Lydia & Peter's Culinary Institute of America Wedding

Lydia and Peter’s wedding at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park was such a joy.

Even with misty rain, gray skies, and a fire alarm just five minutes before the ceremony, they completely rolled with the day and never stopped smiling. The CIA campus made that easy, with plenty of beautiful indoor spaces, the chapel, restaurants, and great photo locations all close together.

They laughed through the weird timing, embraced the weather, and made the whole day feel easy. It was a perfect reminder that great wedding photos happen when a couple is busy all day enjoying and having fun at their wedding.

How We Met

Met at grad school. Introduced by a mutual friend that knew us before grad school.

Our Engagement Story

Walking our dog in Prospect Park at 8am.

How did you choose the Culinary Institute of America?

We love food. CIA is a special place that trained some of our favorite chefs.

A memorable moment from our wedding was…

The yichud – a Jewish tradition of having a private meal immediately after the ceremony before joining our guests.

Also…the fire alarm went off 5 minutes before the ceremony and the entire building had to evacuate. We went down the back stairwell and hid by the dumpsters so our guests didn’t see us. We were laughing about it at the time and are still laughing.

If I could give other couples to be one piece of advice…

A total stranger advised us to walk slowly down the aisle to take it all in. Otherwise adrenaline kicks in and it all flies by in the blink of an eye. He was right. Walk slow!