When we ask newlyweds to think back on what they wanted most for their big day — and we’ve interviewed hundreds of them over the years — the most common response is, “For it not to feel like a wedding!” Gathering with old friends and eating mini grilled cheeses in formalwear to celebrate love feels more necessary these days than ever, even downright therapeutic. And the betrothed have never been less attached to the old wedding handbook — or the need to please their great-aunt. So in a flurry of drippy amaranth bouquets and cocktails named after people’s dogs, how do you pull off a non-cookie-cutter affair? For the answers, we decided to interrogate the cool couples whose weddings we would actually want to steal, right down to the tiger-shaped cake toppers.
There are die-hard New Yorkers, then there are Byron Zinonos and Eleni Sarafoglou. Born and raised in Queens, they’ve dedicated their careers to the city, with Zinonos spending over a decade at the MTA as an attorney and Sarafoglou teaching English at NYC public high schools. And their love story is a fully New York one, too: running into each other on the street so many times, from their teens into their 30s, until they finally accepted their fate — with some heartbreak and tragedy along the way — and wed last November at City Hall. They celebrated on the Long Island Railroad, in the Grand Central Oyster Bar, and finally across two Astoria establishments with their closest loved ones.
Byron: We have a little bit of time, right? It’s a long story.
Eleni: I was raised in Flushing, with a brief stint in Astoria. The summer I was 15, my sister and I were walking to the park when we saw these boys across the street.
Byron: I saw a hand waving and the shorter girl crossed the street and introduced herself. That was Eleni. It was summer of 2001.
Eleni: I will say “hi” to anyone, just because I’m curious like that. For a week, we hung out. He was nice, a little nerdy. But we went to different schools. I said, “We’re never going to see each other again.”
Byron: Then I was in college and my now-best friend, Dino, says, “I want to invite some of my Hofstra friends for coffee.” Who shows up but Eleni? It was that instant recognition of “You? You.” From there, we maintained a very solid friendship.
Eleni: We were in similar groups, and we would talk and hang out. We were in each other’s orbits. I saw he got married, and I was like, “Wow, they look so great. I wish them nothing but the best.” I got married a couple of years later, and we were just living our lives.
Byron: My first wife was Margarita Passione, or Maggie. We got married in 2016, and she was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. We went to a restaurant in Astoria, Little Flower, and Eleni was there! Before I knew it, Eleni was introducing herself to Maggie.
Eleni: I didn’t know the extent of it, but it was good to meet her and wish them the best. I found out a few months later that she had died.
Byron: When Maggie passed — on October 15, 2019 — Eleni reached out with condolences. Then came COVID, and life was just really isolated for me. I decided to make some changes. I moved from my Elmhurst apartment I’d shared with Maggie to Astoria. One day, out of the corner of my eye, I see Eleni at a restaurant.
Eleni: In 2021, 2022, I was out to dinner with my now-ex-husband, and I saw Byron. I couldn’t wait to hug him, because I hadn’t seen him since Maggie died.
Byron: She’s already standing up. And we were back on each other’s radars. I could tell she was just happy to see me up on my feet.
Eleni: I was so happy that he was out and about. He was a young guy!
Byron: There came a point where I felt comfortable enough to sort of put myself back out there. Nothing will ever replace my unique love with Maggie, but I wanted to see if there was another genuine connection out there for me. Around the same time, Eleni requested to follow me on Instagram. We immediately started DM-ing, and it was just so normal and natural. There were signs of flirtation, but I was treading carefully because I thought she was still in a relationship.
Eleni: I got divorced at the end of 2022, and I was living my best life. I moved into my own place. I got a dog. Around June 2023, I felt ready to put myself out there. I just like meeting people. Then I saw Byron on my Hinge. I was like, That’s so great! I hope he finds someone. I wonder if we’re friends on social media?
Byron: I felt real excitement and panic: Here’s this person who’s always been wonderful, and I feel like I’m getting a signal. But I’m not sure if my heart’s ready for it.
Eleni: I didn’t know what potential this really had, because we hadn’t seen each other in years and he went through something very traumatic.
Byron: We went to an Italian restaurant on July 14, 2023. We had already gotten all the catch-up stuff out of the way and talked about goofy stuff, like watching The Bear. Then we started talking about our respective journeys — everything I’d been through with Maggie, her separation. Instinctually, I reached my hand across the table. She grabbed it. And the entire evening changed.
