Natalie Battista and Edward Reed II met by chance. . . Twice. The first time, they started talking at Bleecker Street Bar but forgot to exchange information. Six months later at the same bar, they ran into each other again and finally swapped numbers. “It was almost as if the universe was giving us a do-over at finding each other and finding love,” Natalie muses. “And this time, it worked!”
Three years later, Ed proposed to Natalie at the end of a dock in Beach Haven, New Jersey. He didn’t realize he chose the exact same spot her father proposed to her mother 35 years earlier. With a love story so fated, so it only makes sense that Natalie wanted to marry in her local church, Christ The King, where her parents married in 1986.
Hospitality is practically a family tenet for Natalie. Her parents have owned bars and restaurants across the Jersey Shore for decades, and her father was even the Beach Haven mayor. Her mother was an accessories editor at Vogue with a natural eye for art and design. “Between the three of us,” the bride-to-be explains, “we were bound and determined to plan an unforgettable wedding weekend that would be a feast for the eyes as well as an incredible party at which each guest felt taken care of and thought of.”
As a huge fan of Nancy Meyers’s Father of the Bride, Natalie has always loved the idea of an at-home wedding surrounded by friends and family. Considering “home” is Tyvan Hill, her family’s historic property on Van Beuren Road, it was an easy decision for Ed and Natalie to host their wedding here.
The couple was thrilled to reserve Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen for the welcome party and rehearsal dinner. They enlisted Sara Landon of Sara Landon Events to plan the rest of the already-perfect weekend and had Charlotte Jenks Lewis photograph the many picturesque moments while Retrosound Films shot beautiful video footage.
Creating her custom dress with Jude Jowilson at L’Fay Bridal was easily one of Natalie’s favorite parts of planning. Jude sourced the same ivory taffeta Oscar de la Renta uses and made her convertible dress—designed to swap straps throughout the night with a detachable bow and modern American bustle. Plus, a dress with three looks was particularly thrilling for all of the fashion-inclined guests! Her satin Jimmy Choo pumps paired beautifully. Her groom donned a classic Bonobos black tuxedo, his late grandfather and namesake’s Omega watch, and silk J. Crew bowtie.
You could feel the joyous energy on Van Beuren Road on May 21, 2022 as the bride and groom got ready in different houses. BC Salon styled the bride’s hair and applied her elevated yet natural makeup. She spritzed Le Labo’s Lys 41 from her very own custom bottle labeled with “Natalie’s Wedding Scent.” Her bridesmaids’ natural beauty was enhanced by the Melissa D’Aloia team. Each bridesmaid chose her own white dress. “I knew their feelings of comfort and happiness would transfer over to me on the wedding day,” Natalie notes. The flowers girls dressed in white taffeta numbers from Madrid. Natalie beams, “When Talia, Ed’s niece, got to the front of the aisle, she saw her dad in the front row and exclaimed, ‘Look, there’s my dad!'”
Her bridesmaids descended to Vivaldi’s goosebump-inducing “Spring I: Recomposed” by Max Richter. Natalie’s mother chose her processional score—”Amen” by Thomas Newman, played by Innocenti Strings Quartet. Natalie’s childhood priest, Father Paddy, officiated the service, including this quote from his mother, “Paddy, love might be blind, but marriage is a real eye opener!”
The Baptist gospel choir, NYC Gospel Choir LLC, sang “Total Praise” by Richard Smallwood and brought the whole church to tears. Once Ed and Natalie were officially married, the choir erupted into Edwin Hawkins’s “Oh Happy Day.”
Cocktails in the Tyvan Hill courtyard commenced with specialty drinks and a keg barn. There was even a boutonniere bar. “My mom worked with the wonderful and extremely talented individuals at Winston Flowers to make this concept a reality, and our guests delighted in picking out custom boutonnieres with flowers that matched their dates’ dresses!” The florists went all out for the event, committing to the “English garden” approach Natalie requested.
Sara rang the Tyvan Hill bell tower, ushering guests into the stunning Sperry sailcloth tent for dinner. “The open-sided tent allowed our guests to enjoy a soft spring evening breeze as they took in the view, looking out over the lush rolling hills of Tyvan’s farm,” Natalie shares. “Our four cows—illustrated on the menus at each place setting—even wandered uphill to check out the scene and greet guests seated nearby!” Cobblestone Catering created the unforgettable menu Ed and Natalie hoped for, making Italian dishes unlike anything anyone had ever tasted.
The DWP Live Factory band leader, Dannis Winston, understood the couple’s love for Motown and invited his friend, Saint Aubyn, the lead of the Broadway show Ain’t Too Proud, to sing for the father-daughter dance.
After Natalie changed into an Andres Otalora linen dress, the dancing was in full swing. It only paused when the newlyweds cut into their Lael Cakes confection and the Washington Commanders–themed football cake Natalie surprised Ed with. It was also carrot cake, a nod to his parents’ wedding cake flavor.
Later, a confetti cannon and fireworks from the cow field burst as Coldplay’s “Sky Full of Stars” blared from the speakers. The after-party kicked off with another outfit change—this time, Natalie wore a mini dress from Australian designer Winona—and fairy wings, flower crowns, cowboy hats, and glitter paint for guests. Resident DJ Erin Const spun tracks, and guests enjoyed late-night snacks from Wanna Empanada’s food truck.
Once the last party bus left, the newlyweds jumped into the pool hand-in-hand and literally leapt into married life. For the honeymoon, the new bride spent several days in her custom Over The Moon x Lingua Franca sweater with her new name—”Mrs. Reed”—embroidered on the front.
