THE CENTERPIECES
As we embark on this new chapter in our lives, we wanted to look back at our pasts and think about the values we want to carry on in our married lives. In digging through both of our respective family photo archives, we boiled down our values into 9 tenets. We chose the best photo from each of our families to represent every tenet. Each table at the wedding contains one of these photos. We encourage you to click each photo to learn more about the story behind it.
A big thank you to Steven Meyer, Debby Szajnberg, Faye Ginsburg, Anton Martinez, and Norma Martinez for their tireless efforts in helping us find, scan, and learn about each of these photos (and many more).
1. LOVE
It's no surprise love is a core value we are looking to carry forward in our marriage.
George 'Lance' McDonald & Rhoda McDonald
Location: Pelham, New York
Date: 1944
Description: Rhoda & George 'Lance' McDonald (Nicole's maternal grandparents) in front of Beloved Ancon (Nicole's childhood home, about to leave for their Honeymoon.
Photo Credit: Butler Powers
Pearl Ginsburg & Benson Ginsburg
Location: Detroit, MI
Date: Early 1940s
Description: Formal portrait of Pearl and Benson Ginsburg (Lily's maternal grandparents)
Photo Credit: Ginsburg Studio (Morris/Meishe Ginsburg)
2. MUSIC
Without music, there would be no "us". Music has been a core foundation of both of our upbringings, and is a core foundation of our relationship. Our love for music has been passed along for many generations.
Anton Martinez & John "Johnny" Martinez
Location: Fort Tryon Park, New York
Description: Anton Martinez (Nicole's father) with John 'Johnny' Martinez jamming in Fort Tryon Park in New York City.
Date: June 2001
Debby Szajnberg with her band, A Different Village
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Date: 1992
Photo Credit: Janet Brown
Description: Debby (Lily's mother) rehearsed every Thursday night with her international folk music band, 'A Different Village'. This was a core part of Lily's upbringing.
3. FAMILY
When you marry someone you love, you are also marrying into their family. This is something we both understood and felt was very important when we first started dating. Nicole and Lily chose to commit to a lifetime, not only with one another, but with both of their families. Whether it is Easter with 100 McDonalds or yearly trips to Maine with 5 Szajnbergs in one small cabin, Nicole and Lily are excited to spend as many holidays, vacations, and general free-time with their families.
Saint-Cyr Family and Friends
Location: Villa Le Hazard, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Date: May 9th, 1954
Description: (from far-left) Millia Martinez (Nicole's grandmother), Angello Martinez & Joseph Martinez (Nicole's uncles), and Anton Martinez (Nicole's father), with their extended family and friends after Anton's First Communion in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Left to Right: Faye Ginsburg, Pearl Ginsburg, Debby Szajnberg, and Meishe Ginsburg.
Location: Somewhere in the western USA
Date: Summer 1957
Description: Ginsburg family eating lunch on the tailgate of their salmon pink station wagon, in the western USA, on a cross-country trip to California from Chicago
Photo Credit: Benson Ginsburg
4. Learning
Nicole and Lily both come from families that love and embrace the importance of lifelong learning. They come from well-educated and curious families that have set them on a path to continue learning and exploring. From reading the news to listening to books on tape on their 17 hour Nashville to New York drives to learning the language of the places they love to travel to, Nicole and Lily look forward to learning from and with one another.
Rhoda McDonald & Mary (friend)
Location: Colonial Elementary School, Pelham, New York
Description: Rhoda McDonald (Nicole's grandmother) and her friend, Mary, in front of Colonial Elementary School (Nicole's Elementary School)
Date: Halloween 1933
Benson Ginsburg & Jesse Levine (friend)
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Date: 1933
Description: Benson Ginsburg (Lily’s grandfather) and his friend, Jesse Levine (whose father was Benson's Yiddish teacher)
Photo Credit: Ginsburg Studio (Morris/Meishe Ginsburg)
5. Dogs
If you don't know we love dogs enough to put them as a core value of our relationship, then you don't know us very well at all :). Though Lily didn't have a dog growing up, her grandfather showered her in dog and wolf experiences as his career was in canine behavioral genetics. From dog shows to wolf visits (seriously), Lily enjoyed every dog moment she had growing up, and knew Nicole was the one when they agreed on prioritizing getting a dog together. Nicole grew up with a plethora of pups, and loves that she can continue living a dog-fueled life with their rambunctious, rapscalion of a dog, Bosco.
