Classic New York City Black Tie Wedding
If there were one word to describe this NYC wedding, it would be timeless. Captured through the lens of Ashley Caroline, the gorgeous bride wearing Carolina Herrera and makeup by Face Time Beauty was radiant when she got her first-look at her soon to be husband. The bridesmaids wore stunning cream gowns by Alfred Sung Via Weddington Way tying this all-white affair together. This not-to-be-missed fete is everything we dreamed of and more. Don't miss a minute here!
From the Bride... Paul and I met during our first week as undergrads at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We dated throughout college, and after years of doing long distance on different continents, he surprised me with a beautiful engagement ring while geocaching in the mountains of Aspen, Colorado and a surprise dinner with our immediate families. For the wedding, we settled on our favorite city and the home of many of our friends and family, New York City, for a classic black tie wedding with a traditional Catholic ceremony and a small reception at The New York Athletic Club.
Our ceremony took place at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which is a breathtakingly stunning church. The priest that presided over our Nuptial mass was a family friend who flew in from Ireland to perform the ceremony. Another thing that was important to us was having everyone be “present” during the ceremony, so we asked our guests not to take pictures or have their phones out. We were hesitant about how family members would react to our no camera rule during the ceremony, but it made the ceremony that much more intimate and our photographer made her photographs available for download afterwards.
The New York Athletic Club was the perfect place to capture the timeless, classic wedding of our dreams. Everyone looked sharp in black suits, tuxes and dresses, perfectly complementing my classic Carolina Herrera wedding gown and Paul’s bespoke black tuxedo complete with a “real” bowtie. The guests were greeted by live piano music during cocktail hour where they left fun Polaroid pictures in our guestbook and signed an antique globe. One of our tables was decorated with a golden elephant representing our post-marriage move to Bangkok, Thailand. Our guests raved about the walk-on patio overlooking the sunset landscape of Central Park.
Our incredible DJ/Live band combination led by Bill Galbo introduced us as dinner started, and we swept into the beautiful banquet hall for our first dance while the first course was being served. He pulled everyone out of their seats to join us as “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, our first dance, came to a close and he picked up the tempo with Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” The night ended with everyone on the dance floor. We were encircled by all of our closest family and friends, and as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” came to a close, the dancing circle collapsed into a giant 100-person group hug.
It was truly the most amazing, and memorable day we have ever experienced. We have never felt such joy and happiness!
Our ceremony took place at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which is a breathtakingly stunning church. The priest that presided over our Nuptial mass was a family friend who flew in from Ireland to perform the ceremony. Another thing that was important to us was having everyone be “present” during the ceremony, so we asked our guests not to take pictures or have their phones out. We were hesitant about how family members would react to our no camera rule during the ceremony, but it made the ceremony that much more intimate and our photographer made her photographs available for download afterwards.
The New York Athletic Club was the perfect place to capture the timeless, classic wedding of our dreams. Everyone looked sharp in black suits, tuxes and dresses, perfectly complementing my classic Carolina Herrera wedding gown and Paul’s bespoke black tuxedo complete with a “real” bowtie. The guests were greeted by live piano music during cocktail hour where they left fun Polaroid pictures in our guestbook and signed an antique globe. One of our tables was decorated with a golden elephant representing our post-marriage move to Bangkok, Thailand. Our guests raved about the walk-on patio overlooking the sunset landscape of Central Park.
Our incredible DJ/Live band combination led by Bill Galbo introduced us as dinner started, and we swept into the beautiful banquet hall for our first dance while the first course was being served. He pulled everyone out of their seats to join us as “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, our first dance, came to a close and he picked up the tempo with Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” The night ended with everyone on the dance floor. We were encircled by all of our closest family and friends, and as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” came to a close, the dancing circle collapsed into a giant 100-person group hug.
It was truly the most amazing, and memorable day we have ever experienced. We have never felt such joy and happiness!