Harley & Garrett August 5, 2023
To tell you the truth : it takes a village to plan a wedding, 100 staff, 20 trucks, 25 plane trips, multiple zoom calls, 10,000 emails, and a whole lot of liquor to get to this day. And visualize this…. an extra Air Canada seat to get Harleys wedding dress from LA to Thornbury. All those things are just logistics but let’s get to the juicy part, the part that brought each of you here tonight…THE ROMANCE….. How did our daughter Harley, this California girl riding out the pandemic in a cottage in Northern Ontario seal her fate with a Bostonian entrepreneur, who took lock down refuge in the ski mountains of Vermont. All against this back drop of a public health crisis and closed borders, a fateful phone call was made by their mutual dear friend Anna to Harley.
-Lisa during her wedding speech
I am so happy that the two of you found each other. I wish you a life as full of love and joy as Grandma and I had. She would have loved you Harley. I love you both. Mazel Tov, Grandpa Herb
Harley, Close your eyes for a moment - let’s go back to January 2021 in Sunny Isles. We’d just finished a long walk and laid down on the beach - you nestled yourself against my chest and we were staring into a cloudless sky. It was a moment of serenity amidst a whirlwind of the past 7 days since we’d met at the baggage claim for Delta flight 7188, covered in sweat and protected by our N95 masks. Although we’d spoken for 3 months previously - it felt like we’d crammed the span of an entire relationship into that week. We’d spent every waking moment together galavanting about Miami on what could only be described as an inexplicable high. Trying new restaurants, art galleries, recipes, music, and more. With each new activity, we grew more excited not just by the experience, but also the prospect of future explorations together. Harley, I vow to keep shaking things up, and support our shared passion for adventure and seeking out new experiences in life. We continued our established practice of marathon-length chats during those days - speaking about what was going on in the world, our careers, our families, our hopes and our fears. I’ve always felt comfortable talking to you about anything, except for maybe sports, because, well you know…I don’t have anything to say on that topic… Harley, I vow to be your closest confidant - to assume best intentions, to be an avid listener, to ask you the hard questions, and always be willing to talk things out. We even experienced some challenging moments during that trip. From the very real grief that would swell from the recent loss of your grandfather Jerry, to the very different pain that you felt when the hairdresser unexpectedly took 6 inches off your hair and I had to calm you down with a shot of tequila. Harley, I vow to support you through life and whatever challenges we face through the extraordinary and the mundane hardships, and to also make sure we celebrate the special moments as well. Let’s go back again to that moment on the beach at Sunny Isles. When I told you I loved you then, 7 days after having met you in person, I didn’t just mean I loved you. I said it knowing that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Harley, I vow to make you and our family my number one priority in life, to love you unconditionally every day from this day forward.
Garrett, People often say “when you know you know”...and truthfully I never believed in that expression before I met you. You made and continue to make me feel like we are meant to be together. You have a way of looking at me that makes me feel like I am your whole world. From the spontaneous morning foot massage, to coordinating logistics of our ever changing travel schedules, to date nights when you cook or take me out to a restaurant, to the bear hugs on ski chair lifts to keep me warm, to the way you call me out when I am being a bit ridiculous, or roll your eyes when I am acting silly... …simply put…you make me feel seen, heard, and loved every single day. Your quick-wit, good-humored and easy-going nature has led to many adventures and laughs thus far. I promise to continue engaging in our Belly Laugh Association and bring a spontaneous spirit to our lives. I am enamored with your combined thoughtful and nonchalant attitude. When I forget to put on makeup, you are quick to remind me that I don’t need it, and look great as I am. You always make me feel at ease to be my true self, quirks and all. And we both know that I have many…My photo taking might continue to bother you, but please know that it is just to capture the moment for our future kid’s sake. I promise to listen to you when you remind me to stop to take in the precious moments. You’ve helped teach me how to be more present and mindful despite the constant stimuli and movement in our lives. I am determined to provide that same balance for you. I feel confident that we are ready to adventure through this next chapter wherever it may take us. With our shared vision for the future that we will build together and the love that we have for one another, there’s no doubt in my mind that we will always be shaking (“ABS”!). We both like organized lists, so I figured I would end off with one… Garrett: I vow to always support you in your endeavors and help you to realize your dreams I vow to provide my honest opinion when asked, and sometimes when not I vow to walk with you in lockstep both figuratively and physically – I know there are many times I walk more quickly than you do I vow to appreciate your whole being. I vow to never take you for granted or the life that we are crafting together And of course, I promise to love you until the end of time. I love you.
