The wedding of Drew Gehling and Julia Mattingson was a classic example of a Wet and Hot American Summer!
The Broadway stars, he of Waitress and she of Godspell, chose the 2001 comedy as an inspiration for their “I dos” on September 16, throwing a lighthearted, three-day adult summer camp-themed party at the magnificent Cedar Lakes Estate in the heart of the Hudson Valley, New York. The ceremony took place on the grounds of the estate, which was named after the 2001 movie.
“From the moment we met, this day was inevitable, so having it finally arrive these many years later is a gift in and of itself,” Gehling tells PEOPLE. “Having it finally arrive in these many years later is a gift in and of itself.”
There were a total of 140 people there, and among them were celebrities such as Waitress composer Sara Bareilles and her fiance Joe Tippett, as well as Darren Criss and his wife Mia Swier. And just like any good camp, Gehling, who is 40 years old, and Mattison, who is 35 years old, filled the celebration with lots of activities, like kayaking, ziplining, and even a talent show, in which some of the wedding guests who are skilled participated.
“I have a lot of nostalgia for summer camp, and felt that our wedding would be such a beautiful opportunity to spend a weekend with our family and friends,” said Mattison. “Our wedding would be such a beautiful opportunity to spend a weekend with our family and friends.” “We have a community of loved ones that is full of hilarious, joyful, silly, and musical people, and we knew that spending a weekend at summer camp with activities like zip-lining, lake activities, and singalongs would be the best way to celebrate.”
“Because of our involvement in the theater community in New York City, the majority of the people on our guest list were from the East Coast; consequently, discovering Cedar Lakes Estate was like a dream come true,” she says. “To have this gorgeous retreat in the Hudson Valley where everybody can feel like a kid again was reason enough,” said one of the guests, “but when you add the attention to detail, kindness, luxury accommodations, delicious food, and the beautiful care everyone at Cedar Lakes Estate puts into their events, the end result was beyond our wildest dreams.”
The wonderful weekend was made possible with the assistance of wedding planner Jason Mitchell Kahn.
The festivities began on Friday night with a welcome party and a camp talent performance, both of which required attendees to dress in Canadian Tuxedos. Before Gehling and Mattison snuck off to get ready for their wedding later that day on Saturday, they started the day by ziplining into the lake. Guests, in the meanwhile, spent the day making the most of the campground’s amenities, such as the swimming pool and the floating blob on the lake.
The nuptials of the bride and groom, which took place later in the evening, were the evening’s most anticipated event.
Before she began dating “The Terminator,” Maria Shriver had numerous opportunities to get to the top of the entertainment industry. To speak more generally, it is difficult to determine who is farther down the path to celebrity than the other. If you look closely at the pictures of this attractive lady, you’ll see that her eyes are always smiling, which is a sign that she comes from a good family. Her forebears were responsible for both her tall and her beauty.
Mattison’s Oscar de la Renta pressed floral strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and train made her seem ethereal. She adds, “I’m originally from California, and the floral design reminded me of California wildflowers; therefore, I loved the feeling of incorporating some elements of childhood nostalgia into the wedding.” “I’m originally from California, and the floral design reminded me of California wildflowers.”
The performer, who is also penning the next stage musical adaption of D.e.a.th Becomes Her, let her blonde hair down and styled it into delicate waves for the look.
She used an understated gold and diamond necklace, delicate earrings, and hefty shoes to complement her outfit. Wildflowers in peach, pink, and white hues were arranged into a bouquet by Fern Botanica and carried by Mattison.
Four bouquets made up of similar flowers provided by the firm were utilized to make the structural arrangements that were placed behind the happy couple in the outdoor area where they exchanged their vows.
The year 1955 marks the beginning of Maria’s life. She is the 35th niece of the current President of the United States and a member of the Kennedy family.
Early on in the child’s life, the girl’s parents began to consider how best to educate and raise their daughter. They advised her to get into politics since it is what other members of her illustrious family had done in the past.
Additionally, Gehling accessorized his boutonnière with the same flowers. His bespoke tuxedo from Michael Andrews Bespoke consisted of a hunter green velvet jacket and black tuxedo trousers, and this accessory added a splash of color to his look. He completed the getup by donning a black bowtie, black shoes, and a white button-down shirt that had black studs sewn on it.
