It’s official, this absolutely glowing bride is the proud owner of two stunning dresses that moved immediately to my favorite dresses of all time list. And you might need to sit down for this next little piece of information – her a-ma-zing, show stopping, stylish wedding gown is a combination of an awesome JCrew floor length skirt and a grey blouse from TJ Maxx. I’ll give you a moment to take that in, because when I first read that I just about died. The entire affair is just as jaw-droppingly beautiful – from the fabulous florals of QuatreCoeur to the cutie patootie flower girls, it’s a flawless fête if you ask me. Need to see more of the prettiness from Elisabeth Millay Photography (believe me you do)? Be sure to take a little stroll through the full gallery of images!
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From the Bride…The day we got engaged, Jamaal and I decided that we would enjoy just being engaged and hold off on wedding planning for a few weeks. Well, that lasted about two days! With Brooklyn as our backdrop, we started planning our wedding with a focus on creating an intimate evening that incorporated our personal style. We envisioned an elegant and relaxed evening with family and friends. We wanted to see washed-out pastel colors and touches of vintage. Our goal was to have our guests feel as though they were guests in our home. In order to execute our vision, we enlisted the help of our family, friends, and a talented team of vendors!
We collected birdcages, a vintage typewriter, and wood tree slices from a sample sale at Kate’s Paperie. We collected skeleton keys from vintage sales on Ebay. We collected books from various places including from our neighbors. Our friends helped us to collect glass jars for vases and candles. Jamaal made chalkboards of various sizes to use as signage throughout the venue. My mother hand-dyed two hundred paper doilies, cut burlap table runners, and wrapped each individual napkin with twine. The floral designers Amanda and Ruth of Quatre Coeur incorporated all of these items to create a wedding style that was personal to us. Each table setting had an individual design and feel to it. We incorporated beautiful calligraphy written on luggage tags for our guests’ place cards. Guests were able to take them home at the end of the evening.
Our wedding venue was built in 1900 and owned by the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture (BSEC). It was walking distance from our apartment and across the street from Prospect Park where we were engaged. It meant a lot to us to have our minister Rev. Dr. Flora Wilson Bridges officiate at our wedding. She made sure that our ceremony was intimate and meaningful. I changed into my second wedding day look after our first dance. Jamaal was really surprised! Thanks to the talents of DJ Lance our guests danced to a mix of old school and current dance hits. At the end of the night desserts were placed in monogrammed boxes for our guests to take home. Our day of wedding coordinator Viva Max Kaley was an invaluable asset to us. She was our sounding board for ideas and kept us organized throughout the wedding planning process. On our wedding day she made sure that the event went flawlessly.
Wedding Photography: Elisabeth Millay Photography / Floral Design: QuatreCoeur / Event Planning: Viva Max Weddings / Location: Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture / Bride’s First Dress: JCrew + TJ Maxx / Bride’s Second Dress: Net-A-Porter / Catering: Bassett Caterers / Wedding Cake: Lily and Fig / Calligraphy: Goodhue Designs / DJ: DJ Lance / Bride’s Hair: Tessa Bibby / Bride’s Make-up: Ruthie Weems / Groom’s Attire: Ralph Lauren