Jill Martin-Brooks (née Brooks) and her husband, Erik Brooks, had one of the most original weddings of all time.
On Sept. 24, two weeks after the TODAY contributor got married, Martin-Brooks, 46, shared some photos of their nuptials on Instagram and explained how she and her hubby “didn’t follow any rules” when they walked down the aisle.
First, Martin-Brooks explained that they had a cocktail hour before the ceremony, which had no assigned seating.
Then, she and Brooks got some of their favorite restaurants to cater the reception. However, they did not have a sit-down dinner reception because Martin-Brooks wanted “straight dancing” throughout the entire night.
Their wedding cake was also unconventional as they got a “parade” of Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale ice cream cakes for the party.
When it came to her outfit, Martin-Brooks explained that she “changed four times” and ended the night in jeans and a T-shirt after she wore sneakers “80%” of the time.
“Erik and I got ready together (he saw my dress (es) when I first tried it on as I wanted him to love it),” she wrote.
The guests were also allowed to sit anywhere they wanted. However, the only thing they couldn’t do was take pictures or use social media at the event because Martin-Brooks wanted everyone to be present and in the moment.
If a guest had to leave early, Martin-Brooks made a rule that there would be “no goodbyes.”
“We didn’t want the evening to end & didn’t want people to feel badly leaving early- why would they want to tho?!),” the newlywed wrote.
Martin-Brooks and Brooks’ wedding was held at the New York Public Library and she called the venue “beautiful” and “epic.”
“Pierre Cadault, Champere and other parts of my work life were weaved in,” she said of the decor. “I mean, I had this beautiful venue- why not maximize the epic space and decor?”
At the end of her post, Martin-Brooks revealed that she “officially” changed her last name to Martin-Brooks from Brooks and she called her husband a “good sport.”
The newly-married couple started dating in 2017 and got engaged two years later. In 2020, they broke off their engagement amid their challenges of being in a long-distance relationship.
However, the following year, the two reunited and got re-engaged in November 2021.
“Everyone’s journey is different,” Martin-Brooks wrote in an essay for TODAY. “It took me 45 years to find my fairy tale. When I realized I was confident on my own, that’s when I knew Erik and I were ready to get back together. The realistic version of my fairy tale was ready to be written.”