The Union of Anne Elizabeth Mattson
& Joseph Sie Bergdoll

DateLockup

Saturday, 6 October 2018
5:00pm

The Brooklyn Grange at the Navy Yard
Brooklyn, New York City

Rooftop ceremony, dinner, drinks, and dancing. Cocktail attire.
We appreciate your reply by June 1st, 2018.

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Our Story

Anne and Joseph grew up 15 minutes from one another, sharing mutual friends throughout all of high school and college. However, the two never formally met until Anne followed Joseph on Tumblr of all places - presumably without a second thought. They soon connected on the platform over shared interests, a shared undergraduate institution (Arizona State University) and a love of cycling. Joseph gave Anne his phone number with a line he insists to this day was not a pick-up line: “text me, I have cat photos”. The timing seemed strange - growing up next to each other and only meeting two months after Joseph moved to New York City to pursue his career in graphic design. They began a long distance relationship that lasted 18 months before Anne decided to finish her bachelor's degree online and move to New York City to be closer to Joseph and her own career goals. The two got engaged in Costa Rica over the summer of 2017, overlooking the Pacific ocean and with some leering monkeys nearby. Their engagement came after nearly 4 years of dating, dozens of cross-country flights, a shared apartment, and a blended family of two cats who are finally learning to like each other. As a couple, Joseph and Anne enjoy traveling around the world (Germany, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Costa Rica with many more to come!) - but when they're not, you can find them eating pasta, discussing TV shows (we love Westworld), and making up songs about their cats Lady and Simon. All celebrations will take place in Brooklyn where they have lived since 2015. They are delighted to share their beloved neighborhood with you this October.

Anne and Joseph grew up 15 minutes from one another, sharing mutual friends throughout all of high school and college. However, the two never formally met until Anne followed Joseph on Tumblr of all places - presumably without a second thought. They soon connected on the platform over shared interests, a shared undergraduate institution (Arizona State University) and a love of cycling. Joseph gave Anne his phone number with a line he insists to this day was not a pick-up line: “text me, I have cat photos”.

The timing seemed strange - growing up next to each other and only meeting two months after Joseph moved to New York City to pursue his career in graphic design. They began a long distance relationship that lasted 18 months before Anne decided to finish her bachelor's degree online and move to New York City to be closer to Joseph and her own career goals.

The two got engaged in Costa Rica over the summer of 2017, overlooking the Pacific ocean and with some leering monkeys nearby. Their engagement came after nearly 4 years of dating, dozens of cross-country flights, a shared apartment, and a blended family of two cats who are finally learning to like each other.

As a couple, Joseph and Anne enjoy traveling around the world (Germany, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Costa Rica with many more to come!) - but when they're not, you can find them eating pasta, discussing TV shows (we love Westworld), and making up songs about their cats Lady and Simon. All celebrations will take place in Brooklyn where they have lived since 2015. They are delighted to share their beloved neighborhood with you this October.

Four photobooth strips of us over the years.

Getting to Brooklyn

Plane

Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City, and is best accessed by JFK and LaGuardia airports. Newark (New Jersey) is an alternative, though it is a much longer distance. If flying into JFK / LaGuardia, we recommend taking an NYC Taxi, it'll be between $35-50 to Downtown Brooklyn. If flying into Newark, we recommend taking an Uber or Lyft — it'll be about $80-100. Follow the signs at the airport for the cab line. Do NOT take any “cab” that isn't in the cab line; scammers try and trick tourists into taking non-legitimate cabs.

Public Transit from JFK

Tthe JFK AirTrain is a $5.00 MetroCard swipe (purchaseable at the airport), and can be taken to Jamaica Center Station, where you'll connect to a LIRR (Long Island Railroad) train bound toward Atlantic Terminal. LIRR train tickets cost $10.00 per person, and gets you to directly to Downtown Brooklyn in roughly 20 minutes door to door, with no traffic to worry about.

Train

Amtrak is the best way to get to New York from DC, Baltimore, and Boston. Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains go to Penn Station whereas Metro North and LIRR go to Grand Central - both of which are a quick subway ride to Brooklyn.

Car

If you choose to drive, check with your hotel about their rates for parking. Parking can be very expensive in New York City (perhaps more expensive than airline fare) and we recommend using public transit to get around the city during your stay.

