With Junior Prom around the corner, a friend setup Kyla on a blind date with a boy she knew from another high school nearby. “Kyla and I were paired because we both played squash,” Andrew explains. “She had the most genuine, big smile I had ever seen.” Needless to say, the prom turned out to be a success for both young Kyla and Andrew – and just a few months later, Andrew asked Kyla to be his girlfriend on the Metro North Railroad. “A classic Rye & New Canaan love story,” says Kyla, “and we’ve been together ever since.”
Honestly, I was floating the entire day.
Kyla
What was the easiest wedding planning decision you made?
Kyla: The easiest decision was inviting our entire extended families to our rehearsal dinner. We are both very close with our families and couldn’t have imagined the night without them! There were some amazing speeches, a lot of rowdy chanting, and the night really set the tone for the rest of our wedding weekend.
Andrew: Family is so important to both of us and we loved having them all there to celebrate with us.
What was the most difficult?
Kyla: We poured our heart and soul into our playlists for our reception and after-party. Did we spend many months on Spotify and have multiple tiers for each playlist? Yes. Do we regret it? Absolutely not. Our dance floor was fire all night long. Music is really important to us and we went the extra mile to make sure the vibe was perfect.
Andrew: The guest list. I think we are both very inclusive people so trying to decide who to and who not to invite was sometimes super tough, especially with our big families.
What was on your wedding day wish list?
Kyla: Top of our wish list was to have an amazing time with our families and closest friends! Luckily, we had a team of amazing people helping us to do just that- our wedding day was absolutely magical.
Andrew: A triple jitterbug dance with my mom that we have talked about for 15 years.
What aspects of wedding planning did you most enjoy?
Kyla: Wedding planning is really fun, but can be stressful too. A great way to relieve stress is to sweat it out with friends and bridesmaids. I had so much fun giving myself an excuse to try all different classes at SoulAnnex and SoulCycle!
Andrew: Picking the playlists. The wedding tasting was also amazing.
What are the most valuable things you’ve learned from each other?
Kyla:Andrew really encourages me to live in the moment and not to stress about things that I have no control over. He’s a keeper.
Andrew: Have fun!
I feel like I lived a whole lifetime in one day.
Kyla
What was the best planning advice you received?
Kyla: My parents suggested that at our wedding we take a step away from all of the logistics and just make sure we have an absolutely incredible time. This was great advice because it made the event even more fun for all of our guests. They saw how much fun we were having and the positive energy was infectious throughout the whole day and night.
What is the best relationship advice you’ve ever received?
Andrew: Never go to bed angry. Kiss Kyla goodnight and say I love you, every night – even if she is sleeping.
Are there specific moments from your day that stand out the most in your memory?
Kyla: Oh my goodness, so many moments. I feel like I lived a whole lifetime in one day. A favorite was dancing around my Grandma who had all of her children and grandchildren in one room for the first time ever. That was awesome. My dad and sister’s speech, Andrew’s dance with his Mom… I have so many amazing memories from that night!
Andrew: Our entrance into the first dance. There was so much energy excitement and love.
Did anything surprise you?
Kyla: Honestly, I was floating the entire day. I guess you could say I was really surprised by how smoothly everything went. It is such an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so many people you love. Both of us were living on cloud nine.
Andrew: Kyla started laughing when walking down the aisle with her Dad. She set the tone for how fun the night was going to be.
Would you do anything differently?
Kyla: Slowed down time. It was a whirlwind! There were so many people there, I wish I could have paused and really spent time with every single person – but sometimes you just have to let it go and tear up the dance floor.
Andrew: No way, that was by far the best night of my life.
There was so much energy, excitement and love.
Andrew
That was by far the best night of my life.
Andrew
Credits
- Photographer Joanna Toto
- Second Photographer Lauren Larsen
- Coordination Rachel Urban from Loli Events
- Venue, Reception Westchester Country Club
- Venue, Ceremony Sacred Heart Greenwich
- Design Carolyn Gregg
- Dress, Ceremony She Will be Loved (Kelima K.)
- Dress, Reception BHLDN
- Cake Cornerstone Catering
- Catering Westchester Country Club
- Hair & Makeup Stacey Palladino-Sakellariou from Beauty Bar
- Music, Ceremony Brian Paul Thomas
- Music, Reception Jeff Lubin Band
- Stationery Katy Culver