This Designer Wants to Bring Back the Joy of Playing Dress Up
In a world of virtual runways, Jackson Wiederhoeft has made his latest bridal collection “an accessible experience for brides.”
The designer Jackson Wiederhoeft, who recently released his 2022 bridal collection and opened a showroom in Manhattan, wants to help brides experience dressing up again. “We’ve lost the ability to play. I want to bring it back.”Credit.Adraint Bereal for The New York Times
By Alix Strauss
April 15, 2021, 11:02 a.m. ET
The coronavirus disrupted much of the bridal fashion industry, driving down sales and forcing designers to showcase their collections virtually instead of in person. But through it all, Jackson Wiederhoeft kept extra busy and productive.
The Bride and Groom Met at a Wedding
Rachel Goldman and Christopher Ruiz, who grew up within two miles of each other, had never crossed paths until they met in 2016 at a wedding.
Credit.Sun & Sparrow
April 16, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
Cantor Rachel Goldman doesn’t often stay for the reception at the weddings she officiates, to “keep things professional,” as she put it.
But this one, in June 2016 in Los Angeles, was different. Both mothers of the bride and groom had known her deceased grandparents, as did some guests, so she was introduced around as “Sam and Dotty’s granddaughter.” Hearing stories about the people she had loved so much, and missed, compelled her to stay.
The Manager Sent Her a Shot and His Card. Weirdly, It Worked.
Brian Skogen and Jennifer Valdes met more than seven years ago at the restaurant he managed. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
Credit.Ayubi Photography
April 2, 2021
Jennifer Valdes had a feeling someone was watching her while she was at a birthday dinner in October 2013 at Café Martorano, a restaurant in Oakland Park, Fla.
“I glanced over and caught a stranger gazing in my direction,” Ms. Valdes said. “I asked my friend Lauren to verify since it was very dark. She confirmed. Just as we were wrapping up, a server placed a shot and a business card in front of me on the table and said, ‘This is from my manager.’”
She Had a ‘Million’ Questions. He Had One for Her.
Nina Umont and Ondrej Antos, who are rarely at a loss of words with each other, were married in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.
Credit.Gabriel Harber Photography
April 2, 2021
After going on a first date in August 2018 with Ondrej Antos, Nina Umont told a friend that she was going to marry him.
“There are times when you don’t know how to start a conversation with somebody, but this was not one of those times,” said Ms. Umont, 30, a calligrapher and artist whose business, Sandelin Designs, is in the San Francisco Bay Area.
They Got Lost in the Woods, Then Eloped in the Snow
Dr. Anais Ovalle and Emily Black learned a lot about each other when they got lost in the woods on their second date. Three years later, they had a snowy wedding day in Vermont.
Emily Black, left, and Anais Ovalle.Credit.Lexi Foster Photography
By Alix Wall
April 2, 2021
On their second date, Dr. Anais Ovalle and Emily Black got lost hiking at the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, Mass. Snow fell and then it got dark. Even though they lost cellphone service for a while and eventually had to call an Uber to get to their cars, both kept their cool.