A love story 20 years in the making, Lael Arango and Joy Winheim tied the knot in June with a little help from their parents and son.
During the unity ceremony, both Arango and Winheim’s parents poured different colored glass beads into a vase before Arango, Winheim and son Jude poured in individual colors.
“Even though a wedding is designed to look to the future, we wanted to honor our pasts and how they shaped the people we are today, making this huge commitment to each other,” Winheim says.
“The glass beads were sent to an artist in Texas,” she continues, “to create blown glass pieces of art that will be given to each family to commemorate the day that our pasts and presents came together to make something that will last into the future.”
Arango and Winheim originally met through a coworker but eventually drifted apart. It wasn’t until they crossed paths again during a grant writing workshop that they began dating.
Arango noticed “Joy’s easy smile and her ability to make people feel at ease immediately,” while Winheim fell for “Lael’s self-assurance and her ability to express what she wanted clearly and confidently.”
Gradually, they started to see a future together.
As their son gets ready for his senior year in high school, Arango and Winheim are looking ahead to their lives in Seminole Heights and their new adventure, “the first chapter in our empty nest book!”
One important lesson Arango and Winheim have learned and would like to pass along is the importance of surrounding themselves with good people and understanding that everyone brings something different to the table.
“Surround yourself with people who will laugh and cry with you and will do all they can to support your vision for the day,” Winheim advises. “Decide who is better at what—Lael was in charge of all things creative and I was in charge of all logistics. It worked beautifully and we really learned to trust and respect each other’s unique strengths.”
Arango and Winheim created their perfect day using that same logic. The officiants were family friends, Sarah and Jeremy Castleman, which created a loving atmosphere throughout the ceremony.
Even though they both agreed the wedding day was perfect, there was an unexpected moment at the reception that they both say was their favorite—when the DJ unexpectedly played “Hey Jude.”
It prompted their son Jude to dance independently with Arango and then with Winheim before the three of them danced together. “It’s a really long song,” they recall, “and out of the blue our entire wedding party surrounded the three of us in a huge group hug. That moment was such a gift and really showed us how surrounded by love our family is.”
The brides celebrated their union with a cannoli cake and danced their first dance to “The Greatest Sum” by The Avett Brothers.
Engagement date: Oct. 2017
Wedding date: June 1, 2019
Officiants: Sarah and Jeremy Castleman
Wedding venue: The Clubhouse at Patriot Hills in Stony Point, New York
Colors: White as a base with “pops of color everywhere”
Wedding Song/Artist: “The Greatest Sum” by The Avett Brothers
Caterer: Inn Credible Caterers
Cake Bakery: Homestyle Bakery in Peekskill, New York
Photographer: The Natura Collective
DJ/Entertainment: Elegant Music Group
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