We have been all about the chic, modern loft wedding that Laura and Eric threw this past winter in New York. It’s one of those weddings that just makes you giddy. From the perfect decor to the stunning couple, it’s as if this night was destined to be beautiful.
And like many celebrations, there is a life, a story behind the beauty. Here are some last details and a touching note from Laura, the gorgeous bride…
Due to my aforementioned obsessive planning trait, I would have normally chosen to give ourselves plenty of time to perfect every detail and incorporate tons of DIY projects. During our planning, however, life took a different turn: my stepfather, whom I think of my only father as he’s been with us since I was a child, was diagnosed with liver cancer. As many who have dealt with cancer can attest, there were many ups and downs… some times we thought he would beat it, and other times we were scared he wouldn’t make it through the week. Eric and I decided right away that we would do our best to make sure he would be there with us on our day, so we chose a winter date in the same year and ramped up our planning.
photography by Heather Waraksa and event design by Daughter of Design
The decision to move up the wedding turned out to be, far and away, the best one we made, and not just because my father made it to our wedding. In the months leading up the big day, his health began to fail rapidly and life became very difficult for him. But his anticipation of the wedding and his desire to be there to walk me down the aisle kept him going, and when I called him I could hear the joy and excitement in his voice even through the pain and depression he was dealing with.My mom described the day she took him to get fitted for a new suit (and a very dapper new hat and coat to go with it) as one of the happiest he had during that time.
My father passed away just a few weeks after the wedding. Thankfully, we had the warm memories from the wedding and the pictures showing the happiness and positive spirit that he had that day to ease us through this period. Eric and I are so extremely grateful that we were able to spend this time with him, show him the love that we have for each other and the promise of our future so that he could rest assured that I was taken care of. These memories are happy ones and we cherish them… and I know my father would be proud of that.
Near the end of the evening, after the photographers had left and things were beginning to wind down, it started to snow in Manhattan. We – and our guests – all went out onto the roof deck and reveled in the magic of the city lights and the snow falling around us. It was so breathtaking… as if the stars were aligned for us that night.