My darling daughter Harley, from the moment you came into my life, you brought me a love that forever changed me. I grew up in my household with only boys. My fabulous brothers, non the less no girls. So when the Dr, said it’s a GIRL!. I said it is a girl? Everyone thought for sure we were having a boy. So being the first grandchild and the first granddaughter you can imagine the excitement. Mom and I were over the moon as were your grandparents. From a young age Harley was a go getter, wise beyond her years, curious about everything and everyone. Always competitive, determined to work hard whether in school or on the soccer field or any other sport. She always wanted to do what the boys did and nobody was going to stop her. Her work ethic started from a very young age. Harley, as you know is very disciplined, self-assured, and was determined to not let anyone tell her how to dress even if she wanted to only wear ripped jeans, her favorite blue star shirt, her backward baseball hat and of course her cool army boots. Harley had her own rocking style, but she did not care about shopping, or frilly dresses or items that were not practical. To this day Harley cares for the important things in life, family, friends and of course the environment. Even when planning this [little wedding weekend]Harley was more concerned about trying to recycle and use sustainable products throughout the weekend… well we did our best Harley… So, when Harley asked to work with me 5 years ago, I was so excited for her to join our 818 team. She has taught me a few things over the years. Most importantly a lesson on patience and perseverance, which I am still working on…. [Pause] But the best part is that I get to spend so much time with her and that makes me so happy. People say we are very similar and that makes me smile. As a dad, watching your daughter fall in love with her knight in shining armor has been even more exciting to watch. Lisa and I have spent a great deal of time with the Garrett and Harley in many different places and time zones. It is amazing how similar and compatible they are in so many ways. I really think there are forces above and beyond that had a hand in this match and I assure you it was not me… As a father you only want what is best for your child and after living with Garrett during the pandemic’s years, I realized this guy meant business. He was not leaving Harley’s side as they were crazy for each other... Garrett is conscientious, driven and kind of reminds me of me, in the old days starting out. He takes charge and rarely takes “NO” for an answer. It looks like he is listening, but really, he is in his own world like ‘me,’ BUT more importantly he is ‘listening’ to Harley his new beautiful bride and my gorgeous daughter…
AND here we are 34 years later at my daughter’s wedding where I married the love of my life Lisa in the same place. A place that represents for our family a strong foundation, stability, and joy. Watching you take your vows here tonight surrounded by water, the sunset and all the people that love you guys brings me such happiness …… BUT Garrett already knows that coming into this fun family, takes stamina, a sense of humor and a lot of airplane points. We have all travelled a lot in the past two in half years and have shared some funny moments together, but Garrett went with it all and was a big help navigating schedules and airline status… Having you as my new son in law is a bonus for me. The family just cannot gang up on me alone anymore. Garrett is super ambitious and talented and can sell anything. But more importantly he sold us on his love for our daughter time after time. I truly believe Garrett is still trying to understand Lisa and her crazy plans. However, he does have a go to word- ‘WHAT’-when she has an idea that he does not get. But she will keep him guessing!! You two can do anything together. Our hope is you both will make a difference in your lifetime. Enjoy every moment together no matter what life throws at both of you. There are so many special people here that care about you both and a few that unfortunately are no longer with us. We honor them tonight and every day as we continue their legacy through you two and the rest of the families. We remember Papa Jerry, Zaidy Mike, Papa EM and Ailene Sprackman and her vibrant and beautiful sister Lois who just passed. We also remember my grandparent’s Israel Zyskind and Ruchel Gitel as well as Micki’s mother and father Papa Nathan and Mimi Meisel…We remember Wendy’s mother Irene Levine and Brian’s parents Marilyne and Ken Levey. And we also honor Wendy’s 98-year-old father Herb Levine who unfortunately could not be here to tonight. I want you all to enjoy tonight and the beautiful decor that Harley and Lisa and the amazing crew of people that worked to make this magical evening come to life. Also, I want to acknowledge and thank our son Kobi and Conor who have worked over the past year to get our cottage ready for this weekend. So many other people worked tirelessly to help orchestrate this weekend and we are so grateful and blessed. Lisa and I just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you made the long trip here with Harley and Garrett. Please Enjoy, Eat, Drink, and let us dance the night away …. until we can continue this party tomorrow……… Just keep on celebrating ……... Cheers to Harley and Garrett We love you L’chaim !!
