A Food-Focused Brooklyn Wedding

Cait Goodman and Nate Weger knew of each other in college. In fact, Cait even tried to set Nate up with her roommate! "I tried to set him up with a roommate of mine who mirrored his quirky, spirited energy—that probably should have been a hint that I was interested in him," she says, looking back. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2011 that she decided to get to know him better. And when she returned to school that fall—after seeing Nate kill it on the dance floor at a wedding that summer!—Cait made a go of it. After their first date, Nate was "hooked for life." It took Cait a few years (and a move to South Korea and back) but she eventually came to the same conclusion. "I came to know wholeheartedly that he was my most favorite person and I wanted to do life with him long time," she says.

The couple's engagement was also a long time coming. They'd talked about marriage for over a year—and Cait admits to finding the rings (she's hard to surprise, she says) last November!—but Nate didn't officially propose until December 22, 2018, just six days before their planned wedding date. (He did so at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at her favorite spot in front of Isamu Noguchi’s Water Stone.) "There was no getting down on one knee, but there were definitely tears," she recalls. "He had made a scrapbook with photos of us from our dating history and written out his reasons for wanting to marry me. I said yes, obviously, but I kind of had to because we had already planned a wedding!"

The couple married six days later, on December 28, 2017, and then hosted a separate celebration for family and friends the following week. "Nate and I very seriously considered getting hitched at City Hall, heading to Mexico, and calling it a day," explains the bride. "But I really love throwing parties and small dinners at our apartment and I thought it would be a fun project to throw one for us." Keep reading to see exactly what this creative couple put together for their Brooklyn wedding celebration. These photos by Laura Murray, plus Cait and Nate's culinary skills and creativity, will have you feeling all kinds of inspired!

On December 28, 2017, Cait and Nate married at the city clerk's office. "I’m not big on traditional wedding ceremonies," she explains. "I love the energy of that place and the beautiful historical building façade."

After just the two of them making it official, the couple decided to host a celebration for their family and friends. For this affair, Cait knew she wanted to wear a jumpsuit. "It’s definitely my number one all-time outfit of choice," she explains. After online shopping (and many returned orders!), her sister sent her a link to the one: a white, caped style by Missguided. "It fit perfectly, I felt like a goddess, and the fact that it was under $200, was just plain cray," she says.

Cait accessorized with gold statement earrings that combined a boho-meets-modern flair with her already stylish attire. She also added gold sparkles above her eyelids and a bold lip.

Taking note of Solange Knowles's all-white wedding attire, Cait personally asked each guest to dress in the same hue. "I wanted the whole event to feel cohesive and look super stunning visually," she says.

The all-white walls of Planta Brooklyn played well with the couple's all-white dress code. "I liked the vibe of the neighborhood and space—it was peaceful, open, and felt like the perfect place to host an intimate dinner for our loved ones," she says.

The couple's dog, Bloom, acted as an unofficial ring bearer and wore a white handkerchief for the special occasion.

Arrangements of pussy willow branches, collected from the flower market in Manhattan, acted as a focal point of the entry space, where guests found their seat assignments.

"Everything was a labor of DIY love," says the bride. "I cut and block-printed 40 black linen napkins two days before; my mom and sister hung the firefly lights just minutes before everyone arrived; we shopped flowers ourselves from the flower district; my brothers and brothers-in-law picked up and set up all the furniture rentals; Nate and I planned the menu; and Nate and a friend prepared all the food."

The bride is a graphic designer and wanted to come up with a creative game (printed on beautiful paper, of course) for the reception. "On Monday, the week before the event, I stayed up all night and finally recalled an old piece I had read in The New York Times about 36 Questions to Fall in Love," she explains. "I chose some of my favorite questions from the list and handed out numbered cards to guests to pair people up randomly. Throughout the night, I led everyone through the questions as Nate and I served food and wine. I loved watching everyone interact, get uncomfortable, get weird, and get to know one person better from a group of people we love."

"Everything about our day was very personal—Nate and I have both worked in the food industry and want to open a restaurant of our own," says the bride. "Hosting a dinner for family and friends felt like the best way to celebrate our marriage."

The menu was just as personal, as the bride and groom created it together; Nate—along with friends in the industry—worked to execute it. All dishes were inspired by Cait's Japanese grandmother, whom she credits for her love of food.

Looking back, Cait and Nate have this piece of advice for those of you planning: "Do what feels right and fulfilling to you and your partner and do it for the two of you!"