wedding. So, when they decided to get married on their original date at Jill’s parents house instead, I couldn’t wait to hear all about it. Needless to say, their backyard wedding was stunning, intimate, and a day they’ll always remember.
Bride: Jillian Faxon
Groom: Thomas Silk
Wedding Date:
May 29, 2020
Wedding Venue:
Jill’s parents backyard in Old Chatham, NY
How did you and your partner meet? Tell me your story:
Both of our brothers attended Siena College and are very close friends and were roommates their senior year of college. We both attended their family weekend in the fall of 2014 (I didn’t want to go but was talked into it by my brother Nick).
We met very early on in the party and basically just talked the entire night and were inseparable. We exchanged phone numbers there and we quickly texted each other to make plans to see eachother again very soon. I went down to NYC a few weeks later to visit him and the rest is history! Our families are very close, I love his family and he loves mine. We all compliment each other so well.
What were your original wedding plans pre-pandemic?
Our original plans were to get married on May 29th 2020 at the Central Park Boathouse in NYC with about 200 people. As soon as March came around, we knew that was not going to happen. We both went through the 10 stages of grieving and decided to postpone. We had a very fun rehearsal dinner planned at a restaurant downtown and a welcome drink party planned. Our wedding was going to be on Friday night and we had an after party planned near the hotel. We were planning to party all night! Saturday we had brunch planned and a tour and tasting planned at the Bronx Brewery. Saturday night we were planning to bring about 30 people to a Mets Game. It was going to be an amazing weekend and we hope to actually see this plan through eventually!
How do you choose to move forward with getting married vs. rescheduling to a later date?
As of right now our wedding is postponed until 8/27/20. It is looking right now, especially in NYC, that this is not going to happen; so we will likely have to postpone a second time. Now that we are officially married I am much less stressed about having to postpone again!
(New update (things move fast!): Jill and Tommy have officially postponed their NYC wedding to May 2021!)
Tell me a little bit about the experience you had on your wedding day!
We honestly had the PERFECT day, and I think everyone should have a mini-wedding! I was so stressed about not having enough time with our parents on our actual wedding and this was the perfect way to spend all weekend with them. We just wanted something very simple and relaxed and outside so people did not have to worry about being constrained due to COVID19 concerns.
My parents have a lot of open land so this seemed like a no brainer! My brother in law Michael is always one for the creative and suggested RV’s for his parents and him and his sister; so that is what we did! SO MUCH FUN!
We knew we wanted flowers, good food, and our pups there. Chatham Flowers went above and beyond with the flowers. My moms friend brought his food truck over (El Carro del Taco) which was perfect and we got a small cake/cannolis from Bella Napoli Bakery which was just the right amount for the 15 people we had. And of course, our pups were running around all day and having the time of their lives.
Something else that was very important to us was that we Zoom the wedding so that our family and friends that could not come due to our 15 person limit could still see us get married (which ended up being a HUGE hit – we had a ton of people watch!)
What wedding vendors did you use? Anything special to tell me about them?
Decor – My mom !! (and me)
Flowers – Chatham Flowers
Hair – Chelsea Reed
Cake – BellaNapoli
Dinner – El Carro Del Taco
Cheese Plates – Sue Madsen
Photos: Annie Silk (Tommy’s Sister)
Are there one or two specific details you want to highlight?
Tommy’s parents collaborated with a family friend to create a video with our entire family and bridal party. Each of them recorded a short video wishing us well and the video was played during the “toasts” portion of the night. The video was about 40 minutes long because people had so many beautiful things to say. This was THE BEST wedding present we could have ever received. We cried our eyes out and also laughed our butts off.
Also, my mom actually created the arch that we got married under from old wood in our basement! She went above and beyond with the decorations! I had so many ideas and she just rolled with the punches.
Any advice to future couples about the whole “getting married” thing?
If 2020 has taught me anything, there is no such thing as a “perfect” wedding anymore. Love, family, and friends are the most important things. Allow your family and friends to support you; do not force all the pressure on your shoulders or you will never make it!
Michella Hand 