Valerie Says " Yes"
Nathan and Valerie planned their annual trip to California for April 2014. Nathan rented a cute little apartment on Airbnb, which was across the street from Crescent Bay beach. On Saturday night (April 5, 2014), Nathan asked Valerie to go down to the beach to watch the sunset. They were sitting on the sand when, to Valerie's surprise, music started playing behind them. She turned around to see all of Nathan's best friends! Dave and Mike (of the Lucky Lonely) were playing the couple's favorite song, "3 Rounds and a Sound," while Warren, Bri and Georgette snapped photos. Everyone listened to the song, and then Nathan got down on one knee and asked for Val to marry him. She said, "Yes!" and then everyone celebrated with champagne. It was a truly unforgettable evening!
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Nathan, who had held on to the ring for 7 months prior to his proposal, had planned everything out with Warren in advance using Google maps and hand-drawn directions. He had even asked artist Blair Urban to paint a special illustration for Valerie, which was another little surprise of the night. Everything went as planned, but the planning didn't stop there...
A Typical Sunday in Brooklyn
Wedding Venue
On May 30, 2015, Nathan and Valerie will exchange vows
in Long Island City, New York at 6pm.
Penthouse 808 at the Ravel Hotel
8-08 Queens Plaza S, Long Island City, NY(718) 289-6118
Wedding Accommodations
Wedding Party
Emily Sinsheimer
Valerie met Emily in 2010 while working at NetX, a Performance Marketing Agency. She had just moved to NYC from her hometown Atlanta, Georgia, and since then they haven't spent more than 2 weeks apart. They took art classes together where they made their own snow globes, attended countless concerts (Valerie June, Houndmouth, The National, St. Vincent + more!), and shared many dinners, drinks, and stories (usually in Williamsburg). Emily currently works at Criteo, an online advertising platform, and lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. She loves music, concerts, corgis, traveling, and living in New York.
Andra Passen
Valerie and Andra have known each other since jr. high school, when they attended an acting program called "Kids on Stage." They had roles in plays such as "Around the World in 80 Days," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and "Alice in Wonderland." They went their separate ways in college (Andra went to SUNY New Paltz, while Val went to Penn State) and reconnected when Andra moved to Williamsburg in 2011. Since then, they've remained close, rooting for the Yankees together, going on double dates and enjoying many vegan meals (Paulie Gees rocks!). Andra currently works at Initiative, a marketing agency, and lives in Astoria, Queens. She writes her own comics, loves pizza, and has an outfit for every occasion.
Lauren Suss
Lauren has been a big part of Valerie's life since middle school at Petrides. When they were kids, they collaborated on many school projects (producing their own commercial and creating stained glass art pieces) and Valerie was always over Lauren's house, swimming and/or playing with her dog, "Daffodil" (Daphne). They graduated high school in the same class, and stayed in touch throughout college, seeing each other almost every school break. Lauren attended law school at Fordham after college, and now works as an in-house attorney at OHL, a construction & development group. Lauren is a certified yoga instructor, has met half of the cast of GIRLS, and loves her dog Frasier.
Ella Rizzo
Lola Rizzo
Leanna Levatino
Michael Bedard
Mike and Nathan first connected when they were both invited to attend a jam session involving mutual friends. That session eventually led to the two of them joining the band Moral Groove and performing numerous shows around Southern California. Mike eventually moved to Costa Mesa and for a time, the two would link up first thing in the morning to discuss life, love and legacy while buzzing on ridiculous amounts of caffeine and creative energy. They became roommates for many years, hosting two raging new years parties and numerous summer BBQs. It's difficult to sum up the wealth of activities these two have experienced together. Mike still lives in Costa Mesa, where he smashes the drums and writes killer songs with his band, The Lucky Lonely.
Luke Freiler
Luke and Nathan have been friends since elementary school, where they first teamed up to teach the art of Origami to a group of their peers. They met when Luke's family moved into the house Nathan's family was moving out of at the time. Nathan's family moved less than a block away and the two quickly became inseparable. They lost contact during high school, but eventually reconnected in Orange County where they routinely geeked out on audio software, video games and the Internet. Right around that time, Luke conceived a brilliant idea which led to Nathan and a few others dedicating numerous years to building an awesome beta testing company, Centercode. Luke still runs Centercode and lives in Mission Viejo with his wife Betsy and two kids, Zoe and Kalix.
Warren Ellison
Nathan was fortunate to be one of the first individuals Warren encountered arriving in Laguna Beach all the way from South Africa. They met at a jam session, as Warren was attempting to re-establish a band that fragmented shortly after the move. The two have a truly complimentary combination of talents and interests...music, t-shirts and healthy eats to name a few. One of their collaborations evolved into the California Couture t-shirt brand, Pretense. Warren lives in Laguna Beach with his wife Bri and runs a design agency called Studio Misfits. Nathan and Valerie always seem to end up on crashing on their couch when visiting California.
Dominick Rizzo
Andrew Rizzo
Nathan Levatino
Registry
A Walter Fox Production