In 2008, eighth grader Gaby Novogratz did something bold: she friended Zach Spohler, a cute boy from another New York private school, on Facebook. For nine months, they scrolled through each other’s tagged photos and wrote on each other’s “walls.” Finally, after what Gaby calls some “expertly orchestrated high school scheming,” they met for the first time outside the Pinkberry on 82nd Street and 2nd Avenue. Then, they promptly kissed around the corner.
Their official first date, however, happened as seniors in high school. Zach asked Gaby to dinner at Bubby’s in Tribeca. They both ordered the burger…despite the fact Gaby hadn’t eaten red meat in years. (“I was so nervous that I told the waiter, ‘I’ll have what he’s having,’” she says, laughing.) Soon after, they had another date back at Pinkberry—where Zach asked Gaby to prom.
Fifteen years later, Gaby, the founder of digital shopping encyclopedia The (Shop) Archive, and Zach, cofounder of cannabis aperitifs brand Artet, flew from their home in Los Angeles to visit family in New York City. On a warm spring night, Zach asked Gaby if she wanted to get a drink with his brother uptown. As they walked up 2nd Avenue, Zach stopped her in front of a heart-shaped floral installation. It’s then Gaby realized they weren’t just on 2nd Avenue—but on 82nd and 2nd. Zach got down on one knee right in front of the old Pinkberry. “I felt a lot more relaxed this time compared to the first two times I had propositioned Gaby,” Zach says.
In June 2024, the couple threw a three-day wedding at the bride’s family home in Amagansett, planned by Melissa Sullivan of Studio Sully. It began on Thursday with a rehearsal dinner in the Novogratz’s backyard, where Gaby wore a 1999 Chanel runway gown sourced by Tab Vintage. “It is objectively the coolest dress I have ever worn,” she says. The groom, meanwhile, opted for a custom white suit from Bode with embroidery that told the story of their relationship. (“Dare I say that Zach almost out-dressed me on our wedding weekend,” Gaby says.)
After the speeches, guests boarded buses to local dive bar Stephen Talkhouse—another special place to the couple, as it’s where their parents first bonded over tequila shots. The bride changed into a strapless dress from The Row so she could dance well into the morning.
