• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
the wedding files
May 17, 2019

A Brewery Wedding During a Congressional Campaign

By Kaitlin Menza

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Democratic Congressman Max Rose of New York and fashion stylist Leigh Byrne. Photo: Michael Lim Photography

When we ask newlyweds to think back on what they wanted most for their big day — and we’ve interviewed hundreds of them over the years — the most common response is: “For it not to feel like a wedding!” But in a monsoon of flower crowns and macaron towers, how do you see beyond the usual tropes and actually pull off a non-cookie-cutter affair? For the answer, we’ve decided to interrogate the cool couples whose weddings we would actually want to steal — right down to the tiger-shaped cake toppers.

Here, we talked to Democratic Congressman Max Rose of New York and fashion stylist Leigh Byrne, who were married March 31, 2018 at a brewery near their home on Staten Island. Their wedding was a low-key affair despite, or perhaps due to, its occurrence in the middle of Rose’s first congressional campaign — which he went on to win (and they celebrated with a no-cell-reception honeymoon in Uruguay).

Max: You know how they say awkward proposals lead to good marriages? We’re testing that one out.

Leigh: He proposed in June 2017, the night before he was deployed with the National Guard on a training mission to Australia for six weeks. He was acting really strange. I kept asking, “Are you okay?!”

Max: My plan was, when you do a deployment you get a detailed packing list. I was going to read off the list, and have her check in the bag, and then at the end I was going to say, “and one ring.” Then she’d look up and I’d be on my knee. Great thing! When I suggested this, like any rational human being, she said, I’ll read the list, you pack.

Leigh: I’m a stylist by trade. I’m a great packer. I pack bags, I unpack bags. We finish packing, and he’s sweaty and looks a little pale.

Max: Leigh doesn’t fuck around. She doesn’t fuck around.

Leigh: I don’t know if I’ve told anyone this before, but we dance in the middle of our living room, or in our kitchen. We did our dancing thing, and then he said, look down. I looked down, and he had a ring box open. I said, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Max: I blacked out and then I was on one knee. Thank God she said yes.

Leigh: I was actually the one who pushed us to get married [before the election]. I’m a bit traditional in that sense. We want to start a family. So in the fall of 2017, we settled on March.  The campaign was a little chaotic, to say the least, but we found Flagship Brewery, which we loved, right down the street from where we live in Staten Island.

Max: It’s one of our favorite places to hang out. But it’s also a canvas that we could work with — lots of catering options, and different areas where people could stand or sit, dance or socialize.

Leigh: It fell into place. I wanted it to be as simple as possible, logistics-wise. Max was on a tight schedule.

Max: The fact that we were planning at the height of a Congressional campaign — the last thing we wanted to do was put our families or us through any more stress. We just wanted a celebration, without stages to it. We asked my best friend to marry us.

Leigh: We didn’t walk down an aisle, didn’t have an aisle. It was all inside this — basically this warehouse space of the brewery. But I did wear an ivory dress, with beading along the bodice; I wore an Italian designer, Francesco Scognamiglio, and heels by Gianvito Rossi, another Italian designer. Max wore Michael Andrews Bespoke. He always wears bespoke.

Max: She’s making me sound cooler than I am. It’s true that I did have this one made. I was so nervous. I never want to mess anything up with Leigh.

Leigh: We stood in front of the room so that everyone could gather around. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house. I remember standing there doing our vows — and he was! A little nervous! Max hardly ever gets nervous.

Max: I’m not sure it was my best delivery, because I was much more nervous than being up on stage giving a speech. But the whole group of our 200 guests just gathered around us — the word that keeps coming to mind is “organic.” It fit us super well.

Leigh: For the cocktail hour, we had a huge wheel of Pecorino, you could just get in there, kinda old-school Italian, and chop up your cheese and put it on bread, with soppressata and sausage.

Max had gone ahead to the brewery earlier that day and made sure everything was coming together nicely, that the catering [Chez Vous Catering] was set up the way we wanted it.

Max: There were passed hors d’oeuvres, grilled baby lamb chops and crab cakes and mini grilled cheeses with tomato-soup shooters. Then buffet tables where we were serving beef and fish with roasted veggies and a garden salad. It was all pretty rustic. There was a big American flag on the wall, by a group of local Staten Island fire fighter-artists.

Leigh: We had wildflowers, three vases per table. I put them together myself with my father and step-mother, Carol, with flowers purchased from the floral district in the city. We didn’t do much else with the decor — we wanted to keep the warehouse vibe. The space has a bar in the back — we had a corner with a table of Scotches; it was yummy — and a huge open dance floor. We had a DJ and a bongo player through Victory Entertainment, which was brilliant. People pulled us up for a first dance, we didn’t have one scheduled. Maybe Max will remember the song? Oh my gosh. I don’t remember the song we danced to!

Max: [pause] …no. I guess it wasn’t about the formalities for us. People eventually forgot they were at a wedding. They were just enjoying each other, dancing to Janet Jackson, Backstreet Boys; there was some motown, too.  It went into the wee hours of the morning.

Leigh: After the buffet, we had a late-night hot dog cart, which was a big hit. There were dessert tables and a Napoleon for the wedding cake. Of course, I didn’t eat a thing, because I was running around. We partied until 1 A.M., 1:30 A.M.? It was a lot of dancing right up until the end. Then Max and I walked home, married. He was basically back to campaigning the next morning.

View
1 / 8 Photos
Congressman Max Rose says he was nervous for the ceremony, which was out of character. The pair were married at the Flagship Brewery on Staten Island.... Congressman Max Rose says he was nervous for the ceremony, which was out of character. The pair were married at the Flagship Brewery on Staten Island. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
There was no walking down the aisle for Leigh; in fact, there wasn't an aisle at all. Guests just gathered around the couple as they spoke their vows.... There was no walking down the aisle for Leigh; in fact, there wasn't an aisle at all. Guests just gathered around the couple as they spoke their vows. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
In the Jewish tradition, Max broke a glass to end the ceremony. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
Leigh's dress is by designer Francesco Scognamiglio. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
"We didn’t do much else with the decor — we wanted to keep the warehouse vibe," Leigh says. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
A big American flag decorates one wall of the brewery. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
Around 200 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour of baby lamb chops and crab cakes, followed by a buffet dinner. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
Max was back to campaigning the next day, the couple said. He won his seat in Congress about seven months later. Photo: Michael Lim Photography
1 / 8

Tags:

  • image gallery
  • cut homepage lede
  • gallery
  • the wedding files
  • weddings
  • bridal
  • style
  • More

More Galleries

met gala 2023 May 2, 2023
Met Gala 2023: All the Looks  See all the dresses, some on-theme and some, well, not so much — honoring Karl Lagerfeld at the Met Gala. 
By Brooke LaMantia
oscars 2023 Mar. 12, 2023
Oscars Red Carpet 2023: Every Look  Rihanna! Florence Pugh! Michelle Yeoh! They’re all here. 
celebrity Feb. 19, 2023
All the Best Looks From the 2023 BAFTAs Red Carpet  Florence Pugh, Barry Keoghan, and Angela Bassett brought color to the red carpet. 
grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.