Inside the Meme and Mariah Carey-filled Wedding of Two YouTube Stars

All Photography by Ben Fraser from Weddings by Two

Billy and Pat Sandora-Nastyn met online, but not through a traditional dating site.  “I saw a picture of Billy on Facebook in June 2009,” Pat remembers.  “A friend had recently gone on a trip with him, and he was in a lot of the pictures. I thought he was so cute, and I just had to meet him.” 

That mutual friend introduced Billy, who works in design and social media to Pat, a digital strategist. A few flirtatious Facebook messages later, the two decided to meet in person at Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park. After a sudden downpour forced them indoors, the two shared their first date at the closest place they could find, a Chinese restaurant. “After dinner we took a long walk and witnessed a rare cloud formation that had everyone in the street looking up,” Billy tells Yahoo Style. “It was special moment for the two of us.”

The couple dated for over three years before Pat proposed while on a spontaneous trip to London in November 2012. “I had just been laid off from my job and decided to take advantage of my sudden free time,” says Pat. “We took off for London on Thanksgiving night for a long weekend away. It wasn’t until we were in the air that I decided I was going to propose to Billy on the trip.”

In a thoroughly modern touch, the couple started a YouTube channel and Tumblr to answer the questions about same-sex marriage they encountered from family and friends, and to share their wedding-planning process. Their vlog blew up, and in the process has made the couple something akin to modern-day wedding etiquette experts, covering topics from whose last name to take, to how to choose a wedding gift with humor and grace.

After some deliberation, the couple booked their Friday, December 13, 2013 wedding at 632 on Hudson, a triplex located in New York City’s West Village neighborhood. “Instead of feeling like we were celebrating in a giant banquet hall, the space made us feel like we were hosting our very own extravagant holiday party,” says Pat.

Inspired by the venue’s collection of antiques and décor, the grooms planned a dark, yet warm palette for their wedding and used hints of gold in the details. “I used Art Deco fonts and a scalloped pattern in the stationery based on the details of 632 on Hudson’s front door,” explains Billy, who designed their invitations.

For the ceremony, the couple stood in the venue’s central atrium, in front of a large fireplace adorned with a pine garland and an illustrated portrait the couple had commissioned by artist Matt Howorth. Guests stood around them and along the steps of the building’s three-story staircase. The grooms held hands as they walked down the aisle together to “Hang With Me” by Robyn.

After they were announced husband and husband, the celebration kicked off right away as the newlyweds walked in a reverse receiving line up the staircase to “Kids” by Mikky Ekko. “The whole evening had the essence of a cocktail hour,” says Billy. “Guests were encouraged to explore the entire space throughout the night. There were no place settings or table assignments. A few cocktail tables were set up here and there, and there was a large family style table in the kitchen area for guests to sit and mingle.”

Caterer Sips & Bits whipped up a seasonal menu with ingredients from the couple’s favorite fall and winter dishes, including deviled eggs and crostini, chicken and waffles with maple butter, meatloaf cupcakes topped with mashed potato frosting, and mini beef on weck sandwiches.

DJ RuBot kept the crowd on their feet with a mix of Motown-inspired jams and dance hits. The couple trusted him to create a playlist that would keep the energy up, but they did create an end-of-the-night song list of Christmas pop songs.  “I arranged with the DJ to have a microphone ready, and without Pat’s knowledge I serenaded him with the introduction to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ before going into the full version, which turned into every guest dancing and screaming the lyrics,” shares Billy. “It was extremely fun and he was definitely blushing.”

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.