Hundreds of Couples Celebrate Love at Lincoln Center's ‘The Wedding'

New York Times

4 hours ago

Some of the 500 people who lined up outside Lincoln Center in Manhattan on June 21 wore distinctive get-ups like a light-up bridal veil or a tuxedo appliquéd with tropical birds. Many, though, came in T-shirts and baseball caps.
They were all there for a mass celebration known as 'The Wedding: New York's Biggest Day,' which is part of the venue's 'Summer for the City' programming. The event has been growing in scope and attendance since its inception in 2022. Now it is among the most anticipated offerings of the summer, according to Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center's chief artistic officer, who was on hand at the recent installment to welcome couples.
'Biggest Day,' conceived as a response to weddings derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, includes welcome festivities like a photo booth run by a professional photographer, a temporary-tattoo artist inking bare forearms with press-on hearts and a tarot-card-reading station.
An hourlong symbolic 'ceremony' in Alice Tully Hall with love-themed readings and performances follows, as does a 'reception' with passed desserts in the lobby and outdoor dancing on the plaza next door. No one legally marries, despite the presence of a rabbi, a reverend and other religious leaders this year. But for many, that's the point.
Sri Sapram and Oliver Yao, for example, have been dating for two years but are not yet ready to commit for life. One reason is that, for now, their relationship is long-distance. Ms. Sapram, 22, is studying to be a physician assistant in Philadelphia. Mr. Yao, 24, left his job in finance recently and, at least for the summer, is 'funemployed,' he said.
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