‘This wasn’t on my Pinterest mood board’: NYC weddings align with Knicks’ championship push
A love story intertwined with basketball
This wasn t on my Pinterest – Three years ago, Victoria Perry and James Kostadaras shared a first date that started with a game between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. At the time, Perry recalls, the man she was dating wasn’t a Knicks fan. “I wasn’t going on a second date,” she says. But when they eventually paired up, the couple found themselves in a unique situation: their June 13 wedding in Manhattan could coincide with Game 5 of the NBA Finals, a moment that might decide the Knicks’ first title since before either of them were born.
“I’ve never thought about my flowers once in my life, and I literally bought the first dress I tried on. Now, I’m grateful for these things, but I never dreamed of them growing up,” Perry reflects. “But I dream about the Knicks. So for me, it’s just a bigger source of my excitement.”
Perry, raised in Manhattan, and Kostadaras, from Astoria, Queens, both grew up in New York but have contrasting views on the Knicks. While he leans toward skepticism, she’s a die-hard believer. The pair’s bond began during their first date, when they watched the Finals together. Now, their love story is merging with the team’s playoff run.
Their plan includes a surprise twist: 250 guests, mostly from the city, will gather to watch the second half of the game. Perry even had her florist incorporate Knicks-themed elements. “He’s basically repurposing my $40,000 florals from cocktail hour and a reception into a Knicks-themed afterparty downstairs,” she says. The venue will feature custom Wilson basketballs with their names and anniversary, and the phrase “Knicks Finals 2026” on the other side. A giant TV and a DJ will accompany the festivities, turning the reception into a live game-watching event.
An unexpected game-day twist
For Alexandra Cruz and Liam Allen, the overlap wasn’t planned. They hadn’t anticipated their June 13 wedding would align with the Knicks’ playoff journey until the rehearsal dinner before a friend’s ceremony. After leaving the venue, they headed to a bar to watch the end of Game 2. “And it was like, OK, this could go into our wedding weekend for sure,” Cruz shares. The Knicks’ 2-0 lead on the road left them hopeful, and the team’s dramatic comeback in Game 3 solidified the timing.
“This wasn’t on my Pinterest mood board,” Cruz jokes. “The blue-and-orange aesthetic was not part of my theme.”
Cruz noticed her Tri-state friends and family excitedly discussing “Knicks in five” the next day. The response to her social media post about adding a TV for the game was overwhelming. While she’s not swapping out the wedding’s color scheme for blue and orange, she’s embracing the trend by setting up a projector in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and delegating a groomsmen to manage the tech. “It’ll make it that much more special and memorable,” she says, even if it means some guests might be more focused on the game than the dance floor.
For Perry, the coincidence holds deeper meaning. Her Knicks-obsessed father passed away when she was two, making the team’s potential victory a personal milestone. “I’m ecstatic about it,” she told CNN Sports. “It’s like a dream come true.” The alignment of her wedding and the Knicks’ championship pursuit feels like a fitting tribute to her family’s legacy and her own passion for the game.