If it wasn’t for the one call from Anna who told Harley she knew this fabulous guy from Boston.. BUT Harley wasn’t so sure she wanted a long distance relationship, but lucky for Garrett, she texted back. Until than Harley and Garrett were speaking every evening on zoom or facetime for 2-3 hours for almost three months. In the meantime her Fairy Grandmother Micki was brewing up a great idea to get the two of them to meet at Micki and Papa Leonard’s apartment in Florida. Then Grammy Micki secretly spoke to Harley and said “ Here are the keys to our Florida apartment, figure out a way for the two of you to get there. Flash forward to the Fort Lauderdale airport… Harley and Garrett met for the first time wearing their N95 masks. That was January of 2021 and they have been together ever since. The rest is history and a mystery…. To describe Garrett is to say he’s tenacious, hardworking, driven, and a planner just like Harley.. I liked him from the moment we crashed their Miami love nest.. The funny thing is when we got there Garrett had his huge ski bag ready to hit the mountains if all didn’t go as planned. And truthfully on our side we had Kobi ready to fly down if Harley put out the call. The good news is there were no calls, almost silence. When we finally flew to Miami, Garrett came right downstairs to shake Jays hand and help with my ever so light luggage... After about a week Garrett convinced Harley to go live in Sugar Bush Vermont with him and his dear friends Matt and Katie. They could hit the ski mountains for an hour in the morning and then work all day. That lasted for about a month. All I can say is Harley has a great Boss!! Harley finally returned to Los Angeles. I think less than 2 weeks later his father Brian told me Garrett pulled out a huge suitcase and said he was going to LA to be with Harley. Well there is no better feeling than seeing your child, happy, smiling, laughing and in love, and that happened from the moment, Garrett walked into Harleys life. We watched as their love bloomed as we spent a great deal of time living together during the pandemic. From Boston to Miami to Stowe Vermont to Nashville, back too Toronto and then back to Los Angeles and his newest and latest stomping ground Bentonville, Arkansas. Garrett traveled wherever, whenever, to be with our Harley. But during this time he never stopped working. The two have travelled more in the last two years and during this time their love for each other only grew. People would ask us where are Harley and Garrett living? We would reply they’re nomads right now or their shacking up at our place. Their planning and shared calendars would blow your mind….. only the other day Garrett asked Harley if she had any schedule restrictions? Jay and I just laughed… Harley and Garrett are so similar and are so in sync that it’s been so fun to watch. Garrett wooed her with his charm, cool cards and his new love of fine wines as well as many surprise adventures together. But truly his calm demeanor and his care for Harley showed his true character right away and Harley was hooked. There’s an expression “You really never know but they say mothers know!” I KNEW….
