Cinematic Black-and-White Soirée

Nari Kye & Samuel Carter

Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park and Smack Mellon gallery
September 18, 2009

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After making it through three costume changes, a public parade, a Korean tea ceremony, and one heartfelt serenade, Nari and Samuel missed their honeymoon flight to Mexico. But that’s what happens when your wedding is a piece of theater. The Brooklyn duo’s courtship started with a shared appreciation of Twin Peaks (they even announced their engagement on YouTube with a parody of the show). Then, inspired by Fellini’s 8 1/2, they asked guests to wear only black or white. “We wanted it to be very dramatic,” Nari explains. “Like a dream sequence.” The ceremony took place at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, where Nari wore a replica of her mother’s wedding dress and walked down the aisle to “Rhapsody in Blue,” holding a bouquet of raw cotton. When it was time to head to the reception at Smack Mellon, “we had one big parade,” says Samuel, “with the band leading everyone out to ‘Bicycle Built for Two.’ ” Dinner was a barbecue bonanza courtesy of Hill Country, after which the couple changed into traditional Korean garb for a formal tea ceremony, before Nari donned yet another ensemble: a glam cocktail dress she collaborated on with a designer from Bensoni, in which she serenaded her groom with an original song. Its title? “Wonderful We.”

As told to Thessaly La Force.