Tom Hanks officiated a couple's dream wedding in their unfinished home — and it all started with a simple letter
- Krisna Poznik told Insider about her wedding on March 20 which was officiated by Tom Hanks.
- The couple kept details about the Oscar-winning actor mum to their family and friends, Poznik said.
Krisna Poznik always dreamed about her wedding – she just never imagined it would be officiated by Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.
The actor — who has been in Pittsburgh filming the new movie, "A Man Called Otto" — has been spotted all over town in recent weeks, and even photobombed a starstruck couple's wedding.
Poznik, a 39-year-old designer and calligrapher from Pittsburgh, told Insider she's been engaged to her master plumber partner, Tyson, 42, for nearly five years, and that she hasn't been in a real rush to tie the knot. The couple have had two young children, a 6-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter, plus renovations to their house to keep them busy, she said.
But when one of her favorite actors was right in their neighborhood of Bellevue, Poznik — who said she recalled that Hanks was an ordained minister — decided to finally take the plunge.
Krisna Poznik wrote to Tom Hanks asking him to officiate her wedding
"I wrote a letter to him," she told Insider, adding that she remembered seeing a video of Hanks offering to officiate an unwitting couple's wedding in Central Park in 2016.
"In the letter, I explained who we were and that we were close by and that the house we're renovating is our version of 'The Money Pit,'" she said, referencing the 1986 comedy he starred in with Shelley Long about a young couple struggling to renovate a house. It's a cinematic favorite for Tyler, who often brings it up while working on their own home, Poznik said.
"I said we wanted to get married at our house once it was finished, but asked if he would do us the great honor of marrying us — that it would be a dream come true marrying the love of my life in our dream house, even though it may be unfinished — and that it would be made all the more special by his presence."
The letter was handed to Hanks' assistant on March 1, and by the next day Poznik got her answer.
"We knew it was such a big ask," said Poznik. "He said yes and agreed to marry us."
Poznik said it was a matter of weeks before the big day on March 20 – with a tight guest list restricted to the couple's moms and kids, and a menu of cider and macarons. But the real key was keeping it under wraps, only telling their moms in advance and their son moments before the ceremony, Poznik said.
The bride admitted she was surprised at how tight-lipped she could be, and said with a laugh that she's learned to be "a very good secret-keeper these last few weeks."
Leading up to the big day were no ordinary wedding jitters
"It was so surreal – it just blew our minds," Poznik said of the prospect of Hanks officiating her wedding, adding that she and Tyler "didn't want it to become a media storm."
But that wasn't all.
"I was most nervous about Tom Hanks being in our unfinished house," she said.
On the day of their wedding, the bride greeted her special guest at noon, along with his assistant and bodyguard.
Hanks, who has been married to actress and producer Rita Wilson since 1988, even imparted sage insights about love.
"He gave us the analogy that getting married is like jumping into a river, that sometimes you have smooth sailing and sometimes you have rocks, but it's always better when you can hold hands and go through it together," Poznik said.
It resonated with the couple. "It was poignant and touched our hearts," she said.
Hanks toasted the couple after the whirlwind ceremony with a cider
According to Poznik, Hanks told the couple that their wedding was the third he had officiated. (Representatives for Hanks did not respond to Insider's request for comment.)
After the ceremony, he toasted the newlyweds with a cider and gave them a big hug before he left, Poznik said.
"It was perfection – I couldn't have asked for anything more. Looking back, this is what we were waiting for – all these magical pieces falling into place. It was serendipitous," she said. "For being a girl growing up dreaming of her wedding day, I didn't have a vision of how I wanted our wedding to be until this all came together."
Of course, Poznik said there was one final vow the couple made to each other: "Every anniversary from here on out, we'll have to get dinner and a bottle of wine and watch a Tom Hanks movie."