Jaclyn Katz and Jake Gillman met on their second day at Cornell University, in the stairwell of the freshman dining hall. Jake still remembers what Jaclyn was wearing—“gray and red teagles, straight off the field from soccer pre-season,” he recalls. “She stopped me on my way up the stairs and said, ‘You’re Jake Gillman right?’” They swapped numbers right then and there. Jaclyn adds, “It was the start of an inseparable friendship.”
By their senior year, they began dating. As soon as it finally happened, they both knew that was “it” for them. Jaclyn told him she loved him three weeks later. After graduation, the two moved to New York and spent the first few years of post-grad traveling, trying out trendy new restaurants, and skiing whenever they didn’t have a late night at the office. Five years later, in December 2019, Jaclyn had just hopped off the plane from a work trip in Europe. She met Jake in the middle of the Union Square Christmas market, and Jake surprised her with a marriage proposal.
Palm Beach has always been one of the couple’s favorite places to visit, so securing The Breakers as their wedding venue was a dream come true. The original date was set for March 13, 20201, but COVID-19 pushed the “I do” to November 20, 2021.
On the Friday of the wedding weekend, a storm rolled through, but this didn’t stop the “Palm Beach chic,” Gray Malin-inspired welcome party by the pool. Guests posed beside a vintage baby blue Cadillac, sipped margaritas from mini Casamigos bottles, and dined on Mexican-styled cuisine. Jaclyn asserts, “It was the kick-off to what would be the best weekend of our lives.”
On Friday night, Jaclyn wore a statement-making floral Randi Rahm dress. She slipped on gold Miu Miu heels, her great-grandmother’s gold and peach earrings, and a matching Edie Parker monogrammed clutch. Jake wore a Martin Greenfield custom sand linen suit made with Loro Piano fabric.
For the ceremony, Jaclyn donned a romantic, ethereal Marchesa gown—one she first saw on Instagram. She paired it with Rene Caovilla block wrap heels, a dazzling choker necklace, and earrings that were her “something borrowed” from close family friends. Daniela Gozlan applied Jaclyn’s makeup and styled her hair. She switched into a Naeem Khan shift dress adorned with crystals and feathers for the after-party.
Jake kept his groom look smart with a custom Martin Greenfield tuxedo and sported a white dinner jacket after the ceremony. His cufflinks were a special gift from his parents.
After a storm rolled in on the ceremony day, the setting was promptly moved inside, but bad weather could not rain on their parade. “It was perfect,” Jaclyn admits. For Jaclyn, one of the most special moments of the weekend was this stroll down the aisle to the chuppah covered in baby’s breath. Jake recalls this, too, sharing, “It was something I had dreamed about and envisioned for so long, and to live in it and be in the moment there was surreal.”
After they became Mr. and Mrs. Gillman, Jake and Jaclyn joined guests for the reception. Entering the space was like “walking into a dreamy Victorian setting,” Jaclyn describes. A blue and white floral toile, which matched the invitation suite designed by Ceci New York, covered the customized bar and the dance floor. From the glass tabletops to behind the bar’s lit-up “J&J” monogram, Ovando florists created breathtaking baby’s breath arrangements. There was also brilliant attention to detail by their wedding planners at Imagine Party and Events. They considered everything from matching the menus and table assignments to the invitation suite to matching the cake with the tulle and floral appliques of Jaclyn’s Marchesa dress.
The newlyweds danced to “May I Have This Dance” by Francis and the Lights. “We had heard this song a while back and had joked it would be our first dance song one day when we got married,” Jaclyn says. “Once we got engaged, it was an easy pick!”
The Headliners Band played music all night long. “Our family and friends did not leave the dance floor, literally,” the bride confides. One of Jaclyn’s favorite moments of the reception was dancing with her father to Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” which was a reprise of when she danced with her father at her bat mitzvah to the same song. But most guests at the wedding would probably say their favorite moment was when the massive ice cream sundaes came out!
The after-party commenced with DJ Adam Lipson, a saxophonist, black lights, and plenty of espresso martinis. By the time the festivities were over, it was already the early morning. Jaclyn and Jake took a leap into the ocean in their wedding attire before heading to brunch with our guests to relive the weekend. Luckily, photographer Roey Yohai captured the entire scene on camera.
