If there is a way to kick off a week in the prettiest of fashions, it’s most certainly with the lovely Karen Wise. She has, yet again, wowed us with another New York knock out to make sure our Monday is ever so lovely. Before we get into it all though, I have to admit my seriously mad crush for the bride’s bouquet by Engaging Floral Designs. Rustic.elegant.perfection. Don’t you agree? It’s all equally breathtaking, and there is so much more to eat up in the full gallery of images!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride…Kelley and I met at his going away party in Manhattan, although I didn’t know it was his party at the time… or that he was going away! My sister’s friend from college was studying physics at Columbia with Kelley, and my sister invited me. Kelley and I started chatting at the party, but I thought he was uninterested because he kept chatting up everyone else as well. I later found out that the party was his graduation party and he was saying goodbye to all of his friends. He only had three more days in the city and then he was going on a month-long motorcycling trip to India. He was then scheduled to move to West Point, which is about an hour north of Manhattan, to teach Physics (Kelley is a Major in the Army). We spent the next few days together almost non-stop, and then Kelley left for India, and neither of us knew if we would see each other again. He emailed me and we wrote back and forth, casually at first, and by the end of his trip we were writing each other almost every day and we knew we would see each other when he returned. When Kelley got back we dated by traveling up and down the Hudson River. I would take the train to visit him, which is why our save the date was a train ticket. Eventually, we moved in together, and rented an apartment in Cold Spring, NY in the Hudson Valley.
When Kelley proposed, I had received a promotion at work (I worked in HR at a hedge fund in Connecticut), it was my 28th birthday, and our 2 year anniversary. We had so much to celebrate, I didn’t think a proposal was coming even when Kelley surprised me with lunch at Per Se. He knew I would want to have a say in the design of my engagement ring, so he gave me a simple gold ring on a necklace. I didn’t figure out he was proposing until I read the engraving “Will you marry me” on the inside of the ring. That ring is now my wedding band.
When we were planning the wedding, we wanted everything to be elegant but comfortable at the same time. Where we could, we included our local favorites and sentimental details from our relationship. The wedding and reception were at the country club attached to our favorite restaurant in the area, The Tavern at the Highlands Country Club. The favors were burnt caramel and Hawaiian sea salt truffles from a chocolate shop in our town. The invitations and all of the paper goods were custom made by my friend Misako, who owns the paper company, To You From Me. Kelley and I share a love for wine, so both the invitations and the flowers included vines.
I studied photography at Cornell, so the other aspect that was really important was that we have good quality photos. I came across our photographer, Karen Wise, through a friend. I fell in love with her documentary style, which went with the relaxed feel of the wedding. She also uses medium format film, which is impossible to find, and the photos made everything look that much better. The wedding was not only gorgeous, but incredibly touching and great fun!
Wedding Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Floral Design: Engaging Floral Designs / Band: Miracle via IGMC / Venue: The Highlands Country Club / Coordinator: Adrienne Madama / Stationery: To You From Me, Misako Rothery / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Favors: Bittersweets