All I Need Is You

Allie Menzione first met Tom Navin through her older brother, John. “We instantly had crushes, but stayed friends for a bit,” Allie says with a laugh. “Although I made plenty of excuses to meet up with them whenever I could!” That early attraction grew into something more, though their first official date remains a story they still laugh about. “We went to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia,” Allie recalls, “which, for those who don’t know, is full of strange medical oddities. Not the most romantic! But Tom and I have fun and laugh wherever we go, and we’ve shared a love of museums since.”

“We instantly had crushes, but stayed friends for a bit, although I made plenty of excuses to meet up with them whenever I could!”

From that unconventional beginning, their relationship stretched across state lines. Allie was in Philadelphia, Tom in New York City. “We were long distance for the first year and a half,” she says. “We made it work, and it was so much fun bouncing between cities, visiting each other. After many weekend Amtrak rides, I not only fell in love with Tom — but with New York too.” Their decision to move in together was made in the West Village, “over pasta,” Allie remembers. Seven years later, they call Williamsburg, Brooklyn home, a neighbourhood that reflects their shared sense of creativity and community.

Travel has always been an important part of their story, but Rome holds a particularly sacred place in their hearts. It was there, in Giardino Degli Aranci overlooking the city, that Tom proposed. “I was hopeful Tom would pop the question,” Allie admits. “But being frequent travellers, I’d stopped putting weight on that expectation several trips ago! So it was such a successful and special surprise.” Tom had chosen a ring from Marisa Perry Atelier in the West Village — just a few blocks from their first apartment together. “It was incredibly emotional for so many reasons,” Allie says.

When it came to their wedding, held at the River Cafe with the iconic New York skyline as backdrop, the couple’s vision was clear. “Above all, we wanted everything to feel intimate,” Allie explains. “It was important to us that the wedding felt like us, with our closest friends and family — and not like a big over-done production. Simplicity and elegance guided every decision.” They decided against a formal bridal party. “Being one of the last of our friends getting married — and with many of them having small children or being pregnant — we wanted everyone to just enjoy the night as guests,” Allie says. Instead, family members took on small roles as escorts, ring bearers and speakers. Planning, she adds, was a family affair: “I couldn’t have gotten through it without my mum, who I called about 20 times a day. And my close girlfriends, who’d all planned their own weddings, were a huge support.”

After a year and a half of preparation, the day itself felt like a dream. “Seeing it all come to life — and in a way that was better than I could have ever anticipated — felt surreal,” Allie says. “I remember grasping Tom’s arm at several points and saying, ‘Can you believe this is all for US?’” Her nerves before the first look vanished the moment she saw him. “Seeing Tom melted all my anxieties away. It was pure bliss from there.” Her favourite moment, she says, was “that high of emotions directly following the ceremony — from vows in front of friends and family, to immediately being able to celebrate and unwind with each other and our guests. It was all so special.”

Allie wore a fitted, modern gown by Newhite Bridal, found at Lovely Bride. “Above all, I wanted to feel confident. I’m not one to make a big fuss or wear the loudest clothes — I just wanted to feel like an elevated version of myself,” she says. She found “the one” alongside her mum and cousin Sara. Her hair and makeup were by Galina from Beauty Icon NYC. “They really prioritised natural, skin-first makeup, which was so important to me. They made me feel like such a beautiful bride, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Music shaped the atmosphere from start to finish. “With our venue being such an iconic, old-school New York location — with the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan skyline behind us — we wanted the soundtrack to feel classic and personal,” Allie says. A violin and cello duo performed The Beatles’ Something as Tom and their families entered, while Allie walked with her father to Mia & Sebastian’s Theme from La La Land — a film close to their hearts. A jazz trio played Sinatra and Nat King Cole during cocktail hour, and dinner featured the songs they grew up with: Fleetwood Mac, The Bee Gees, Van Morrison, Hall & Oates. “Being surrounded by the people you grew up with, listening to the music of your childhood — it was so special,” she says.

If there’s one thing Allie wishes, it’s simply that she had more time. “There were moments where things felt rushed, and all I wanted to do was pause and soak it in, to spend more time with everyone who came to celebrate. But a wedding is only one day — we went with the flow as best we could.” The couple believe what makes their relationship work is balance. “We truly balance each other out so well,” Allie says. And the lessons they’ve learnt together are as pragmatic as they are profound. “Nothing is promised — not money, success, security. All of these things could vanish in the blink of an eye. But as long as we have each other through any hardship, we’ll make it out happy and whole.”

Looking forward, their philosophy remains beautifully simple: as long as they’re together, Allie and Tom are excited for whatever the future holds.