Venue

We'll begin our celebration at the Brooklyn Grange, a rooftop farm in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. From 1801 until 1966, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was at the forefront of the production and service of US Navy ships. Since then, its buildings have gone through redevelopment to house manufacturing shops, artist studios, the largest film studio complex outside of Hollywood, and since 2012, the Brooklyn Grange.

Brooklyn Navy Yard

The Grange is perched atop Building 3 in the Navy Yard, which is accessible by both car and foot via the Clinton Avenue Gate (directions). We recommend taking a cab to the event, as the nearest subway is a 15 minute walk away.

The elevator gets you up to the 7th floor, after which you'll ascend a normal-sized flight of stairs required to access the picturesque rooftop farm overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline. Our ceremony will begin at 5:15pm, we ask that you arrive around 4:50-5:00.

Brooklyn Navy Yard - Building 3

Directly after the ceremony, we'll have a cocktail hour overlooking the skyline & sunset from the Grange. At 6:30, we'll head to LaRina Pastificio e Vino, a restaurant and pasta shop housed in a historic tenement building on Myrtle Avenue. LaRina is a two-and-a-half block walk from the Clinton Avenue Gate if you're up for it, otherwise it will be a quick (and cheap) cab ride. Since it is such a short distance, we will not be providing transport and instead encourage guests to carpool together on the way over, should they decide to take a cab.

LaRina is ours for the evening - we'll enjoy a full dinner with copious wine and cocktails indoors, and dancing in the backyard.

LaRina Pastificio e Vino

Calendar

Our celebration will take place on Saturday, the 6th of October.

We are planning a gathering for family & party on the evening of Friday the 5th, as well as a brunch for all who wish to join on the morning/early afternoon of Sunday the 7th.

We'll keep you posted as these plans become more concrete.

Where to Stay

Though you may be most familiar with Manhattan, we recommend staying in Downtown Brooklyn, as all of our wedding-related events will be just a stone's throw away. Downtown Brooklyn is a booming area of the city, and boasts many hotels to choose from that will all be significantly cheaper than in Manhattan. We've listed a few below.

Getting Around New York

Walking

Though “big” in name and reputation, the best part about New York is that it's so walkable. Bring your comfiest walking shoes for your downtime explorations.

Subway/Bus

There are plenty of options for public transportation as well, and $2.75 per trip gets you anywhere on our Subway system. Downtown Brooklyn is home to numerous subway stations that can take you all over the city, and is generally just 1 or 2 stops away from Lower Manhattan for those seeking an adventure in the city. We recommend using Apple Maps or Google Maps - click the Transit icon for the best advice in planning your trip via our public transit services.

Taxi/Uber/Lyft

Taxis and ride-sharing services like Uber & Lyft are fairly cheap to use when going from one neighborhood to another. In Brooklyn, cabs that are Yellow or Green can pick you up anywhere on the street, just raise your hand to hail them — an illuminated light on top signifies the cab is unoccupied. Cabs have to take credit cards, so save your cash for somewhere else. Most taxis have GPS, and Uber & Lyft allow you to enter your destination prior to requesting a ride. We show our appreciation for a safe ride to our destination with a 20 to 25% tip to the driver.

Things to Do

Things to Do

Bites, Beers, & Restaurants

Coffee

Places

  • Prospect Park The flagship park of Brooklyn. 585 acres designed by renowned landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted & Calvert Vaux.
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Founded in 1910, a beautiful botanic garden on the western edge of Prospect Park.
  • Fort Greene Park Originally the site of forts built for the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Brooklyn's first public park, later redesigned by Olmsted & Vaux.
  • DUMBO Historic warehouse and industrial district w/ cobblestone streets, repurposed for new commercial use.
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park The DUMBO waterfront with numerous shipping piers converted to a sprawling public park, marina, and more.
  • NY Transit Museum History of the subway system complete with vintage trains, in a repurposed subway station from the early 1900s.
  • Brooklyn Academy of Music Support the local performing arts & see a movie in a historic theater.
  • Governors Island Day trip to a 172 acre island in New York Harbor, a beautiful park that also houses a fort built during the American Revolution.
  • The Whitney Museum of American Art One of the largest independent art museum collections in the world, housed in a new building on Manhattan's West Side, near the High Line.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art The largest art museum in the United States, and the fifth most visited museum in the world. On the east side of Central Park at 79th Street — a 30 minute ride on the 4/5 trains from Downtown Brooklyn.