Macey Hall, who works on social media and creator marketing at YouTube and was formerly in fashion at InStyle and Meta, and Matthew Stephan, who is a senior manager of enterprise customer success at Paycor, are proof that Hinge works. “I knew on our first date that we’d get married,” Macey states. “I joke that I don’t identify as woo-woo, but I just knew it. I felt so calm and at ease, and something just clicked on that first date. I went home and called my best friend, telling her I had met my husband. We went on our first date in mid-September, moved in together in March, and were engaged by June. My friends joke that I am a NYC dating success story! But we are in our thirties and when you know, you know!”

Matt proposed sweetly in their apartment which he had transformed into a floral oasis. In addition to a beautiful engagement ring, the groom-to-be also presented something sentimental to Macey. “Pellegrino is our favorite drink in the world, and Matt got a big glass Pellegrino bottle engraved with ‘Will you marry me?’ on it. We still have it; I won’t let us drink it!” Macey laughs. “We had a nod to this at our wedding with engraved “Macey and Matt” Pellegrino bottles.”

“We knew we didn’t want to do anything traditional for our wedding, but we weren’t sure how to celebrate,” Macey says of wedding planning. “I really don’t like attention, so the thought of walking down an aisle with people staring at me didn’t feel like a fit.” However, the two were in agreement that a trip to City Hall had to be part of their wedding. They just didn’t know what to do after. . . “I remember talking about this with my boss at the time, Eva Chen, and she told me very frankly, that besides your funeral, your wedding is one of the only times you’ll have everyone you love in the same room. That really hit home for me!”

On Friday, October 13, 2023—yes, Friday the Thirteenth—the non-superstitious couple headed to City Hall, followed by a friends-and-family dinner at Union Square Cafe. The next day, they invited more loved ones to a cocktail party at The Lotos Club—one of the oldest literary clubs in the country—where Macey had done an InStyle photoshoot years prior with Rosario Dawson and Greta Lee. “Some notable members include Brooke Astor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William Randolph Hearst, Tom Wolfe, Charles M. Schwab, Orson Welles, Angela Lansbury, and Mary Higgins Clark,” Macey reveals of the club that was founded in 1870. “And fun fact, the library from the board game Clue is based on this one!”

To help bring Macey and Matt’s vision to life, the couple brought on Aubriana Sweet of A Sweet Production. And Emily Meing was behind the lens for the two days. 

Coming from a strong fashion background, Macey’s bridal wardrobe was very important to her. For the City Hall ceremony, Macey wore a vintage Chanel white tweed dress, paired with her Chanel slingbacks and bag and a headband. For each event, the bride got ready with makeup artist Elaine Rolls and hairstylist Cassandra LaRocco and was adorned with jewelry from Ultimate Diamond.

Matt’s suits, shirts, and ties were from Suitsupply, styled with Gucci loafers. “Purchased at the Gucci flagship store in Rome, which he likes to say was his big groom fashion moment,” Macey adds. 

“Matt and I went to City Hall alone, which is so iconic New York and felt authentic to who we are as a couple in our 30s,” Macey shares. “I loved the City Hall experience. There are people from all walks of life and brides in every type of outfit, from full gowns to chic suits to their normal clothes. And there’s such great energy in the air, everyone is elated and bursting with love.” Like true New Yorkers, they took the subway there and back.

For the dinner at Union Square Cafe, Macey changed into a sequin cape dress by Erdem. “I have never worn a sequin a day in my life, so I don’t know what came over me, but it felt right,” the bride reveals. “I did a ponytail with a black bow which matched our tablescape and wore Manolo Blahnik Hangisi shoes.”

Since no guests were at City Hall, the couple decided to recite their vows at dinner. Guests found their seats around the monochromatic-forward table via classic place cards from Dear Annabelle. “Despite being a true Aqaurius, I have such a soft side and cried the entire time we read our vows,” Macey shares. “I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life, I felt so happy, in love, and at peace.” They concluded the evening by cutting a heart-shaped “Just Married” wedding cake from The Evercake.

“I was very honored to be the first bride to wear Alexandra Pijut’s Delphine Dress, whom I discovered on Over The Moon,” Macey says of her cocktail party wedding dress. “My jaw dropped when I saw it. I know bows are such a trend right now, but I’ve been a bow girl for life, so it was fitting to have a bow on my wedding dress.” 

After the cab ride to The Lotos Club, the pair took portraits near Central Park—the rain added a romantic dimension. “The exterior stairs [were] filled with candles were inspired by Kate Bock and Kevin Love’s wedding, at another iconic New York City library,” Macey says. “Those photos of Kate and Kevin live rent free in my brain!”

Inside, Macey wanted the fireplace and the staircase to have cascading florals. “My godmother, Patrice Iacovelli, who I am extremely close with, is a florist [for Francis Flowers] and did the flowers for our wedding and she knocked it out of the park,” the bride says. “She always told me when I was little that someday she’d do my wedding flowers, so to have her do them, felt extra meaningful.”

The couple’s favorite part of the night was being surrounded by their favorite place in one room, as they enjoyed music from Elegant Music Group and magic tricks by Gary Ferrar. Celebration consultant and good friend Darcy Miller also gave the bride some great advice to 1. give a toast and 2. jot down how they felt after each special moment, so they can revisit their emotions for all the anniversaries to come.

The newlyweds said farewell to their guests at the end of the night and hailed a taxi on Madison Avenue to go home. Macey recalls, “Our cab driver looked at us in disbelief and asked, ‘Did you just get married!?’ We stopped for a quick debrief with our doorman on our way in!”