Garrett is a MENSH, a true gentleman, caring and thoughtful and well brought up. BUT as much as he is SO endearing, he decided to share Covid with me after coming back from one of his work trips, but in all fairness after Harley got engaged to Garrett in Nantucket Harley got Covid and gave it to Garretts mother Wendy… So I guess sharing is caring …. But the icing on the cake was when we all had to drive home from Aspen to LA and no one would go in the car with either Garrett or me. How lucky you were Garrett to be with your future mother in law for 15 hours and to drive 921 miles in one day. Well……Time to talk about my Smart, Savvy and Gorgeous daughter Harley, WE LOVE… You look radiant tonight….. From the time Harley was little we have been coming to this cottage even though we moved to California. Part of my deal with Jay was we would always come home to see our families every year, and always back to the cottage. It has changed a little with the times and years passed but, one thing always remains is the people here and the love we have for the times we’ve shared together. My Dad, Jerry or as those close to him called him Papa Jerry, built this place when I was little and it was his and our favorite hangout. I’m sure he’s looking down on Harley and Garrett with a big smile and that famous smirk thinking I’m glad their using the tennis court tonight!!! Funny thing is when Harley was little she told my Dad and me she would like to get married here someday. How serendipitous is that! With poise, patience, and organizational skills that I have never seen before Harley helped get us all here this weekend. Harley lead the way. Thank goodness for all her skills she learned in television production and her diligence for detail. Truthfully Harley prefers being behind the scenes, but today you deserve to be front and center with Garrett by your side. Harley just wanted it all to be perfect for all of you to enjoy with the two of them tonight. Those that really know Harley know she is always concerned about others before herself. So today Harley it is yours and Garretts moment to relax, enjoy and dance like no one’s watching. We are so blessed to have you as our daughter and to welcome Garrett and his warm and beautiful family into our family circle. How lucky you two are to have found each other. Enjoy every moment tonight and every day together. Life can throw curve balls at you both but, we believe you two will get through any obstacles. Really look around as Harley made this all happen with her great TEAM, her brother KOBI her MAN OF HONOR, my Fabulous husband JAY, and so many other amazing people that help put this whole weekend together. We feel such gratitude for all of you that have travelled so far to be here for Harley & Garrett. NAMASTE Please Raise your Glasses to toast Harley and Garrett as we all share the love that fills this room
I’m often asked, where do Garrett and Harley live? They’ve been together over 2 and a half years and to this day - I couldn’t really tell ya! But what I can tell you is that it’s a pleasure and a privilege to be with you all tonight. I want to share a brief word about what it’s been like seeing this unfold from my perspective. As is well documented, Garrett is an extraordinarily ambitious and goal-oriented person. By way of a few examples – or more specifically, contrasts, during COVID I moved in with my parents, spending any and all of my free time playing backyard sports with all my friends, who had all also moved home – just as we’ve been doing since elementary school. Garrett used COVID as an opportunity to find his wife. During COVID, I eventually made my way to Denver, turning into a full-fledged ski bum, practically living at Vail and Breckenridge. Garrett used COVID to risk it all professionally, leaving his job, partnering with Bill to start Blue Ladder, and oh by the way, closing the deal to acquire Nuqleous only 7 months later. I will never forget when Garrett, my parents and I, were sitting around our dining room table in December 2020, listening to him explain how he was about to hop on a plane to meet some girl in Miami during the middle of the pandemic, and in his words, “never in my life have I done something like this, just for me”. And boy are we glad you got on that plane. Which brings me to Harley. Harley and I have spent a lot of time together the past few years, whether that be in Los Angeles, Aspen, Nantucket, or Stowe. Above all else, what stands out to me most about Harley is her thoughtfulness. Harley is so thoughtful it can actually be intimidating at times. When I’m with Harley, not all the time, but sometimes, I will stop myself from expressing an interest or preference in anything from a pair of shoes to a bottle of hot sauce. If I don’t get it for myself, sure as shit the next time you see her, she will surprise you with that item and 5 others just like it! That being said, I have a trip planned to England this coming spring and I’ll tell ya premier league tickets are really hard to come by! In all seriousness, I could not be more thrilled for Garrett to find a partner with whom he is compatible with on so many levels. The list of their common interests is endless, their love of the outdoors, fitness, music, food, wine, and travelling the world. The same goes for their common values. They share a fierce professional ambition. An unwavering love and devotion to their family and friends, and most importantly, unbreakable support for one another. The last couple years have clearly demonstrated that there’s no predicting the future. But I am certain this weekend will be the first of many incredible milestones to come for you both. If everyone could please raise a glass and toast to this amazing couple! L’chaim! Nuqleous to the Moon!
