“Absolutely Fantastic”
We met at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and were introduced by our close mutual friend, Carly Crist, who officiated our wedding. Our first date was at Little Fish in Philadelphia in January 2015. I was a sophomore and Reid was a senior. The proposal was after a day full of activities on the seventh anniversary of our first date. Reid proposed in front of College Hall, followed by dinner at Little Fish with family and friends. Now we’re both in finance and we’re both licensed as FAA private pilots to fly single engine planes.
Growing up on Long Island, I knew OHEKA CASTLE was a gorgeous venue. We loved its beautiful architecture and sprawling gardens. We also enjoyed working with Kelly Melius, director of sales, and her team, and created a fully customized dinner menu with Chef Chris Cappello. Our main priority was to create a unique wedding weekend, which paired well with OHEKA’s expertise.
Our music was put together by Nicole Zuraitis, a close friend of Reid’s sister from college. She was nominated for a Grammy and assembled a band for us and even learned Polish music. My father and I walked out to a string quartet version of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” Our officiant, Carly Crist, focused on our love story. My brother, Adam Borowski, and Reid’s sister, Bree Birns, both did readings during the ceremony.
We also incorporated the Polish vodka tradition ending the ceremony, where the bride and groom each drink either one shot of water or one shot of vodka, and the one who gets the vodka has the upper hand in the marriage. But we focused on our equal partnership, so we both had vodka and then each of us broke the shot glass for good luck.
“Growing up on Long Island, I knew OHEKA CASTLE was a gorgeous venue. We loved its beautiful architecture and sprawling gardens.
