On July 2, one week after Esmy Valdez and Daniel Jean’s Brooklyn wedding, Mr. Jean told his wife to change into another white dress before heading to the Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway L train stop.
With the help of his friends, Mr. Jean, 40, a comedian, had decked out one of the subway cars with a folding table, streamers, balloons and sunflowers — Ms. Valdez’s favorite.
While on board the train, the couple enjoyed a low-cost public wedding reception complete with a five-tier wedding cake, musical instruments, catered dishes, an emcee and an assortment of enthusiastic friends and strangers.
“We even did the bouquet toss and people were involved in it,” said Ms. Valdez, 39, who works in social media marketing and credit consulting. She noted that two commuters who were not invited guests ended up calling off work to continue celebrating with them. “People were just really, really happy,” she said.
While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority does not explicitly prohibit weddings or wedding receptions on the train, celebrants should be mindful that the organization does prohibit large gatherings that obstruct the flow of traffic or interfere with the safe operation of the subway.
Some wedding experts say that the subway’s raw energy — a far cry from the polished presentation of traditional venues — taps into an increasing desire among couples to incorporate spontaneity, community and authenticity into their wedding day.
“Today’s couples aren’t afraid, and oftentimes feel empowered, to break the mold rather than conforming to conventional norms and traditions,” said Tracy Taylor Ward, the owner of the event planning company Tracy Taylor Ward Design in New York. “In their weddings, this translates to a creative blend of traditions and unexpected details, as they want their special day to reflect who they are, both as individuals and as a couple.”
Though Ms. Valdez and Mr. Jean’s unusual celebration has received a lot of media attention, they are not the first couple to choose the gritty, chaotic appeal of the subway system for their wedding. Others have chosen to exchange vows while traversing boroughs, convert train carriages into dance floors and pose for professional photos inside subway stations as part of their wedding festivities.
“We Decided to Stay Until the End of the Line”
Before WeiWei Dong, 42, a freelance creative director, and Matthew Carey, 43, a creative lead at Google, decided to legally wed on the subway on March 24, 2012, they were looking for a unique experience.
Initially, a courthouse ceremony seemed like the most practical solution for the pair, who wanted to host larger, out-of-town gatherings down the line (Ms. Dong’s family is based in Shanghai, and Mr. Carey hails from Texas). Months before their wedding, Ms. Dong and Mr. Carey chatted about wedding logistics over beers at d.b.a., a pub in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan where they lived. While conversing with Sacha Jones, a life cycle celebrant working behind the bar, the pair realized that, with her help, they could legally wed anywhere.
Ms. Jones, who is based in New York, is the founder of Sacha Jones Ceremonies and a nondenominational minister director ordained by the Universal Brotherhood Movement. She first encouraged the couple, who now live in Brooklyn, to consider spots such as Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.
When the idea of having their wedding on the train came up, Ms. Jones was receptive but encouraged the couple to evaluate why it would be meaningful. Ms. Dong and Mr. Carey completed exercises in which they reflected on their relationship and how it related to New York City and the subway before choosing to focus on the metaphor that life is like a train ride.
“People hop on and off,” Ms. Dong said. “But we decided to stay until the end of the line.”
On the day of their nuptials, Ms. Dong, Mr. Carey and 15 guests toting noisemakers, horns and instruments boarded the F train at the Second Avenue station near the couple’s apartment. As the train passed the Church Avenue stop in Brooklyn, Ms. Jones officially pronounced the couple husband and wife. The group rode the train until they reached its final destination, Coney Island, where they celebrated with champagne on the boardwalk.
“We Broke Into Song and Dance Right in the Middle of the Subway”
For Sergey Nagorny, 38, and Marina Nagorny, 39, riding the subway dressed in wedding attire was a logistical decision that resulted in an impromptu celebration. After hosting their wedding ceremony at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade on Aug. 8, 2018, the couple, who now live in Cumming, Ga., and their guests were scheduled to attend a reception at a restaurant in Central Harlem.
Knowing that midweek traffic could be unpredictable, taking the subway directly uptown was the most inexpensive and efficient option for a majority of the 42 wedding attendees.
Mr. Nagorny, an actor and Russian/Ukrainian interpreter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, had invited many artistic friends to celebrate, including one who came equipped with — and started to play — a guitar.
“We broke into song and dance right in the middle of the subway,” Mr. Nagorny said, adding that even some unaffiliated passengers began to join in. “They gave us the middle of the car, just like you give to the subway performers.”
About halfway into the journey between boroughs, the train Mr. Nagorny and his guests were riding broke down.
“We were so into our party and dancing and singing that we didn’t hear the announcement,” he said, adding that the group continued their celebration on the next subway.
“It Felt Silly to Take a Cab”
When discussing their wedding, Rosie Sullivan, 30, and Joe Levy, 34, who live in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, were drawn to the idea of marrying at City Hall before taking the subway to meet friends and family at a reception venue.
“The subway was important to me because it’s so central to New York, and we take it so often,” said Ms. Sullivan, an operations manager at Sunbound, a finance platform for senior care. “It felt silly to take a cab.”
Mr. Levy, a social worker for a mobile crisis team at BronxCare Health System, explained that the couple wanted their wedding to reflect the things most significant in their lives.
“For better or worse, we spend more time in the subway than we spend at any one location that we really love,” he said.
The two ended up hosting a legal ceremony and celebration in New Hampshire on July 20, but they kept part of their original plan intact. During rush hour on Aug. 9, Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Levy, along with a professional photographer, boarded the R train as the couple traveled to meet friends for an intimate post-wedding celebration at a bar in Brooklyn.
“It felt like a night going out,” Ms. Sullivan said. “If you show up in a wedding dress anywhere, what I’ve learned is most people are going to be excited to share it with you.”
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