isn't it romantic

A Countryside Wedding That Ended With Fireworks

Kat Widing and Ben Spicehandler. Photo: John Dolan

Welcome to Isn’t It Romantic?, a week in which we will indulge our desire to shamelessly ogle lavish, beautiful weddings. Next up: Kat Widing and Ben Spicehandler.

The Couple

Kat and Ben met on the first day of school while they were both freshmen at Colgate University. “For Ben, it was love at first sight. I took a little longer,” Kat said. They dated through college and moved to New York together.

The Proposal

Kat works as an art specialist at Christie’s, so he wanted to incorporate art into the proposal. They took a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a friend who worked at the museum. Their friend left to “take a call” and snapped photos while Ben got down on one knee. Sadly, the photos were all blurry because Ben wanted to use a fancy camera that belonged to Kat. The security guards clapped as they left the gallery.

The Wedding

They got married at Kat’s family home in western Pennsylvania, seven hours away from New York. “It was the perfect place to bring our friends and family together,” Kat said. After a ceremony overlooking a valley, they headed for a buffet dinner and lots of dancing. Fireworks capped off the night.

The Details

Dress and Veil: Lela Rose through Gabriella New York Bridal
Rehearsal Dinner Jumpsuit: Temperley London
Suit: Todd Snyder
Band: A-Town A-List, Atlanta through Sam Hill Entertainment
Flowers: The Farmer’s Daughter, Pittsburgh

Planner: Laura Widing (the bride’s mother!)

Caterer: Bob Sendall from All in Good Taste Productions
Hair: Brenda Domurot from Salon Layne, Latrobe
Makeup: Lisa Johnson from Kiss and Makeup
Location: Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Photographer: John Dolan

The Photos

Photo: John Dolan

A friend from Colgate officiated the ceremony, incorporating Jewish, Christian, and Quaker elements in under 20 minutes. “We felt that was a way to equalize the whole process,” Kat said. “It made for a partnership that was on equal terms.”

Photo: John Dolan

In homage to Kat’s mother and Ben’s father, the music at the ceremony was all Beatles. Kat walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun,” and the recessional was “When I’m 64.”

Photo: John Dolan

“For us, the ceremony was the most important part, Kat said. “We had a lot of elements that were very personal.” Afterward, they threw a real party. Food was served buffet style, and the couple estimates that someone was always on the dance floor.

Photo: John Dolan

Their first song was to “Love on Top,” and a band played throughout the reception. “It was a really fun wedding and lots of dancing was to be had,” Kat said.

Photo: John Dolan

The night capped with fireworks and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” The finale of the fireworks lined up with the final chorus of the song.

A Countryside Wedding That Ended With Fireworks