Sabaina and Caio got married in Wagner Cove in October. Sabaina is from Maryland and is 31 years old and Caio is from São Paulo, Brazil and is 34 years old. They met in Michigan, while studying for their MBAs at the University of Michigan. They currently live in Brooklyn.
They dated for two years before getting married. They got engaged in in January 2021 in Brazil on Sabaina’s birthday. She had just woken up and Caio popped the question first thing. “Getting married is important to me because it signals that I found the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and vice versa,” Sabaina told me. “It’s a commitment that I have always dreamed about, happening with the right person at the right time, whenever that would be,” she said.
Sabaina and Caio didn’t consider any other options for their wedding. “It just made sense for us to tie the knot someplace that we would visit multiple times in the future, Wagner Cove was it!” Sabaina told me. It’s a lovely thought for me to picture them returning to the spot where they said “I do” as the years go by. “We chose Central Park because of its beauty! We wanted to do something outdoors amongst nature,” Sabaina said.
I asked Sabaina what she thought about smaller and more alternative weddings like hers, “I definitely think these wedding formats are becoming more popular,” she said. “We live in a world where new experiences are at your fingertip, if you are open to try something new, and to do something that best suits you and your partner.”
Caio’s family is in Brazil and Sabaina has family in Sierra Leone, so they would have had family members who wouldn’t be able to make the wedding in person no matter where they had gotten married. “Since we have an international family, we have plans to do it all over again in Brazil and Sierra Leone, to include everyone in the celebration,” Sabaina told me. “But we have no regrets about having an intimate wedding in the city where we live,” she added.
The ceremony took place in Wagner Cove and Sabaina said that was where her favorite photos were taken. Their photographer Justin Tinapay met them both together before the ceremony and took a few photos beside the Lake before going over to Wagner Cove, where Caio greeted their guests first, then Sabaina made her entrance. “We took photos all over the park, but my favorite area was Wagner Cove – it is such a special and romantic area of the park – it is semi-private and so scenic,” she said.
We kept the ceremony fairy sort and straightforward. “The ceremony was so lovely and well-run,” said Sabaina. “We decided to reserve saying any personal vows for when we are surrounded by our family abroad. So, we stuck to the general vows and it was just as special” she said. They had around fifteen guests. They were all from Sabaina’s side of the family, since Caio’s family is in Brazil. “They absolutely loved the idea of us getting married in Central Park and enjoyed themselves,” said Sabaina.
Sabaina wore a simple but beautiful ivory gown, purchased from Fame and Partners. She had her hair done professionally and her make up was done by Mandisa Vonette. Sabaina’s friend has a dried floral business, Ritual Stems, so she made her dried flower bouquet especially for her.
After the ceremony they took some photos at Cherry Hill and Bow Bridge and then went over to Bethesda Terrace. Sabaina had especially wanted to go to quiet spots for photos, which was impossible on Bow Bridge on such a lovely day, but Justin was able to position them in locations around Bethesda Terrace to keep other people out of shot. After they left Central Park, they had a family dinner back at their apartment building.
I asked Sabaina how we did. “It was such a seamless experience. I am very happy with the overall service, from Claire’s planning to our AMAZING photographer Justin’s beautiful photos of us. Thank you so much!” Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sabaina, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest.
