For New York Nico, a Party at Katz's Delicatessen With All the Fixings

New York Times

25-04-2025

Nicolas Gianni Heller and Naomi Jenny Otsu describe themselves as 'such millennials.' They bonded over being awkward in front of a camera, and they prefer to avoid the spotlight because they 'hate being perceived,' Ms. Otsu said. 'We need to get past our cringe.'
So when they celebrated their wedding on April 11 at Katz's Delicatessen, they skipped over any exchange of personal vows. They could not imagine professing their love to each other in front of 130 guests.
Ms. Otsu is a graphic illustrator and designer, and Mr. Heller is a filmmaker and social media creator known as New York Nico. The location of their party, the beloved pastrami joint on Manhattan's Lower East Side, was fitting given Mr. Heller's work documenting the iconic and eclectic people and places that capture the flavor of the city.
Several recurring characters from his videos were there, including Elizabeth Sweetheart, known as the 'the Green Lady,' famous for always wearing green. Mr. Heller scooped up the spiky-haired comedian Mario Bosco in his arms and passed him to Daniel Mondello, a food influencer who goes by 'Cugine.' There was Wayne Diamond, an actor known for his performance in 'Uncut Gems,' who, in his thick New York accent, said, 'What a day. I saw Naomi, I don't know how she married this guy. I thought she'd like guys with hair. But I mean, fuhgeddaboudit.'
'They've all become like family over the years,' said Mr. Heller, who was born and raised in Manhattan and has built a following of 1.5 million on Instagram.
Mr. Heller, 36, may have crossed paths with Ms. Otsu, 37, at events around New York, but it wasn't until he spotted her on a friend's Instagram page in 2017 that he truly took notice. He followed her account, and she followed back. Beyond thinking she was cute, he admired her work and appreciated that she was a graphic designer, like both of his parents.
He said he 'tried doing the DM thing, but it didn't really work.'
Ms. Otsu noticed that he was sliding into her DMs, but didn't engage much. She was focusing on having a good time with her friends and taking a break from dating, which had been 'exhausting,' she said. 'I just wanted to not think about men.'
Months later, once she was ready to jump back into dating, the two matched on the dating app Raya, which took him by surprise. 'I kind of just got the impression that she wasn't interested,' he said.
'Oh, look who it is,' she messaged him.
Their first date was in March 2018 at Lua Bar in Brooklyn, which has since closed.
'The moment we had the date, I felt pretty sure that we were going to be together for a long time,' Ms. Otsu said. 'I just could tell from his demeanor that he wasn't going to be the type to not text me back or play that game.'
After a few drinks, they met her friends at Lovers Rock, a reggae bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, that has since closed. Ms. Otsu had planned to meet them in case the date was a flop. But the date went well, so instead of using the meet-up as an out, she asked Mr. Heller to join.
'I'm not a club person, but I was willing to do whatever she wanted,' he said.
At a certain point, they started making out on the dance floor. The next morning, a stranger who had been hired to take photos for the venue sent him a DM on Instagram with a picture of the two kissing.
'I was embarrassed,' he said, but now, seven years later, he's hoping that photo still exists out there, and that he could somehow retrieve it.
For their second date, they went to see Wes Anderson's film 'Isle of Dogs' at Williamsburg Cinemas. He was preoccupied for much of the movie because he wanted to hold her hand, but was unsure of how to initiate.
'I was worried that she would reject me,' Mr. Heller said. 'I felt like a kid, you know? But I kind of knew that she was the one, and I didn't want to screw anything up.' (When he finally made his move, she said she was 'relieved.')
The day after, they took their first photo together, not counting the earlier dance floor shot. Tiger Hood, who plays golf with milk containers on city streets and frequently appears in Mr. Heller's videos, snapped a photo of the two.
'It means a lot to me because he means a lot to me, and it's cool that he captured that moment,' Mr. Heller said. 'And obviously, I care a lot about preservation and documenting things.'
That summer, they made it official when he asked her if he could introduce her to some friends as his girlfriend.
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During the coronavirus pandemic, the couple worked together on several projects. 'Both my parents work together, so I think it was kind of subconsciously important to me to have a partner who I could also work on projects with,' said Mr. Heller, who graduated from Emerson College with a bachelor's in film.