Leah Martinez
Location: Beloved Ancon, Pelham, New York
Date: Fall 2010
Description: Leah Martinez (Nicole's dog) laying in the leaves in the backyard of Nicole's childhood home. This was one of Leah's favorite pasttimes.
Photo Credit: Anton Martinez
Benson Ginsburg holding research wolves Romulus & Remus
Location: University of Chicago
Date: early 1960s
Description: Benson Ginsburg (Lily’s maternal grandfather) with wolves Romulus and Remus, his research animals, in the wolf yard at the University of Chicago
Photo Credit: Life Magazine
5. Travel
You've undoubtedly heard Nicole and Lily bore you with their long-winded explanations of mileage-runs, Platinum statuses, strategic point redemptions, and free upgrades - and they love every minute of it. Though Nicole didn't start flying until her teens, her family took countless road trips along the east coast when she was a child. Lily started flying across the country twice a year at age 6, and road-tripped to Maine every summer. They look forward to their travel together, but are slightly less excited about having to share their air miles with one another :)
Left to Right: Erica Martinez, Nicole Martinez, Anton Martinez, Christopher Martinez, Andrew Martinez
Location: Disney World
Date: 1987
Description: The Martinez Family takes a break during a family vacation in Disney World.
Photo Credit: Norma Martinez
Meishe Ginsburg pitching a tent.
Location: Somewhere between Chicago and California
Date: Summer 1957
Description: Meishe Ginsburg (Lily’s maternal great-grandfather) pitching a tent, while camping across country from Chicago to California
Photo Credit: Benson Ginsburg
6. Outdoors
Hiking and beach trips are two of Nicole and Lily's favorite activities. They've been doing both all their lives, and are excited to continue 'getting high' (hitting every high point in the USA) in their married life.
Left to Right: Norma McDonald Martinez & Gail McDonald Watson
Location: Spring Lake, New Jersey
Date: August 1961
Description: Norma and Gail soak up some rays on the Jersey Shore.
Photo Credit: Butler Powers
Left to Right: Debby Szajnberg, Faye Ginsburg, Judy Meyer
Location: Lake Mead, Nevada
Date: 1957
Description: Debby Ginsburg Szajnberg, Faye Ginsburg, Judy Ginsburg Meyer (Lily's mother and aunts) on a float in Lake Mead, Nevada
Photo Credit: Benson Ginsburg
7. Celebration
To quote one of Nicole's favorite songs, "A little party never killed nobody". The only thing Nicole and Lily love more than attending parties and celebrations, is throwing them. Whether it's cooking dinner, crafting cocktails, or curating playlists, Nicole and Lily can't turn down a celebration of any kind. After all, who doesn't love big parties? They're so intimate.
Left to Right: The McDTones: Doug, Jeff, Bruce, Mark, and Greg McDonald,
Location: Radnor, PA
Date: May 17th, 1992
Description: Nicole's uncles, best known as the McDTones, aren't shy about jumping on the microphone to croon for a crowd, especially at major family events like weddings. Pictured here they are singing for Greg's wedding.
Photo Credit: Anton Martinez
Left to Right: Debby Szajnberg & Barbara Low
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: October, 1958
Description: Debby Ginsburg Szajnberg (Lily's mother) with Barbara Bernstein Low blowing out birthday candles for Debby’s 10th birthday. Debby and Barbara are still close friends to this day and recently recreated this moment together at Debby's 65th birthday.
Photo Credit: Benson Ginsburg
8. Food
If Lily had a penny for every time she thought about food, she'd be able to afford a private jet to shuttle her to her favorite crepe stand in Paris. Lily and Nicole LOVE food and every ritual around it. Both are adventurous eaters (bull penis, anyone?), excellent cooks, and avid foodies. When they say they like to keep things spicy, they mean it.
Christopher Martinez
Location: Beloved Ancon, Pelham, New York
Date: Christmas 2003
