Photo credit: Travis Harris
Hairstylist Reagan Baker and creative director Bart Jaillet started out as friends. Several months after they met, she left Manhattan to participate in Swiping America, a cross-country dating reality show. Her first day back at work after filming, Bart came in for a haircut. “He gave me the warmest hello and a big hug, then immediately asked, ‘Did you meet someone?!’” says Reagan. She said no, and he was glad. The two quickly fell in love, and then hosted a whirlwind, day-long wedding around New York City. Take a look…
First off, what was it like participating in Swiping America?
I’m pretty self-assured, so I had fun being on camera. But, as we were wrapping up the taping, I started getting a little freaked out. I realized my role was ending, but the process would continue on in the editing room, So, I was in a mild state of panic for a year. I definitely went on some awkward dates, but luckily people feel very seen watching an awkward date on television, and I find the awkwardness endearing.
Photo credit: Louis Moncouyoux
How did things develop from friendship to romance with Bart?
He came in for haircuts every month, and we grew close. After I got back from taping Swiping America, he asked if I wanted to go to a comedy show. There was this moment at the show where we were both cracking up and we made eye contact. I suddenly felt so connected to him. We kissed later that night.
After that, was it on?
Pretty much. For our second date, he asked me to go to an outdoor movie in Brooklyn. He prepared a Champagne-and-snacks situation. He looked up how long it would take me to get there by car and texted me a playlist for the exact amount of time. I don’t think anyone had ever done something so sweet for me before.
How did you decide what to do for your wedding?
When we got engaged, Swiping America was about to come out, and I wasn’t supposed to have any trace of a romantic relationship on social media. But the idea of planning a secret wedding felt really romantic. We had to pull it off quickly, quietly, and on an artists’ budget. We decided to treat our friends and family to our version of the perfect New York day.
Photo credit: Louis Moncouyoux
I love the photos of you two on the subway. What did it feel like to be riding the train in wedding clothes?
Like being a celebrity. Everyone looks at you, takes photos, says hi, and tells you that you look great. There was a moment where I was like, ‘Is this the right train?’ and a nearby gentleman confirmed it — he immediately knew that we were going to City Hall.
Where did you find your dress?
While looking on vintage and resale sites, I found this Vera Wang dress on Poshmark. Some people get superstitious about a secondhand wedding dress, but it was unworn, with the original tags. In the notes, the seller was like, ‘Nothing bad happened. I just decided to wear a different dress.’
Did you make adjustments?
Yes, I added a bow to the back and put more mesh underneath to make it poof-ier. The dress was ridiculous in the best way. At one point, a little girl actually fell over because she was staring at my dress.
As a stylist, how’d you decide what to do with your hair?
Lots of brides stick with their signature look for their wedding, since you want to feel like yourself, but I wanted to do something different. I went with a big, elaborate, curly bombshell updo. With updos, sometimes you need to fuss with it for an hour — and you still never get it right. But other times, you put it up in two seconds, use one pin, and it’s perfect. That’s what happened on my wedding day.
Photo credit: Louis Moncouyoux
What was it like getting married at City Hall?
It was one of the most beautiful, intimate, romantic moments of my life, but it’s also kind of like being at the DMV. You get a ticket with your number, you fill out paperwork, then 20 minutes later the judge takes you to a small room. There were couples everywhere, wearing everything from denim cutoffs to a white ballgown with a 10-foot train. We walked into the room, and the judge was like, ‘Okay, stand two feet away from each other, facing each other, looking at each other. Don’t look at me.’ I was really glad she said that. I think I would have been looking all over the room trying to take everything in, but it’s actually intoxicating to stare into someone’s eyes while you marry them.
Photo credit: Yana Yatsuk
Did everyone squeeze into the room?
Our friends and family actually waited for us outside City Hall and surprised us with musicians and tossed rice at us. I wondered why our friend Louis asked me a few weeks before what our favorite classical song was. Mine was ‘The arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ and Bart’s was the theme from ‘Jurassic Park.’ They played these for us when we debuted ourselves as a married couple.
Photo credit: Louis Moncouyoux
What was your first destination?
We walked a couple blocks to the Roxy Hotel because they have an old photo booth. It was a Thursday at 1 p.m., so the lobby was empty. We ordered Champagne and took a bunch of photos. There were always feet hanging out of the booth because we were cramming in so many people.
Wedding food can be so bland, but you had so much fun. What’d you do?
When it comes to iconic New York food, I always think of a slice of pizza and Chinese food in Chinatown. Those are things you can’t miss. For lunch, we wanted to go to John’s in the West Village, but they don’t take reservations. Still, we decided to take the risk. That day, when we asked if they had room for 25 people for lunch, there was only one table filled and that table was paying. It worked out perfectly.
What happened after lunch?
After pizza, we had an intermission for a few hours before going on a sunset sail. Bart and I went back to our hotel room at the Bowery Hotel and put together a big meat and cheese board for the boat. We had baguettes from Balthazar and caviar from Petrossian. We asked everyone to bring a chilled bottle of wine.
Photo credit: Yana Yatsuk
How was the sail?
So much fun. We made a playlist with everything from Frank Sinatra to disco. Since we had a small wedding, I got to hang out with everyone instead of having to do 200 brief hellos.
You had great weather, too.
We got so lucky! I kept joking that the two biggest things out of my control were the weather and whether I got my period. They were both in my favor.
When it comes to budgeting, what did you prioritize?
Renting the boat, staying in a hotel for a few nights, and buying caviar for the boat ride were our three big splurges. Then we saved in other areas: I made a bouquet from the grocery store, and we had great but mostly inexpensive food. The boat was very well-priced compared to other ones. Many had a million other fees on top of the rental, like huge corkage fees for every bottle you brought. This one was like, ‘No hard liquor and no glass cups. Come and have fun!’ Bart had the idea to use bodega coffee cups, and that ended up being one of my favorite details.
Photo credit: Yana Yatsuk
Lots of couples are drawn to the idea of a small wedding but worry about hurting people’s feelings. How did you two navigate that?
We could fit only 25 people on the boat, and the hardest thing was deciding who to invite. Bart and I have talked about having a party on our first anniversary just so we can invite everyone. We have a running joke that we’ll get married once a year and have a totally different event with different people every time.
Photo credit: Yana Yatsuk
Thank you for sharing your wedding, Reagan!
P.S. More joyful weddings, and Reagan’s beauty uniform from way back when.
(Photos by Louis Moncouyoux, Yana Yatsuk, Travis Harris, and Bart Jaillet.)