Bride fulfills childhood dream: a St. Patrick’s Cathedral wedding

By Cristina DC Pastor

For Annaleah Flores Garing, saying “I do” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. A timeless ending to a thoroughly modern romance that began on the dating app Bumble.

“I grew up very Catholic,” said Annaleah, 37, whose father is from Lipa, Batangas, and whose mother is from Mindoro. Although she was born in Manila, she moved with her family to Chicago when she was 3 years old. After graduating from college, she relocated to New York City, where she built a successful career in the beauty industry.

Today, she manages Amazon business operations for several luxury beauty brands, including Shiseido, Clé de Peau Beauté, Issey Miyake, Dr Dennis Gross, and Drunk Elephant. Before entering corporate beauty, she worked in the fashion startup industry.

Annaleah and her husband, Joseph Chiaro, 38, exchanged vows on June 13 before 170 family members and friends at the iconic Fifth Avenue cathedral.

Joseph, an Italian American born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, shares Annaleah’s strong family values and Catholic faith.

“We made the decision together,” she said. “We knew we wanted a church wedding, and St. Patrick’s was just so beautiful.” Joseph attends the Columbus Day mass every year.  

The ceremony was officiated by their family Monsignor, Jamie Gigantiello, making the occasion even more personal. Although St. Patrick’s welcomes thousands of tourists each day, Annaleah remembers the profound calm she felt the moment she walked through its doors in her flowing gown. 

“When you walk into St. Patrick’s, there’s just this sense of peace,” she said. “Walking down that long aisle was everything I imagined.”

During the ceremony, a regularly scheduled Mass was also taking place. The cathedral roped off the center aisle exclusively for the wedding party while parishioners and tourists occupied the side pews, a uniquely New York moment that blended public worship with private celebration.

The couple embraced timeless elegance for their wedding theme. The bridesmaids wore black gowns, accented by white calla lily bouquets tied with ivory ribbons. Even the flower girls complemented the sophisticated black-and-white palette. Annaleah wore a minimalist gown by designer Danielle Frankel, known for apprenticing under Vera Wang before launching her own bridal label.

“My vision was old-school New York—very classic,” she said.

Their reception continued the celebration at the Columbus Citizens Foundation, an Italian American institution in Manhattan. Rather than a traditional photo booth, the couple had a lively casino night complete with blackjack, roulette, and craps tables. Customized casino money featured the newlyweds’ faces, adding a playful, personal touch that delighted guests spread throughout the venue’s four rooms.

The wedding cake, Millefoglie, paid tribute to Joseph’s Italian heritage where the cake is assembled in front of guests during the reception.  Guests enjoyed layers of delicate Italian-style pastry filled with buttercream, created by the venue’s pastry chef.

Recalling their romance which began several years earlier, Annaleah said, “Our first date just kept going.” After a few months online, they met in person at a bar near Flatiron, then went to dinner for sushi, and afterwards a café for dessert. “Neither of us wanted the night to end.”

She knew early on that Joseph was “the one.”

“Our core values were very similar,” she said. “He’s conservative, very family-oriented, and incredibly easy to talk to.”

Joseph comes from a large Italian family. He is one of four brothers, while his mother is one of eight sisters. His family has deep roots in New York through a paint store business established by his grandfather that has served Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx for generations.

Annaleah and Joseph live in Astoria after several years in Manhattan. She remains close to her Filipino family, many of whom still live in Chicago. Her mother works as a bookkeeper for a pharmaceutical company, while her father is an Intraoperative Technician in the Operating room.  

Just days after the wedding, the newlyweds are set to for on a two-week honeymoon through Scandinavia, with stops in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

For Annaleah, one memory will forever stand above the rest.

“St. Patrick’s is such an iconic part of New York,” she said. “The interior is so grand and beautiful, it feels like something out of a fairy tale. Growing up, it was like the Disney version of a church. To be married there was a dream come true.”