“For my tux, I decided to approach my tailor who had built all of my suits for Jersey Boys back in 2007, and then for Roman Holiday in 2017,” recalls Gehling. “He had built all of my suits for both of those productions.” “Andy and Ari at Michael Andrews Bespoke seemed like natural choices, and when I reached out to them, it was as if no time had passed.”
The couple also had another very important visitor by their side: Gehling’s daughter Annie, who is 10 years old and who performed a reading during the ceremony and who subsequently joined her father and Mattison on the dance floor for their first dance together as husband and wife.
“Getting to dance with both my wife and my daughter was a very special experience for me,” adds Gehling.
Comrades in arms Both Andrew Kober and Sarah Chase acted in the roles of officiants throughout the wedding. When it came to the commencement of Gehling and Mattison’s relationship, the two played an important part.
“We met in August 2017 while filming an episode of the web series Turning The Tables,” recalls Mattison. “We have been friends ever since.” During the course of our thirty minutes of filming together, I found myself falling hopelessly in love with her, but I didn’t tell anybody about it. I didn’t find out until much later that as Drew left the room, he immediately sent a text message to a buddy of ours who we both shared to ask for my number.
She continues by saying, “It wasn’t until the episode came out a month later that we properly connected, and it was then that we went on our first date.” You can see from the tape that we were both euphoric since the way we first met was filmed, which is one of the most entertaining aspects of how we first connected.
So what role did Kober and Chase play in this, exactly? “Separate from our first meeting, which was a chance encounter, our mutual friends Sara and Andrew had actually been plotting to set us up for a while,” the author writes. According to Mattison. “They helped us connect, and now they’re officiating our wedding, which is such a wonderful example of a wonderful full circle moment.”
Unsurprisingly, music was a significant component of the momentous day that Gehling and Mattison shared together.
According to Mattison, “We opened the ceremony with Paul McCartney’s ‘Calico Skies,’ and I walked down the aisle to ‘Our House.'” [Citation needed] Because Celisse is familiar with both Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, has worked with both of them, and has actually touched the vase that is mentioned in the song, it came as a pleasant surprise to have our closest friend Celisse sing on ‘Our House’ together with three of our other best friends: Noel Carey, Joel Waggoner, and Drew Gasparini. Everything was really heartfelt and lovely, and it meant the absolute world to us to have our friends all come together to perform for us.
Throughout the joyous day, small personal touches like that could be spotted sporadically. Even the gold in their wedding rings was fashioned (with the assistance of Soho Gem in New York City) from a piece of gold that had been handed down through Mattison’s family since the time of the California Gold Rush. This piece of gold was used in the creation of the rings. It was an additional means by which she could link her California origins and include Gehling into the history of her family.
individual closest and dearest were invited to participate in individual vows as well, and they concluded the ceremony with a collective promise that recommitted them to one another as a unit within their community.
“Getting married means getting to celebrate our commitment to the beautiful family we’ve already built together.”
On the dance floor, attendees showed off their moves to the music of Café Wha?, the house band from the iconic music establishment located in Greenwich Village in the city of New York. The happy couple and their guests will always be able to look back on the momentous day thanks to the photographs taken by Karen Obrist Photography.
At the afterparty that followed the wedding, there was a pizza truck with a wood-burning oven, wigs, and a special gift for Mattison in the form of the arcade game Street Fighter 2, which she refers to as the game that made her “a childhood champion.”
What are the most important aspects to Mattison? “Laughing, dancing, and celebrating with my husband (and getting to call him’my husband!’), my gorgeous stepdaughter, and all of our family and friends. Also, after all of the sobbing, the overwhelming beauty of that day, it was so wonderful to eat pizza, go barefoot, and sing along with our friends till the wee hours of the morning.
A goodbye brunch complete with a Bloody Mary bar was held on the Sunday morning to top off the long weekend.
On January 18, 2022, Gehling and Mattison were engaged to each other. Since the first time they met, humor has played an important role in their relationship.
Gehling once stated, “We laugh A LOT,” and Mattison echoes this sentiment. She adds, “I love that we both find joy in the beautiful simple things in life, whether it’s a delicious meal, or snuggles with our dog, or an inspirational story that makes us both misty-eyed.” “I love that we both find joy in the beautiful simple things in life.” “Drew is constantly interested about the world, and because of that, he encourages me to keep my cool, be in the here and now, and be appreciative. And you can bet that we laugh A LOT!
