The newlyweds were tragically killed while on their honeymoon in Greece
Image via MSN.com
On August 30, 2026, Brides of Long Island member Florida Hoxha stood before 300 guests at The Crescent Beach Club and married Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, a Hinge date that very quickly turned into forever.
Less than a month later, the newlyweds’ lives were cut tragically short. The pair, along with Hoxha’s brother Florin Hoxha and his pregnant wife Eris Cani, were killed on September 26 when their Airbnb collapsed in an apparent gas explosion. The two were staying in the Plaka district of Athens, Greece, on the final evening of their honeymoon. Kirkpatrick was 37 and Hoxha was 34.
Kirkpatrick’s mother, Suzanne Nelson, told Newsday that “the loss is just monumental because they were such sweet, kind, loving, giving people.” She described her son as “creative…he had a zest for life,” and called her new daughter-in-law “the sun in the solar system.”
Hoxha was born in Albania before moving to the Bronx and then Westchester County with her family. She attended Emory University and New York Law School, eventually finding work with the New York Legal Assistance Group where she was a senior staff attorney.
Kirkpatrick was born in Stony Brook and moved to Huntington soon after. He graduated from Huntington High School in 2007 and attended The College of William and Mary, where he studied economics and Chinese. He worked with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group as a regulatory and compliance officer.
Westchester County legislator Vedat Gashi described Hoxha as “smart, ambitious and devoted to her community. She cared deeply about her environment,” he told ABC7.
Hoxha was an active member of Brides of Long Island, frequently sourcing the group for inspiration and making connections with other brides-to-be in our community.
A wake was held on Wednesday, October 7 at the Yorktown Funeral Home in Westchester County. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, October 8 at The Church of St. Patrick in Huntington