Lynda & Adam

When and how did the two of you meet, and what is most memorable about your first meeting?

LYNDA: Adam and I didn’t meet one another in the traditional sense. I honestly don’t remember our first meeting. It was so many years ago. While it’s not realistic, I feel like I’ve always known him. He was a colleague at work when I used to work at Lincoln Center and then he became a friend and part of my social network. I went on the road touring for a while and when I got back, we reconnected. It felt like home to see him. When you spend a good portion of the year on the road, the concept of home runs deep.

ADAM: Lynda and I initially met years ago working behind the scenes at New York City Ballet but it wasn’t until last spring that we hit it off romantically. The total sum of our years of looking for the “right person”, combined with having known each other for years made for a speedy courtship. But I guess that only happens with the right person.

On your day, what was your first thought when you woke up in the morning?

LYNDA: Breakfast. Experienced brides have all warned that your wedding day is often one where food is scarce, and we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I barely slept the night before. Reality was finally better than my dreams. I lied awake in bed, counting the minutes until breakfast opened. I was a first time starter in a race that was guaranteed to end with a win and it was almost time to step up to the gate.

ADAM: Oh man, I haven’t slept a wink. I need to remember every detail possible about today!

Were you dressed and ready on time?

LYNDA: Oh god no! I had a pretty strict itinerary written, but as the morning went on, I let it slip into our contingency and loosened up my reigns. I wanted to enjoy the day and it already felt like it was moving so fast.

ADAM: I was…

What wedding planning decision was the easiest one to make? What was the most difficult?

LYNDA: Adam and I both knew we wanted a wedding as soon as possible. We also knew we wanted to leave for our honeymoon immediately following the day. We were budding up against wedding season and we wanted to get ahead of that flurry of activity as much as possible. Both being in the entertainment industry, there are few gaps in our schedule that allowed us to take this time off. Those restrictions made picking a date and a venue very easy.
The hard part for me was the ceremony. Being born and raised Catholic, I had dreams of a white church wedding. Our time constraints made it difficult to accomplish this. Adam isn’t Catholic and my church is not easy. We ended up going with a simple ceremony at the venue which ended up being the perfect choice in the end.

ADAM: The easiest decision might have actually been the photographer. Ira was just perfect for us and we knew it from the moment we spoke to him on the phone.
The hardest decision was the guest list. After our guest list growing to north of 350 people, we scrapped it and started over again. Our 60 guest wedding was something dreams are made of. We can actually remember every single person that was at our wedding, being at our wedding. It also gave us the freedom to spend on the things that were most important to us. From food to décor and floral arrangements, we were able to have exactly what we wanted.

Which feature of your wedding was the most unique?

LYNDA: Dan Barber says, “Good food cannot be reduced to single ingredients.” It is the harmony of the bounty that creates the experience. Blue Hill at Stone Barns was that symphony. There was no single note that stood out over the rest. They provided a supportive atmosphere that grounded us into one of the most memorable moments of our lives. To this day, friends and family still talk about the day in whole, not in component parts.

ADAM: Our ceremony. That’s why you get married, isn’t it? The both of us wanted a stand-out moment. One that captivated our audience into fully appreciating our commitment, but also one that inspired love. We took our time designing a ceremony that included and interacted with our carefully selected guests and paid tribute to both love and tradition. We hope everyone left that ceremony feeling the same butterflies towards their loved ones that we still feel today.

What did you base your choice of location on?

LYNDA: Adam and I often feel like we live and work within many realms. As a result, the arts have become our stable outlet. We spend our days creating artificial beauty in the imitation of nature’s perfection. We have found that beauty is often found in the process, transforming something from its original state to its finished product. It’s our way of doing what nature does all on its own, and ultimately how we evolved towards one another. It was hard not to think of our wedding as another gig. We had to dig deep to what really mattered. Sometimes you need to silence the noise so that you can respect its origin. It became very clear that we needed a venue that would collaborate with our principles. Blue Hill at Stone Barns focuses on the process of food by respecting the relationships that contribute to its transformation. The result is flavor that satisfies not just the senses but the spirit. It was perfect. Beauty, nature, and art.

ADAM: FOOD. Even before getting engaged, we knew that stereotypical, mass produced wedding food was off the table. We wanted to give our guests the gift that is the Blue Hill experience, unmistakably farm fresh, delicious food presented by the impeccably well-choreographed staff, in the enchanting environment that is Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

What is the most valuable thing that you have learned from each other?

LYNDA: I was running at a sprinters pace. Work was my life and now it’s just part of my life. Adam has taught me how to slow down and see the scenery as we drive by. It’s not rushing past me like a film reel anymore.

ADAM: It is possible for someone to love me the same way that I love them.

What song did you dance to for your first dance? Why?

LYNDA: Music has the ability to express things we cannot capture in words.
“Love is Here to Stay” was the last song that George Gershwin composed before his death. It was a tribute to his brother. I had first heard it as a young girl while watching “An American in Paris”. Gene Kelly sings it to Leslie Caron along the banks of the Seine. I suppose that cinematic image had been eternally embedded in my memory or my dreams. During a car ride back from Schenectady I played Natalie Cole’s rendition as a possible choice for us. Adam grabbed my hand and the conversation stalled for a few minutes. This was it.
Dancing is a form of communication. It shows the coordination and the rhythm of the couple’s heartbeat. Adam and I seemed to slip into one another’s personal space early on. Looking back on it now, it seems so appropriate that we picked a songbook standard to solidify the moment. It was definitely not an overanalyzed moment at the time. It just felt right. Once in a while right in the middle of an ordinary life, you can find a fairy tale, and Adam is mine. I hope I’ll get to dance along the Seine with him someday to that same song…

ADAM: “Love is here to Stay” by Natalie Cole just grabbed me when she played it in the car. I hope the title expresses what every couple gets to experience. It was the perfect way to elegantly express our unstoppable love towards one another in front of our family and friends.

What was a highlight of your wedding day?

LYNDA: Emotions have a way of influencing our behaviors, but it’s often the expectations of these emotions that have the ability to redirect and drive them in the right direction. When my father and I were standing at the end of the aisle and I saw Adam, I lost my ability to navigate. I was unpredictably overrun with joy. A spontaneous bounty of emotion overflowed from my heart and it showed. I couldn’t stop crying.

ADAM: Vowing my love to Lynda.

What 3 words would you use to describe your day?

LYNDA: Best. Day. Ever.
ADAM: Love, fellowship, delicious.