Daniel Jean made Esmy Valdez’s wedding day an amazing experience. The innovative groom told the New York Post, “We didn’t have the money to do the dream reception that I’d always envisioned. I decided to surprise her by having a dope reception on the L train.”
On June 27, Jean, a 39-year-old Flatbush marketing manager, and Valdez, a 38-year-old beautician, tied the knot in a private church ceremony. The pair went on to have their reception on the L train on Tuesday, July 2. They spent just $3,000 celebrating their union with 20 friends and a packed subway car full of strangers.
Instead of spending the typical $63,000–$35,000 on a wedding, as reported by wedding resource The Knot, Jean asked his friend Jodell “Joe the Show” Lewis, a 40-year-old stand-up comedian, to organize their affordable underground ceremony.
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Lewis said, “I emceed the reception, my friend Christopher Dupree helped manage the setup, and we hired a wedding planner, Anya, to assist with the overall production.”
He recounted, “We had food catered by Chef O of O’s Grill Spot [in Brooklyn], we had a cake, drinks and music from DJ Whoo Kid. It was an incredibly fun and memorable party for around $3,000 that would have cost $30,000 at a reception hall.”
The ecstatic bride told the publication that their exhilarating reception only strengthened her love for Jean. Valdez remarked, “When I walked onto the train and saw everything, I thought, ‘Wow, I picked the right guy’.”
“People in this city think it’s important for men to have expensive things in order to wow the woman of their dreams. Our reception was all about love,” she added.
More than 363,000 people have watched their reception video on TikTok after it was posted on an attendee’s page with the caption “Only in New York”.
Netizens commended the couple for their innovation. One said, “See. This is what I be talking about when I talk about my dream wedding,” and another expressed, “The way this would have made me cry tears of joy to be on this train!! I love it here so much.”