They made a good team because they both like to convey feelings of togetherness and happiness in their work. Their collaboration often involved jokey and lighthearted content, including a series of memes that went viral. Ms. Otsu, who graduated from Parsons School of Design with a bachelor of fine arts, is fast with Photoshop, and Mr. Heller is fast with recognizing moments that will resonate.
One of their memes was the New York version of Baby Yoda, a Star Wars character that she photoshopped into a North Face puffer jacket, a Yankees fitted hat and Timberland boots. They also created a viral meme using a photograph of a grumpy looking, cross-legged Bernie Sanders taken at President Biden's inauguration in 2021, photoshopped into various New York settings. (Ariana Grande reposted it, 'and that was crazy,' they both said at the same time.)
In July 2022, the couple moved into an apartment in Greenpoint. And last April, Mr. Heller proposed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Ms. Otsu was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., but she moved to Tokyo at age 8 before returning to New York for college. 'I thought it would be nice to do something with the cherry blossoms,' he said. Mr. Heller, who can't recall a time that he had ever set up a tripod to film himself, set one up, repositioned himself so that he and Ms. Otsu fit in the frame, and got down on one knee.
'I have not watched that video since because it was the most cringe thing in the entire world,' he said. 'I didn't know what I was supposed to do.'
'I'm going to watch it when I'm, like, 80,' Ms. Otsu said.
On April 10, the couple were married by Wanyi Mai at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, with a celebration at Katz's Delicatessen the following day. They were inspired by an after-party they attended there in 2019.
The hurdle, though, was the hefty price tag, which Mr. Heller was able to negotiate a bit by offering to film a commercial for Katz's. The commercial, which advertises the delicatessen's nationwide shipping services, was nominated for a Webby Award.
Guests enjoyed corned beef and pastrami sandwiches for dinner. Kareem Rahma, the creator and host of 'Subway Takes,' was the party's M.C. Mr. Heller's father, Steven Heller, who was an art director for The New York Times for over 30 years, gave a speech 'that everyone still talks about,' Ms. Otsu said.
'Here's a fun fact: Katz's opened in 1888 and Nick was born in 1988,' Steven Heller said. 'So, numerologically (and cabalistically) speaking, this must have some significance, although I don't know what. Still, any signal from the heavens that ensures Nick and Naomi have a joyful, productive and happy life is good, whatever it may be.'
Ms. Otsu's two best friends also gave a speech. 'My friends were a little inebriated, but they did their best and I love them,' she said.
The couple chose UGK's 'Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)' for their first dance. They slow danced to the beginning of the song, and as soon as Pimp C's energetic verse began, everyone joined in on the dance floor, and the wedding turned into a party. Nick Catchdubs, a founder of the Brooklyn record label Fool's Gold Records, provided the tunes for the night, which consisted largely of early 2000s music and Britney Spears.
The couple was also lifted in chairs, surrounded by the neon lights of Katz's old school, diner-like interior. It was a rainy New York night, which created a compelling aesthetic for the footage.
For the after-party, a small group walked down the block to Arlene's Grocery, a music venue. The couple and their guests, all in wedding attire, shared the tiny club with strangers who were partying on a Friday night, 'which made it better because a fight broke out,' Mr. Heller said, and 'some girl got her wig snatched.'
'There was drama happening in different pockets, like one of my friends set the fire alarm off,' Ms. Otsu said. 'The recap the day after, hearing everyone's stories was really, really funny.'
'When the night ended, I just was in disbelief that it ended so fast,' Ms. Otsu said. 'I want to do it again.'
When April 11, 2025
Where Katz's Delicatessen
An Accidental Custom Dress Ms. Otsu's wedding dress from the Turkish brand, The New Arrivals by Ilkyaz Özel, was initially so short she worried she would accidentally flash her guests. Two friends helped make the dress long custom gown. But an hour before the wedding, a friend pinned the dress up so that Ms. Otsu wouldn't trip on it while setting up, and they left it that way for the entire evening.
Love Letters Instead of exchanging vows, the couple exchanged letters the day of their wedding, which they don't plan on reading for a while. She said she hopes to read it in 10 years, but he thinks they'll read them sooner. 'I'm gonna miss you if you're away or something,' Mr. Heller said.