This is Lester and Cynthia, a fun loving couple from New York City. They happily said We Do on August 19, 2009 and they’ve been smiling ever since.
Before Lester proposed he took some mental notes from her reactions to her other friends’ rings.
“A bunch of my girlfriends had all gotten married and engaged back to back.
There was one that I said I really liked. And he must have heard me say that I wanted a cushion cut ring. I don’t think he would have known that.”
Cynthia jokes that she didn’t even see her ring before she said yes to Lester’s proposal.
“He was so nervous that he had the box facing him.”
Cynthia looked breathtaking on her wedding day thanks to her makeup artist, Cassandra Renee who she found on ModelMayhem.com.
“She was amazing! She was willing to work with my budget and we just jelled,” the gorgeous bride says.
Getting married on one of the hottest days of summer, Cynthia thought it best to tie her hair up herself instead of having her do frizz up or fall flat halfway through the ceremony.
Instead of going with a traditional veil, Cynthia chose a smaller headpiece accented by a big flower on her right side on Etsy.
Lester is the first guy that Cynthia felt completely comfortable around, the new wife says.
“Everyone says, ‘he understands you so much. How does he get you?’” Cynthia giggles. “He just accepts me with all my imperfections and all”
This easy going bride didn’t fall in love with her dress until the final fitting. She originally wanted to go with a short, sundress instead of a wedding gown, but her sister and friend convinced her to get this gown instead. She doesn’t regret listening to her girls.
Lester didn’t want any old flower for his boutineer. He found a vendor on Etsy.com to make him this pin made with buttons.
The happy couple kept things simple on their wedding day, with just a maid of honor—Cynthia’s sister—and a best man—Lester’s brother—in the wedding party. Both of their mothers spoke during the short ceremony.
Cynthia found her earrings at Target the night before her wedding.
“At that point I was freaking out,” she admits. “There were a few things that I thought wouldn’t be that difficult. We went to target for something else and then I found these earrings.”
A lot of the novelty items that were used to enhance the wedding were found last minute, Cynthia admits. Her sister picked up yellow shades in China Town on Canal Street—legendary for its bargains—the day of the wedding.
After going on a cupcake tour of New York City, Cynthia settled on Baked in Brooklyn, based in Red Hook, BK for her tower of cupcakes topped with a big round cake.
Yellow flowers accented the tables at the couple’s reception. They chose lemons with cards found on Etsy to show display guests’ seating arrangements.
“We had so many lemons. I wish I had made lemonade the day after there.”
Another item bought through Etsy, Cynthia and Lester gave these 100 percent natural, coconut scented soaps as keepsakes for their guests.
Jars of candies added an extra touch of brightness to Lester and Cynthia’s wedding.
Most brides dream of their wedding day, but Cynthia skipped that part, having her honeymoon planned years before ever getting engaged. The day after the wedding, she and Lester flew to Europe and traveled to the South of France, Paris and Sardinia, Greece and Athens.
Cynthia says Lester gives her “happies.”
“We’re just all giggly all the time. We speak the same language together.”
“All relationships require a lot of work,” Cynthia knows. “The good thing is having someone who’s willing to put in the same about of work.”
