Rather than blab on and on about this wedding, I want to just dive right in. But I did want to quickly mention that one…it’s indoors (finally) and two…it’s modern and DIY. And really freaking gorgeous. Oh and the bride has been sweet enough to share all of the behind the scenes details so grab a cup of coffee and have a seat. This is a really good one.
Luis and I had a singular focus on making our wedding modern, fun, and festive. We didn’t want just a wedding like everyone else’s, we wanted a party that happened to include a celebration of our marriage. As a graphic designer – and coming from a family of graphic designers and artists – there is no way I would ever turn over creative reins to anyone! Between me, my mother, and my sister in law, we designed everything to be beautiful and cohesive, pulling our illustration theme and color scheme throughout all aspects of the wedding.
The color scheme we selected was apple green, dove grey, black, and white – colors which played nicely off the illustration, the polished concrete floors in our industrial venue, and a bright springtime color that warms my heart whenever I see it. Once I had settled on apple green, we knew that apples would play a major part in all of our decor choices. Indeed, there was an enormous vase of apples on the escort table at the entry, and apples adorned all of the tables – a cheap and beautiful decorative choice.
My mom and I decided to save money and keep our creative control by doing all of the flowers ourselves as well. We ordered dozens and dozens of assorted white flowers from an internet supplier, as well as green hypericum berries and Bells of Ireland. We used the berries along with white ranunculus to make the boutonnieres, and the Bells of Ireland made gorgeous and dramatic bridesmaids’ bouquets. My bridal bouquet was entirely comprised of white freesia, and I left the bouquet untied until just before the ceremony so that me and my bridesmaids could complete the ribbon wrapping and tying together as a group effort. Finally, each table received a modern, asymmetrical arrangement in a rectangular glass vase anchored with dark grey river rocks. The overall effect was modern, clean, and beautiful without being overly feminine.
As you’ll see from the photos, the Foundry is a tall space. In order to warm up the space without spending a lot of money or making it lose its industrial character, we relied on candles – some 400 of them! We also wanted a dramatic centerpiece for the room that would frame the “altar” space where the actual ceremony would take place. My mom undertook what I refer to as the great manzanita project, creating gorgeous 8.5 foot tall pieces entirely out of silk flowers and non-perishables. She and my dad assembled everything themselves. They built the “stumps” and covered them with moss. They placed the trees within using cement and sandbags to anchor them. They lovingly glued individual blossoms and leaves to the branches. And they strung tiny white blossoms onto fishing line for the draped effect you’ll see in the photos. They were gorgeous and really helped frame and fill the massive Foundry space.
Music is a tremendous part of our lives. It was incredibly fun for us to put together our entire wedding mix, which was run off of my laptop in the corner. That’s right – no DJ! We got compliments from all of our friends and family on the thoughtfulness of our choices, and how “us” the entire mood of the evening seemed. Luis walked in to the opening strains of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica. Luis’ sister sang “I’ll Cover You” from the musical RENT during our ceremony. Our reception started to Ozzy shrieking “All aboard” in his song, “Crazy Train.” During dinner, we played Bauhaus and Joy Division.
My gown was designed by Demetrios with a few modifications added by my mother and me. The dress features a tiered ruffle section down the left side – we augmented each tier with added layers of birdcage netting and white feathers. In the end, the dress looked really beautiful but didn’t bust our modest budget.
Vendors: Venue, The Foundry, Long Island City / Catering by Real Food Catering / Photography by Kate & Georgina / Videography by Love In Progress / Cake by City Sweets / Gown by Demetrios / Veil by Artikal Millinery / Hair by Stacy Pitt, Styles on B / Officiant Pastor April, Church of Ancient Ways