Eleni: The conversation flowed easily, and we were laughing a lot. I was like, “Cool, when am I going to see you again?” That was a Friday, we saw each other again on Sunday. I loved everything about it.
Byron: I knew, Oh, this is not just a friendship. This could be something really wonderful.
Eleni: Then I left for Greece for a month. He said, “Listen, don’t forget about me.” I remember thinking, I’m so excited to come back to us. To this. What’s out there better than this? Despite the seven-hour time difference, we spoke every single day. He picked me up from the airport, and seeing him at the gate, open arms, ready to go, I thought, I want this always.
Byron: We got engaged in November 2024, at the Minnewaska Lodge, a little north of Westchester. I think the expectation was that I would propose while hiking.
Eleni: That’s just women’s intuition and having a calendar in your brain, all the time. I planned a really nice outfit for the hike that was all coordinated and looked good.
Byron: I was hoping for that misdirection. I proposed as soon as we got to the hotel, on the room balcony, just as it started snowing.
Eleni: We wanted a smaller event. My big fat Greek wedding? I already had one of those. While it was fun, I have no desire to do that again. There are micro weddings, and I wanted micro-micro.
Byron: Let’s get this done, let’s do it in our way and have our closest people with us. That was the ethos.
Eleni: I was good with it just being us. Let’s just run to City Hall. And he said, “Don’t you want some family and friends there?” So we were like, “Okay, we can go to dinner afterward with just our parents, our siblings, maybe a few more close adults.” We had dinner at Mar’s restaurant in Astoria, one of our haunts. We love the maître d’, Nurgül Aşık, who was our event coordinator. It’s very much our vibe.
Byron: I knew people were happy for me, after Maggie passed, to have found this second chance at love. All my friends and family love Eleni. I wanted to give them that opportunity to celebrate with us. Since Mar’s couldn’t accommodate that, there is a bar in Astoria called Sweet Afton, and we had an after-dinner hang there. At Mar’s, it was 22 people, and at Sweet Afton, it was 40 to 50.
Eleni: We needed to get a photographer, and Byron said, “Listen, this might sound weird. But would you be okay with me reaching out to Quyn Duong, who also did my wedding with Maggie?” Art is art, and if you value her work, then yeah! Maggie is always going to be a part of our story. I had seen their wedding photos, of course, and they were beautiful.
Byron: That was around the time Mamdani got married and had his photo shoot on the subway. I felt it would be really wonderful to capture traveling into the city, because we’re city people. I stayed in touch with Quyn, and she was ecstatic for us.
Eleni: We met with Quyn, and she was lovely — high energy, eager, a visionary. She’s absolutely wonderful. So we sat down at a café and she said, “What do you guys want to do?”
Byron: We got ready together at our apartment in Auburndale, Queens. Quyn met us there and shot us on the journey from the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central to the City Hall area, where we met our parents. I am going to tip the hat to Eleni for the aesthetic.
Eleni: I was inspired by a Vogue editorial. The bride was wearing this beautiful high-necked, long-sleeved lace gown, and the groom was wearing a caramel velvet blazer. I loved the warmth of that picture, the lace and velvet together.
Byron: She sent a link to a brown velvet suit from Indochino, and I was like, You know what? Let’s do something fun. We got this beautiful custom tie, some monk-strap shoes. Eleni’s dress wasn’t as formal, and when she wore her overcoat — it was a chilly day — we ended up matching very well.
Eleni: I got an Anthropologie mock-neck dress, long sleeves, white lace. It wound up being overcast, so I wore a camel coat with a white scarf and white cross-body purse so my hands could be free. We got to Grand Central around 11:30 a.m. and decided to walk through. The Grand Central Oyster Bar had just opened — it was like 11:30 a.m. — so we asked to take pictures inside, and they said, “Of course.” Byron and I love a raw bar.
Byron: We love oysters as a general matter. It’s this beautiful old establishment, a staple, and the staff were really accommodating. We had maybe ten minutes to spare, so we swung in.
Eleni: We figured around 1 p.m. would be an ideal time for a City Hall appointment. The New York City Clerk’s office releases dates and times three weeks at a time and I’m refreshing, refreshing. Byron tried them on the phone. They release them around 8:45 a.m., and it’s a mad dash. The dates pop up, and I’m furiously typing. We booked it!
