Blue skies, a lighthouse horizon, and a whole lot of serendipity—Cassidy and John leaned into Libra season and Friday the 13th for a celebration that felt equal parts coastal classic and deeply personal. After years of choosing each other (from a prom-night crush to long-distance through college), they gathered friends and family in their favorite place, Montauk, for a weekend of relaxed elegance.
Personal details—hand-lettered place cards, cocktails with nods to their story, and dried florals to enjoy long after—set the tone. They shared a first dance to “Harvest Moon” (Lord Huron cover) as a sweet wink to the way they met: “when we were strangers, I watched you from afar.” From lighthouse portraits to a high-energy dance party (ending with feathers and Converse), it was coastal romance with a lucky-in-love glow.
“We prioritized how we wanted our guests to feel—comfortable, relaxed, happy, and in tune with our love story.”
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
We went to school together but were a grade apart. We even had a bit of overlap and were friends with each other’s friends, but we only knew each other from afar. We formally “met” at John’s before-prom party, hosted by his parents to take photos outside before the actual prom.
Cassidy: It wasn’t until the senior prom before party where I saw John in his tux and thought, “Wow, we should date!” I asked my friends if he was single and if they would set us up. We ended up mostly setting ourselves up (I gave John my number). We were so young when we went on our first date — but my first impression was that John was old-fashioned — he came to the door to shake my dad’s hand, he was a great listener, and he was soft-spoken. He immediately made me feel comfortable and at home.
John: My first impression of Cassidy was that she had a very cool sense of style — she was always dressed very well and different from what most other seniors in high school wore. I also liked that she was into art and so good at it! She struck me as very talented and interesting.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
We just mentioned that we really “met” at the before-prom party, and you can see Cassidy in the background of some of the photos of John and his friends from that day. We ended up choosing “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young (covered by Lord Huron) for our first dance song. We loved the lyrics, “when we were strangers, I watched you from afar. When we were lovers, I loved you with all my heart,” as a fun nod to how we met that day.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
We officially got married in a church in our hometown with our closest family members a few months before our wedding party in Montauk. We grew up going to the same church and loved to think about the times we must have sat at pews across from each other, unbeknownst to us.
To have that day be separate from our wedding party was definitely a modern choice that was a bit difficult to explain, given couples traditionally choose to do the ceremony and reception on the same day — which was a hurdle in and of itself.
We faced a far more serious hurdle leading up to the wedding. Our date was initially set for June 22, 2023, to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. That changed the day before when we were driving back to our hometown on Long Island from our home in Brooklyn. John’s mother was in the hospital with an emergency condition, requiring that she receive surgery the day of our wedding. Switching from wedding mode to caretaking mode, we quickly jumped into action to be at John’s mom’s side before and after the surgery while also calling our church and other vendors to inform them and reschedule the date.
After a successful surgery and several weeks of recovery, John’s mom healed and was in the front row of the church on our new date — July 28, 2023. The day was nothing short of perfect, and we were filled with even more gratitude for the health of our loved ones. It was also a further affirmation that we would be by each other’s sides through good times and bad.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
Including family and family history was a huge priority for us.
Both of our sisters were in our wedding party, and because we were already married, Cassidy’s sister, Kimberly, gave her Maid of Honor speech outside of the Montauk Lighthouse instead of doing a traditional ceremony. She was able to recount our ten-year love story to our guests — leaving us all in tears and laughter.
Cassidy’s dress was high-neck with Victorian lace sleeves and was reminiscent of the dress her late Abuela wore seventy years prior. John wore his late grandfather’s cuff links.
At the reception, we had a memory table of all of our loved ones who have passed, and another of all the couples who helped shape who we are today. We also did the traditional father/daughter and mother/son dances to songs that were important to us and our relationships with our parents.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
We prioritized how we wanted our guests to feel — comfortable, relaxed, happy, excited, and in tune with our love story and us as a couple. We really felt like we were able to achieve just this. The energy of the day was truly amazing — we felt lit up from the inside out all day, and it’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. Seriously, if we could bottle up that feeling, we would!
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
Cassidy: There are so many, but I’ll name three. First, patience — John is the most patient person I know. If there was a tangled ball of yarn, he could sit and untangle the whole thing without getting frustrated. His patience makes me want to be more patient. Second, reliability — John is so dependable, not only for me but for his family, friends, and community. He is always following through and doing people favors. He’s made me value this and put it into practice in my own life. Finally, John taught me how to wake surf, which is one of my favorite things to do! We love boating and being on the water together, and I can’t imagine not having been exposed to it now that it has become such an important part of my life.
