“We met at a bowling alley – Hannah's worst nightmare and my dream!” says Craig Sklaver, describing his first encounter with Hannah Smith. “That night, we wound up at a karaoke bar and it took us three months to remember what we actually sang.
For our first actual date, Hannah said she had never been to a rooftop bar in NYC, so I took her to one in Brooklyn overlooking the Manhattan skyline. She said she had also never been to a professional basketball game in NY and I, very presumptuously, took out my phone and bought tickets for the next week’s game. Our first date turned into quite the night: the rooftop bar, a concert, two speakeasies, two boroughs. It was an epic first date, to say the least!”
“OUR FIRST DATE TURNED INTO QUITE THE NIGHT: THE ROOFTOP BAR, A CONCERT, TWO SPEAKEASIES, TWO BOROUGHS.” CRAIG SKLAVER
When it came time to propose, Craig wanted the moment to be private, casual, and without a lot of “flair.” He picked up Hannah from her parents’ house for one of their favorite traditions, which is hiking at Will Rogers State Park. After reaching the peak of their hike, Craig popped the question for a perfectly sweet, low-key engagement.
The wedding reception was an elegant interpretation of a New Year’s Eve theme. Rather than standard traditions like a formal grand entrance and cutting the cake, the bride and groom had one priority – giving their guests a stylish and unique party. “With small touches here and there, we managed to shape the night into the perfect celebration,” says Craig. “Themes were tied into all aspects of the decor in a tasteful and smart manner.”
“When entering the wedding, guests were served white truffles in gold oyster shells – a playful touch of the holiday while also a nod to the beach setting,” he continues. “This continued when guests were asked to grab their glittered seat card, located inside a bubbly champagne flute.
Because of the season, the ceremony took place in front of a roaring fire, not the venue’s typical setting, but definitely one of our favorite and most memorable parts. As midnight approached, our DJ played one of our favorite songs, Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al,’ and our guests were given party blowers, and everyone played along to the beat. It was amazing.”
The following week, the newlyweds took a three-night mini moon to Ojai, and they are spending the summer traveling to Japan and Thailand for two weeks.
