Real Wedding
A
fter Tanatee (Tim) Dejsiriudom and Jonathan Lewis met at a New York City disco in 2013, it didn’t take long for them to realize that, despite their different backgrounds — Tim is Catholic and grew up in Thailand, while Jonathan is Jewish and was raised in Israel — they shared a similar worldview and the same vivid imagination. As their relationship deepened, the two often visited Newport, where they fell in love with the city’s history, romance and elegance. “This is our special place, and we visit yearly,” Jonathan says.
Blending Traditions
The couple spent more than a year perfecting every detail of their wedding weekend, from Friday’s tea ceremony and Shabbat dinner at the Vanderbilt to Saturday’s ceremony and reception at Rosecliff, to Sunday’s Take Me Home, Country Roads brunch and hoedown at La Forge Casino Restaurant. The men aimed to bridge their religious traditions at the ceremony at Rosecliff, where they incorporated both the Jewish seven blessings and the Catholic unity candle in a ser ice officiated by a nondenominational spiritual leader.
Dessert Storm
The reception in Rosecliff’s ballroom featured a ilded ge motif, with florals inspired by 18th-century Dutch master paintings and tabletop arrangements (designed by Tim) featuring fruits, seashells, birds and butterflies preser ed under bell jars he menu reflected the couple’s cultures, with a deconstructed Israeli salad and seared salmon with Thai red curry. A three-tiered marbleized cake was the centerpiece of a dessert table filled with such exotic choices as mango sticky rice with jasmine coconut crème, violet compote tiramisu, and orange blossom milk custard.
Love in the Air
Tim & Jonathan November 2, 2020
The couple chose ABBA’s Thank You for the Music for their first dance usic is our muse, our light at the end of the tunnel, our blessing,” says Jonathan. After dinner, he and Tim entertained guests with a duet of Kacey Musgraves’ Rainbow, with Tim on piano. Later, guests joined in to dance the traditional Jewish hora. “As we were lifted high into the sky, our guests sent our spirits soaring to the stars,” says Jonathan. “For a few short moments,” Tim adds, “the entire room seemed to levitate.”
Where Are They Now?
After the wedding, Tim and Jonathan returned to their New York City home, where Jonathan is director of marketing for a cosmetics company and Tim is a chef at a popular French restaurant. — Paula M. Bodah