Hi, I’m Kobi, the brother of the bride and the man of honor. I have some thoughts on the man of honor title that I will circle back to later. For many people who are from out of town - Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, New York, Bahamas, Spain, Austria, Slovenia - you may be wondering why a small town you’ve never heard of called Thornbury was chosen as the wedding location. I can’t blame you, this is a very fair question. As many of you know, there was a wedding 34 years ago in Thornbury that neither my sister nor I attended. In preparation for this speech, I watched my parents wedding video that was filmed 34 years ago where we are all standing today. Besides the horrid hair styles of everyone in attendance, including my mother and father, and others in attendance today, I got such a warm feeling just seeing their family and friends celebrating such a momentous occasion here in Thornbury. The wedding video I watched serves as a reminder of the profound and memorable history embedded here at our cottage, a place built and cherished by our beloved Papa Jerry. Being here tonight with all of you, celebrating Harley and Garrett, we’re just adding new pages to the cottage storybook that everyone in attendance is now a part of. We thank everyone immensely for traveling to be here. Going back over a year ago, everyone was so excited when Harley and Garrett became engaged. The excitement continued, however the energy quickly shifted into battle preparation. And battle preparation in this context, was wedding planning! After having some initial family brainstorm meetings, I remember looking at my father in the early stages of planning while reviewing endless decor ideas. We both shook our heads at each other, and gave each other that “oh no” look, which, to me, officially kicked off a year of planning. I now have a treasure chest of stories from the planning process of Harley, Garrett, my mom, and even my dad, but we will leave those tales for another time. But in all seriousness, it’s just incredible what you all have planned and executed this weekend. Especially to my mother and sister - witnessing your shared vision come to reality fills me with joy. It’s heartwarming to know that the cottage now serves as the unique backdrop to both of your wedding memories.
Now to the bride and groom: Harley, I am so happy for you. It is very rare that siblings get along as well as we do, and I cherish this more than you know. Your selflessness is something that is unmatched and you will do anything for your family. Just always know we will do anything for you, even after a year of wedding planning! You are thoughtful, generous, and hard working, but most importantly you are caring. You are the glue that keeps our family together, and you deserve everything and more. I could not be more honored to be your man of honor, but more importantly your brother. Now to your groom, Garrett, welcome to the family (officially). It does feel like you have been a part for as long as I can remember given how seamlessly you have adapted to the traveling circus that is our family. I knew we would get along right away, as you would bring extra computer monitors on family trips to be able to work optimally. We have had the privilege of spending lots of time together, and watching you take the next step and start your company has been a privilege. Let me ask you this though, the timing of your new venture closing was fortuitous - about 2 weeks before the wedding. Then it hit me, this guy is a really smart guy. Imagine having to tell Harley and Lisa that he will be working through the wedding weekend. What I would have given to be a fly on the wall during that conversation…. All I can say, good move buddy, good move. Most importantly, you are a kind, smart, and a true gentleman who treats my sister so well. I see how happy you make her everyday. I am so honored to call you my brother, and welcome you into our family. Harley & Garrett, We raise a glass to you both, wishing you the best on your next step on your journey together. I hope the next generation can look back at this wedding video and make fun of your hair styles and reminisce on what a special evening this was. Mazel tov.
44.5618° N, 80.4529° W Harley & Garrett August 5, 2023 The Cottage