Byron: That was probably the hardest part of the whole wedding. Our parents were waiting on the line. Security has a strict number of people they allow in: six. Quyn made seven. They said, “You’re out,” and we’re like, “Crap.”
Eleni: We were kind of sweating. The receptionist was so nice. She said, “Congratulations! Today’s the bride’s day. She gets to do whatever she wants. Is there anything I can do to make this day easier?” Byron and I look at each other.
Byron: I felt it was now or never. I said, “The bride has a request!” I don’t want to get the receptionist in trouble …
Eleni: I’m like, “Listen, our photographer is on the other side of the door.” The woman says, “Don’t point. Don’t point. What’s her name?”
Byron: The woman went out to the security line and handpicked Quyn and got her in.
Eleni: This woman is an angel. We did the paperwork with our moms. It’s kind of surreal to get into the room for the ceremony, because of all the marriages that have taken place there. To be in that space with so much love from previous generations was magical.
Byron: It was very quick and organized. I’ve never seen public-service employees happier doing their jobs.
Eleni: The officiant read our city vows, and Byron and I kissed, and everyone in the room was so happy. It’s just electric in there.
Byron: We kicked the door open to leave City Hall, and strangers are clapping for us. We got a lot of compliments and congratulations. One guy gave me a pound and said, “Love the chocolate suit, man.” Leaving Queensboro Plaza, a guy shouted, “Don’t do it, lady!” Too late! We got the full range. I could see a lot of smiles.
Eleni: Our parents went to Mar’s to set up the flowers on the tables and such. Mar’s is very cozy, with a lot of dark wood. It’s very dimly lit. To add to that, we put brown juglike vases with simple flowers, like baby’s breath and roses, on the tables and a lace runner. We bought out half the restaurant, because we were 22 people.
Byron: We worked with them on a prix fixe meal, three courses. I would describe it as a modern Mediterranean restaurant. There are a lot of Greek influences, some Spanish dishes, Italian. First course was lobster bisque or autumn salad with fennel and figs and Parmesan; second course was mushroom ravioli and crab cakes, which are the bomb, and meatballs; third was a pappardelle, a pan-seared fish, and bavette steak. I’ve been pescatarian for over a decade, and despite my Greek in-laws’ insistence I’ve been sticking with it.
Eleni: Our wedding cake was done by Buttah Bakery in Ridgewood, and a close friend of ours, Kristin Viola. She made a chocolate cake with raspberry jam and vanilla Swiss buttercream on the outside. It was divine.
Byron: Eleni and I thanked everyone for their support, both in our respective journeys and through today. We had this wonderful collection of people to celebrate with us, an intimate group that included Maggie’s mom. My relationship with her has really transcended into something different and special, and I am grateful for that. And I’m grateful to Eleni and her family for being open and accepting of it.
Eleni: I love Linda, Maggie’s mom. She’s been incredible to me. She’s handled Byron’s relationship with me with so much grace and love. It would have felt incomplete without her.
Byron: The only speech that was unscheduled, though I expected it to happen, was from my best friend, Dino. He captured for people my nervous habits and the way I cautiously move through life.
Eleni: He talked about Byron’s catlike temperament, where he cannot be pushed to do anything. That he didn’t realize our first date was a first date until it was told to him. I’m so glad Dino was part of the recon work at the beginning of our relationship.
Byron: He was really the first person that I shared my cautious excitement about Eleni with. He’s a very dear, dear person to us.
Eleni: We opened up the celebration to our friends at Sweet Afton around 7 p.m. I’m glad Byron pushed for a larger celebration than just dinner. We were in awe of how much love was in the room for us.
Byron: It was kinetic, a jubilee. We went from person to person, spending as much time as we could. We had custom playlists set up, and the mood was great.
Eleni: We had burgers and wings and croquettes. We told our friends, “Please don’t eat.” And dessert! Kristen went above and beyond. Her coconut macarons, oh my God. I think I took ten home for myself.
Byron: We went home and soaked in the day. It was a really busy day, and we were exhausted but couldn’t be happier.
Eleni: It wasn’t ostentatious. It wasn’t showy. I loved the simplicity of it. Our restaurant, Mar’s, is now somewhere very special to us. We’re literally going there tonight with a couple of friends! Having so much love from all of our friends and family, being surrounded by so much love and excitement. And the laughter!
Byron: To see everyone smiling up at us — I’ll remember those faces, for sure.
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