Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale met as colleagues. They were 10 years old.
The two former child actors appeared in the 2003 film School of Rock, in which Jack Black becomes a substitute teacher who forms a rock band from a classroom full of musically talented elementary school prep students. acting. Ms. Hale's character was a backup singer with braided pigtails named Marta. Mr. Massari played Frankie, a member of the band's Pee-wee security guard.
Mr. Massaguri recalled being asked to sing spontaneously during a film audition in New York City. He was nervous about following in the footsteps of Hale, who had just impressed the production team with her voice, including a rendition of “Everything's Coming Up Roses” with lyrics about the director.
“I thought, 'Wow, that girl is really, really, really something else,'” Massari said. He played Ozzy Osbourne's “Crazy Train,” the only song he knew the lyrics to at the time.
A year later, the pair and the other children who appeared in the film spent several months filming the film in New York. Hale said the group quickly bonded by going to a real school on set and eating at Benihana. Mr. Black, the adult star of the film, ate lunch with the group and played games between scenes. Their mothers, who were often present on set, also became close during this period.
At that time, there was not the slightest hint of youthful romance between the two. After the film's release, the cast stayed in touch through a long group chat.
Eventually, Mr. Massagli and Mr. Hale both quit show business and pursued other careers.
Hale, now 33, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations from Arizona State University. Mr. Massari, 32, graduated from Northeastern University with a major in English. Massaguri and Hale met again in 2018 after graduating from undergrad, coincidentally attending schools in Florida to pursue further degrees.
At the time, Massaguri was a law student at the University of Miami. Hale was completing a bachelor of science degree and a master's degree in health leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. (Eventually, they both graduated from their respective programs. Mr. Massagri currently works as a lawyer for TikTok and advises on its music products. Mr. Hale is an obstetrician-gynecological sonographer.)
After realizing how close they were to each other, the two had lunch and caught up. They even sent selfies to their mothers.
“We thought it was something like that,” Massari said. “But we kept going out to dinner and going out on the weekends. We were like, 'There's something going on here.'
Hale recalled that early in their date, after going to the bathroom and returning to the restaurant table, Massari had ordered coconut cake for dessert. Hale previously said it was her favorite flavor. She thanked him for listening to her intimate stories, she said.
Their relationship progressed quickly, and the years they spent as childhood friends laid a strong foundation.
“Even if it wasn't romantic, the familiarity that we and our families had when we were younger really broke down some of those early relationship hurdles.” Massari said.
“I realized it very early on,” Hale said. “I actually said this to one of my closest friends. I remember one weekend I was in an Uber on my way to Miami, and I thought, 'I think I'm going to marry this person.' is”.
When Mr. Massari first told Ms. Hale he loved her, his exact words were: “I think I love you.”
“You think?!” Mr. Hale said in a mock-exasperated voice.
Later that year, Ms. Massari offered her home as a short-term stay so that Ms. Hale could reduce her commute between her home in Fort Lauderdale and her training program in Miami. He was going to be out of town for a week, so he gave her the keys and permission to “crash.” By the time he returned, she had moved away.
The couple moved to Brooklyn in 2019 and got engaged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in June 2023. Massari proposed in front of the Temple of Dendur, the light-filled gallery featured in the movie “When Harry Met Sally.” That was followed by dinner at Nino's, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, and champagne at The Carlyle. Massari's mother burst into tears when she heard the news over FaceTime.
Hale said the couple wanted to “go all out” for their wedding. On January 4, the couple wed at Park Chateau Estate & Gardens, a Versailles-like wedding venue in East Brunswick, New Jersey (they had already been married on August 30 at Brooklyn Borough Hall). (Mr. Waldo Ramirez, staff member of ) City Staff Office will be in charge. )
Hale started her day at 8:30 a.m., getting dressed up for the evening's celebration. Massari had a more leisurely morning, receiving massages and other treatments.
The couple, who currently reside in Long Branch, New Jersey, read their personal vows to each other the night before the main event. Hale's father, Gary Hale, officiated a short ceremony before the party began.
Read more vow columns here and all of our wedding, love, and divorce articles here.
Guests were then taken to cocktail hour to sip on the couple's signature drinks. It was a Bellini for her and a Dirty Martini with blue cheese olives for him. The venue was decorated with only white flowers and lit with lots of white candles, according to Hale's vision.
For the reception, Ms. Hale changed into custom-made thigh-high Bertha boots encrusted with rhinestones that peeked through the slit of her strapless gown.
“When I saw those boots, I knew I had to do everything I could to make sure I got them,” she said. “The dress will come later.”
The couple entered the reception to Kanye West's “Through the Wire,” and transitioned to Chaka Khan's “Through the Fire” for their first dance. Massari said they asked the DJ to play songs like “If Studio 54 Had Never Closed.” A live saxophonist roamed the party riffing on piped music.
For Stevie Nicks' “Edge of Seventeen,” the duo danced with their “School of Rock” castmates in a nod to the movie's bar scene. In addition to the nine cast members, more than a dozen actors' parents and siblings were in attendance. (Jack Black politely declined, citing ongoing film projects, but “his words were very kind and generous, and he definitely paid a personal tribute,” Hale said.)
Not wanting to ruin the party atmosphere, Hale and Massari left for a private cake cutting at one point and fed each other “delicate little morsels,” Hale said with a laugh. spoke.
Hale recalled another moment on the dance floor with former School of Rock backup singers as a “time capsule moment.”
“We were dancing together to an old-fashioned disco tune, and there was some sort of improvisation into the song, and we all did it,” she said. “We looked at each other and were like, ‘This just happened.’ We’re still figuring it out.”
on this day
As of January 4, 2025
Location Park Chateau Estate and Gardens, East Brunswick, New Jersey
Family Stone Both the bride and groom wore sentimental rings. Massari's wedding ring was inherited from her grandfather. “He's Big Anne and I'm Little Anne,” Massari said. Hale's oval diamond engagement ring was a repurposed ring from her mother.
Late Night Snacks In addition to the three-tiered wedding cake (each tier was a different flavor), guests were served cannoli on the dance floor. At the end of the night, customers filed out, walking past food trucks distributing McDonald's.