John: I’ve learned a lot of things from Cassidy, so it’s definitely hard to pick the best, but I would have to say it’s probably that she opened me up to trying new things. Before meeting Cassidy, I was very uncomfortable being uncomfortable. For example, I was a picky eater, and she introduced me to a lot of new foods that I never thought I would have tried but have grown to love. She also loved to travel and plan events and outings with friends. Through Cassidy, I learned to love travel and to see new people, places, and things. Overall, Cassidy has taught me to be more comfortable in my own skin and to be more courageous about the unknown.
What is your favorite thing about each other?
Cassidy: John is, at his heart, a builder — he builds people up, he makes things happen, and he turns ideas into reality in the most gentle, kind, caring, and thoughtful way possible. John makes my dreams come true every day, and I’m so grateful to be building a life with him!
John: I love that Cassidy is very determined; when she sets her mind to something, she will achieve it, and it will be perfect. I also love that she is very creative. When we were planning our wedding, she came up with such a fun vision for getting married on Friday the 13th. People still tell us to this day how amazing of a day and evening it was!
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
Cassidy: Aside from getting to marry John and celebrating all of the incredible people in our lives who we were so fortunate to get in one room, for me, it was being able to flex my creative muscles in a new way. I am an artist and always knew I liked to plan parties, but I was able to combine these skills in a way that I felt really resonated with our guests. From the flow of the day to our music choices, our wedding logo, and our hand-written calligraphy cards, I felt like I was able to surprise and delight guests. Since planning our wedding, I’ve helped several friends with wedding projects. Most recently, I have been painting custom watercolor illustrations for couples and using these to design wedding invitations and paper goods for their big days.
John: I had two favorite parts about planning the wedding, other than marrying Cassidy. First, was working on all the personalized details that we had at our wedding, because it was exciting and fun to see all the little things that were special to us come together and be incorporated into the party for our guests to see. Second, was planning our honeymoon. We went to South Africa, which was an amazing trip. People kept saying it’s “once in a lifetime,” but we loved it so much we know we’ll be back. Aside from that, Cassidy and I usually plan trips together, but it was fun for me to do most of the planning for this one on my own and surprise her with all of the fun activities we would be doing!
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Go with your gut! Our guts told us we should be together from a young age — which was a bit atypical coming from New York, where people don’t tend to settle down until their later 20s or 30s. We always listened to how we were feeling and chose each other over and over again.
Both of our wedding dates also turned out the way we wanted because we went with our gut instincts. We chose the vibes and feelings we wanted to prioritize and made decisions based off that — resulting in our perfect wedding.
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
It’s taken from a movie — but love and marriage are really all about who you want to be doing laundry and taxes with. Our wedding was absolutely sublime to us, but it’s in the minutiae of everyday life where we are reminded of the magic of our love and how lucky we are to be building our lives together.
As Seen in The White Wren Volume 7
Featured in The White Wren Volume 7: Calm in the Chaos, Cassidy and John’s Montauk wedding embraces the art of presence — a love story grounded in patience, luck, and the rhythm of the sea. From their lighthouse portraits to the “Harvest Moon” first dance, each detail was a testament to their decade-long connection and joyful intentionality.
Captured by Olivia Nadel Photography, their “Lucky in Love” celebration reminds us that even on Friday the 13th, love has its own kind of magic.
Order your copy of The White Wren Volume 7 here.
Photography: Olivia Nadel Photography / @olivianadel.photo
Planning & Details: Cassidy Savarino / @cassidyraeart
Venue: 360 East at Montauk Downs / @360east
Coordinator: Deborah Minarik Events / @deborahminarikevents
Cake: Rolling Pin Bakery / @rolling_pin_bake_shop
Florals: Field Trip Flowers / @fieldtripflowers
Entertainment (DJ): DJ Dwayne Rivera / @djdwaynepr
Transportation: Hampton Jitney / @hamptonjitney
Content Creation: Wedding Day Content Creator / @weddingdaycontentcreator
Hair & Makeup: Elite Bridal Beauty / @elitebridalbeauty
Hotel: Daunt’s Albatross / @dauntsalbatross
Dress: Vera Wang / @verawang
Lace Jacket: Maria Farbinni / @mariafarbinni
Rings: Andria Barbone / @andriabarbonnejewelry
Second Dress: Womance / @womance.io
Tuxedo: State & Liberty / @stateandliberty
Shoes: Gucci / @gucci
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
NO COMMENT