Becky Katz, who works in communications at Uber, was about to move in with Jesse Davis, a sales manager at a software company, when she mentioned that her favorite piece of art was a photograph by Gray Malin, an artist she had recently befriended. Later on in their relationship, when Jesse was thinking about proposing, he reached out to Gray and asked him if it would be possible to photoshop a proposal shot into one of his existing photographs of Washington Square Park. The artist loved the idea and agreed to help.
One June afternoon, the couple were walking through Washington Square Park when Jesse suddenly stopped. “I was confused, asked what he was doing, and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him,” Becky remembers. That night, the two celebrated at a surprise party Jesse had planned with friends and family. “When I walked into the bar, Gray’s beautiful photograph was there. Jesse then pointed out that this photograph was slightly different as we were in it—just under the arch, Jesse was on one knee and I was standing in front of him. It was perfect.”
Both Jesse and Becky had spent many summers on Martha’s Vineyard separately, so when it came time to choose where to throw their wedding, they both agreed the island felt like a natural choice. “The Vineyard has a beautiful rustic and whimsical aesthetic that we used as inspiration for the wedding,” she says. They hired Krishana Collins of Tea Lane Farm to help bring their decorative vision to life, and worked with planner Megan Leonard, who helped coordinate all the week-of details.
Becky always knew she wanted a classic and simple dress, but didn’t have any specific ideas before going into her appointments. Once she walked into Carolina Herrera, her fate was sealed and she was instantly drawn to a dress with a deep V-neckline, which featured pockets and buttons down the back. She finished off her look with Sophia Webster heels and a pair of diamond earrings her parents gave her on her wedding day. As for Jesse, figuring out his wedding wardrobe was easy as the bride’s family is in the menswear business. He chose a Jack Victor custom-made French blue suit with a Stantt custom-made dress shirt.
Their ceremony took place on a perfect summer’s day on the island. For the occasion, the couple had asked Becky’s brother Alex, a former political speechwriter, to do the honors and officiate their wedding ceremony. “Alex knows me better than anyone else and he’s become like another brother to Jesse so it was personal and funny and heartwarming,” the bride explains. “The best part, and a complete surprise, was when Alex broke out into his own rendition of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” with help from the string trio and our bridal party as backup singers. It was absolutely incredible!”
After the ceremony ended, guests enjoyed cocktail hour and later made their way into a big Sperry tent for dinner. As a nod to the bride’s Israeli family, they asked the chef at Farm Neck to create an Israeli-themed menu, which included bagels with hummus, za’atar, cous cous, turmeric chicken and beef kabobs. For their first dance as husband and wife, the couple chose Ray La Montagne’s “You Are The Best Thing,” and were later joined by friends and family for a full hora mash-up. “We take it really seriously,” she says. “It was wild and sweaty and amazing.”
Their band, The Sultans, continued to keep people on the dance floor for hours, and an electric violinist from New York performed in the middle of the reception as a surprise. When it was time for dessert, the couple cut into a four-tiered Milk Bar birthday cake they had shipped from New York, and apple fritters were passed on the dance floor from Martha’s Vineyard’s famous Back Door Donuts, while another island staple, Mad Martha’s, scooped ice cream for guests.
From the beginning, the couple knew they wouldn’t want the night to end, so they always planned on hosting a small after party inside the golf club once it was time to wrap up. “Our friends all gathered to drink Aperol Spritzes and tequila, eat warm pretzels and mozzarella sticks, and continue to party,” the bride adds. A fun, laid back way to end an unforgettable evening.
