Inside the Meme and Mariah Carey-filled Wedding of Two YouTube Stars
Pat and Billy, who were married in December 2013, hold hands as they stroll through New York’s Meatpacking District.
The couple met in 2009 when Pat saw a photo of Billy on a mutual friend’s Facebook. “I thought he was so cute—I just had to meet him.” Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat wore his late grandfather’s monogrammed cufflinks for the ceremony.
The groom paired them with a suit from Club Monaco. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat and Billy’s wedding bands before the ceremony.
Billy’s wedding band is a family heirloom, passed down to him from his late grandfather. Pat’s was designed with the help of a family member. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat and Billy’s portrait on the staircase to New York’s High Line park.
The couple dated for over three years before Pat proposed spontaneously while on a trip to London: “It wasn’t until we were in the air that I decided to propose to Billy.” Luckily, he accepted, and the couple began vlogging about their adventures in marriage-planning. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
The couple’s wedding venue was 632 on Hudson, a triplex in NYC’s West Village.
632 on Hudson is decorated with a mix of vintage and eclectic pieces. The couple worked with a florist at their local Whole Foods to find the right blooms to decorate each room. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Billy and his father decorate the fireplace in front of which the couple recited their vows.
Billy’s father sourced locally-grown pine branches to give the room a cozy, rustic feel. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
The couples’ portrait completed the newly-decorated fireplace.
The couple commissioned British artist Matt Howorth to illustrate a portrait of them in their wedding attire. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat places a boutonniere of berries and greens on his groom.
The grooms planned a dark, yet warm color palette for their winter wedding and used hints of gold in the details, a theme that was reflected in the decor at 632 Hudson. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
A mantelpiece full of wedding day photos.
We love this idea — In a sweet touch, the couple displayed wedding-day photos of their married guests to honor the couples’ lifelong commitment. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Stickers reading “Billy & Pat” adorned the wall of their wedding venue.
The hand-cut stickers were placed on an aquarium built into a wall. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Billy got teary-eyed as Pat recited his vows during the ceremony.
The couple walked down the aisle to Robyn’s “Hang With Me,” and Billy’s cousin-in-law Kyle served as their wedding officiant. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
The couple shares a laugh while exchanging wedding rings.
Wedding guests gathered around the couple and along the steps of the building’s grand, three-story staircase as they recited their vows. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat and Billy share their first kiss as a newly-married couple.
The party started as soon as the couple were announced husband and husband, and the newlyweds walked in a reverse receiving line up the staircase to “Kids” by Mikky Ekko. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Billy’s grandma Olga baked her famous cheesecake for the couple’s wedding day.
“I grew up eating that delicious cake at every family event and I couldn’t imagine having anything other than that on our big day,” Billy said. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Close friends Adam, Cat, and Eric shower the newylweds with hugs and kisses.
“The whole evening had the essence of a cocktail hour,” says Billy. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Friends dancing at Pat and Billy’s wedding.
DJ RuBot kept guests on the dance floor with a mix of dance hits. Here, David and Pierce show off their moves. Later, Billy grabbed the mic and surprised Pat with an impromptu rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — “which turned into every guest dancing and screaming the lyrics,” says Billy. “It was extremely fun and Pat was definitely blushing.” Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Wedding guests Chris and Ryan sit on an Asian-inspired sofa.
Each room in the venue was decorated with an eclectic mix of furniture, which served as the perfect backdrops for photos. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
The grooms with friends Tyler and Korey.
Tyler and Korey later appeared as guests on the grooms’ YouTube vlog, where they recapped the wedding. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
The couple’s friend Tyler poses with a prop.
Pat and Billy provided guests with meme-inspired hand-cut props—the suspicious toddler being our personal favorite. Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat and Billy pose with coworkers and friends.
Pat and Billy planned their wedding to have a party-like feel. “Guests were encouraged to explore the entire space throughout the night,” Billy told Yahoo Style. “There were no place settings or table assignments. A few cocktail tables were set up here and there, and there was a large family style table in the kitchen area for guests to sit and mingle.” Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Pat and Billy posed for post-wedding pics on the cobblestone streets of NYC’s Meatpacking district.
Congratulations to the happy couple! Photography courtesy of Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
All Photography by Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two
Billy and Pat Sandora-Nastyn met online, but not through a traditional dating site. “I saw a picture of Billy on Facebook in June 2009,” Pat remembers. “A friend had recently gone on a trip with him, and he was in a lot of the pictures. I thought he was so cute, and I just had to meet him.”
That mutual friend introduced Billy, who works in design and social media to Pat, a digital strategist. A few flirtatious Facebook messages later, the two decided to meet in person at Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park. After a sudden downpour forced them indoors, the two shared their first date at the closest place they could find, a Chinese restaurant. “After dinner we took a long walk and witnessed a rare cloud formation that had everyone in the street looking up,” Billy tells Yahoo Style. “It was special moment for the two of us.”
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The couple dated for over three years before Pat proposed while on a spontaneous trip to London in November 2012. “I had just been laid off from my job and decided to take advantage of my sudden free time,” says Pat. “We took off for London on Thanksgiving night for a long weekend away. It wasn’t until we were in the air that I decided I was going to propose to Billy on the trip.”
In a thoroughly modern touch, the couple started a YouTube channel and Tumblr to answer the questions about same-sex marriage they encountered from family and friends, and to share their wedding-planning process. Their vlog blew up, and in the process has made the couple something akin to modern-day wedding etiquette experts, covering topics from whose last name to take, to how to choose a wedding gift with humor and grace.
After some deliberation, the couple booked their Friday, December 13, 2013 wedding at 632 on Hudson, a triplex located in New York City’s West Village neighborhood. “Instead of feeling like we were celebrating in a giant banquet hall, the space made us feel like we were hosting our very own extravagant holiday party,” says Pat.
Inspired by the venue’s collection of antiques and décor, the grooms planned a dark, yet warm palette for their wedding and used hints of gold in the details. “I used Art Deco fonts and a scalloped pattern in the stationery based on the details of 632 on Hudson’s front door,” explains Billy, who designed their invitations.
For the ceremony, the couple stood in the venue’s central atrium, in front of a large fireplace adorned with a pine garland and an illustrated portrait the couple had commissioned by artist Matt Howorth. Guests stood around them and along the steps of the building’s three-story staircase. The grooms held hands as they walked down the aisle together to “Hang With Me” by Robyn.
After they were announced husband and husband, the celebration kicked off right away as the newlyweds walked in a reverse receiving line up the staircase to “Kids” by Mikky Ekko. “The whole evening had the essence of a cocktail hour,” says Billy. “Guests were encouraged to explore the entire space throughout the night. There were no place settings or table assignments. A few cocktail tables were set up here and there, and there was a large family style table in the kitchen area for guests to sit and mingle.”
Caterer Sips & Bits whipped up a seasonal menu with ingredients from the couple’s favorite fall and winter dishes, including deviled eggs and crostini, chicken and waffles with maple butter, meatloaf cupcakes topped with mashed potato frosting, and mini beef on weck sandwiches.
DJ RuBot kept the crowd on their feet with a mix of Motown-inspired jams and dance hits. The couple trusted him to create a playlist that would keep the energy up, but they did create an end-of-the-night song list of Christmas pop songs. “I arranged with the DJ to have a microphone ready, and without Pat’s knowledge I serenaded him with the introduction to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ before going into the full version, which turned into every guest dancing and screaming the lyrics,” shares Billy. “It was extremely fun and he was definitely blushing.”
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