GET DOWN TONIGHT
(THE WEDDING)
Okay, we all meet down at GIANDO ON THE WATER, in Williamsburg, on the Sunday before “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” You and your fellow guests gather on the Giando terrace (weather permitting) as the sun sets. We have a nice wedding ceremony with Manhattan right there. Maybe you bring shades as the sun will be low (and hopefully not hidden) because let’s face it your retinae are important.
Then, after that ceremony, everyone goes right inside for a cocktail/hors d’oeuvres, hugs, and photos hour. And after that, everyone goes upstairs to the dining room for a nice seated dinner. And then, after that, we roll out onto the dance floor, where the legendary Ana Matronic spins disco classics, turning it into a Boogie D. Wonderland, amidst a lot of conversation and cake.
Of course, there'll be options available for you dietary alternative-types, noted by the waitstaff when the dinner orders are taken.
(A “heads up” that you hand-write on the RSVP card regarding any specific dietary requests would be helpful, but not crucial).
Have you yet returned that RSVP card in the self addressed, stamped envelope that came with the invitation? Honestly, there’s no consequences for not complying, but you just gotta reserve your plate!
(Please note that if you were to RSVP in the affirmative, but other invitees in your party were not to attend: if you would let us know who’s not attending by drawing a line through their name that we wrote on the RSVP card, it would help us get an accurate head count).
WHERE DO I GO?
Giando On The Water
400 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11249
718-387-7000
WHEN DO I GO THERE?
OCTOBER 7, 2018, 5:30PM
WHAT DO I WEAR?
First and foremost, we want everyone to feel festive and to not be uncomfortable! Giando’s is a real New York kinda restaurant with a slightly kitschy, “American Hustle/Casino” feel, at once sophisticated and kinda garish in a Carmela Soprano kinda way. The music will be exclusively disco (we both love disco), so as far as fashion goes we’re goin’ for a kinda “disco chic” feel, though we don’t wanna be too rigid. We think this sounds fun but we’re not throwing a “costume party” or making people spend money they don’t wanna spend. We love the idea that everyone feels super festive, and if dressing up on the theme sounds fun to you, go for it! Our main goal is that everyone has a blast, is dressed to celebrate, and no matter what they’re wearing, that they’re “bringing their best self”...which of course can mean many things, and every single one of them is lovingly embraced by us.
WHAT CAN I GET YOU GUYS?
It would delight us if, in lieu of gifts, you made a donation to as many of our three favorite charities as you wish:
ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS
BD is on the Board of Trustees of this wonderful org founded by Rosie O’Donnell which brings the magic of Broadway, through ticket programs and musical theater training, to the New York Public School System’s most under-served students.
rosiestheaterkids.org
THE HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE
The nation’s oldest and largest organization helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth to reach their full potential.
hmi.org
AALDEF
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans.
aaldef.org
If you could include a notation on your donation attaching it to the “Richert Schnorr-BD Wong Wedding” that would be swell!
HOW DO I GET THERE?
Giando's is very easy to access via:
Regular New York Yellow Cab (out of towners, you can hail taxicabs pretty easily on the street - just like in the movies! If the “on duty” light on the roof showing the taxi’s medallion number is lit up then it’s available for hire).
Ride hailing services (from an app like Uber or Lyft).
The NY Subway. You can take the J, M or Z trains (in this color-coded system, the J/M/Z trains are BROWN) and get off at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn, the closest subway stop. From there it's about a 12 minute walk - not hard to find but not the most convenient of all the options because of the walk.
PLEASE NOTE: The L Train is not running the weekend of the wedding
Some basics, if you’re unfamiliar with NYC:
Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island are five separate but adjacent areas known as The Five Boroughs. Manhattan is where 99% of the sight seeing you probably want to do will be; the many great museums, the Broadway shows (Times Square), The Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial, etc.
(The Statue of Liberty, however, is not in any of the Five Boroughs, it is just off the lower West part of Manhattan on Ellis Island, not dissimilar from the relationship between San Francisco and Alcatraz).
Williamsburg (location of GIANDO’S, the wedding venue) is an area within the borough of Brooklyn, and Brooklyn is just slightly southeast of Manhattan across the East River over the Williamsburg Bridge. Going between Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Manhattan is a relatively minor car or taxi ride; you are just going over one bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge.
