NYE in NYC
Sometimes things just fall into place.
Weddings, though, do not usually fall into place. Historically and to my knowledge, weddings require planning and attention to detail, with months of work and meetings with vendors all culminating in one day of perfectly calculated events.
I would like to formally announce, readers of Another Newsletter?, that I got married on Dec. 31, and I did not experience that at all. It really just fell into place.
You see, my fiancé of two weeks, John, received a call at work. Small talk turned into an introduction to a family friend, who offered us a highly improbable opportunity that would never cross our desks again. There was simply no choice but to say yes.
That was Monday, Dec. 22. By Tuesday, Dec. 30, we were on a plane to New York City with no marriage license, wedding dress or wedding bands. That day, we visited Babylon, N.Y., for a wedding license by walk-in as there were no open appointments in the entirety of New York City. From Babylon we took an Uber to the city where we split up – John went to Macy’s for wedding bands and I went to a bridal shop to pick out a dress.
Other than these details, everything else for our wedding day was entrusted to our immediate family or that new family friend, Sandi, who feels like family now, too.
The unlikely opportunity was presented: Sandi’s company (Jamestown LP) owns One Times Square (OTS), the building which is topped by the Times Square Ball. OTS sat empty for years but has undergone a transformation and is now open for several visitor experiences including a wedding venue. In need of an announcement for Jonathan Bennett’s New Year’s Eve livestream, Sandi was charged with finding a couple to be the first to ever get married there, on New Year’s Eve.
In my time to reflect, I have realized how many things had to go right to make this work. First of all, we needed to be engaged already. Next, we needed to be connected to Sandi through that one-off phone call. We also needed to be open to this format of a wedding and willing to decide quickly. Luckily, I hadn’t made my mind up at all about what we should do.
Lastly, we needed the approval and support of our close family in order to get the go-ahead. Without the perfect mix of these, there is no way I would be writing this already married.
I could tell you, reader, about the whirlwind days over Christmas as John and I shared our plans (basically elopement) with our family. I could also write endlessly about the day-of: seeing the newest New Years Eve Ball up close that morning, finishing writing my vows as I got my hair done, or the pinnacle moment of walking down the aisle with my dad to begin the next chapter of life with John.
Although I could write more about all this, I think it would be better to show you. In the next few days, I’ll share the New Year’s Eve wedding through my lens in two episodes of “Explorin’ with Lauren,” documenting the lead up and the wedding day itself.
What those videos don’t show though is the nervous part about saying yes to the wedding that was nothing I had ever expected. Would it feel too impersonal to have a wedding planned by strangers? Would our family be able to make the trip with us, and would they approve? Everyone tells the bride, “It’s your day,” but doesn’t it seem selfish to make decisions like they mean it?
If you’re a people-pleaser like me, questions like these are standard. Luckily, I chose a partner who gets to the point and balances me out.
It came down to the thought that, if we said “no” to this opportunity, we’d let go of all the possibility of what could be. Now that I know all it turned into, there’s no question that saying “yes” despite the nerves was a no-brainer.
There are actually many things in life that come down to the same reasoning. Where to live, what hobbies to invest in, or what job to pursue – these are valid questions that determine the contents of our lives. They are enormous decisions if we let them be, but there is a good chance many of them can be settled by not limiting yourself with “no.”
The videos also don’t adequately show how much work went into the wedding by people I had never met. The Jamestown team covered the details I hadn’t even thought to miss, like getting us a cake, decorating with my favorite flowers and sending us home with one of the Waterford Crystals from the Constellation Ball.
Even though this opportunity was corporate, the outcome was nothing short of extraordinary kindness and humanity. It couldn’t have felt more personal.
I now enter 2026 as the new spokeswoman for saying “yes.” I’m lucky to be surrounded by family who are also filled with the spirit of adventure, and I don’t take for granted that it’s not for everyone. For John and I, it’s a great mantra as we begin married life.
Even on a large scale, it turns out things really can fall into place much better than we could ever dream, and experiencing the unreasonable generosity of strangers has left us eager to extend those blessings to others.
-Lauren
