The New York City Skyline Took Center Stage at This Liberty House Wedding in Jersey City, New Jersey

Over their decade together, Derek and Mark have traveled the world—and the couple wanted their wedding to pay tribute to their adventures. “We planned the day based on the different places we’ve gone together,” Mark says. With that in mind, the jet-setters took guests from a ceremony facing the New York City skyline to a reception full of worldly details, like a welcome table made of vintage luggage and travel tags that greeted guests at the party. Afterward, the pair headed on their next trip: a honeymoon in Japan. 

Derek and Mark’s mutual friend Louise not only introduced the pair in 2008, but also served as their officiant. “She messaged me on Facebook and said, ‘I never do this but...,’ and the rest is history,” Mark says. Partygoers sipped margaritas, a tribute to Derek and Mark’s first date at a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan. 

The ladies in Mark and Derek’s wedding party carried different arrangements of blue thistles and yellow honeycomb orchids.  The couple specifically chose their flowers based on different places they’ve been together, including blooms from Thailand, Costa Rica and Peru and their home states of Illinois and Georgia.