It really doesn’t get any more timeless and elegant than this gorgeous black and white New York City soirée. This wedding is the perfect study in NYC, from the letterpress invites featuring the couple’s favorite skyline to the antique checker cab that whisked them away, to the votive candles that hung overhead as guests danced the night away. CLY Creation was on hand to capture all the classic elements that made this day the undeniable perfection that it is and lucky for us, there’s so much more in the gallery!
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From the Bride…Matthew and I are both somewhat old souls, so we wanted a wedding that would be timeless, classic, and elegant. We had met and played out our love story in New York, and thus it was the natural place to be married. In planning our wedding, we wanted to bring a New York City feel without going overboard with it. We were thinking a sophisticated black and white color scheme, black tie, lots of Sinatra. Our letterpressed invitations featured an illustration of the New York City skyline that had been drawn for us by Matthew’s sister. We wanted to keep the main invitation simple so we chose black script on white paper and incorporated the skyline drawing by printing it faintly on a vellum overlay. We used the same skyline illustration on our out-of-town bags, which were filled with some of our favorite NYC things (like black and white cookies), as well as some classics (I “heart” NY T-shirts).
Our wedding day transportation was an antique Checker Cab, which was fitting since a taxi had played an important part in the story of how we first met. We were introduced by a mutual friend at a New Year’s Eve party in 2006 and hit it off instantly. Our goodbyes were cut short though when I spied a taxi across the street, which I ran to catch since finding an empty taxi in New York City on New Year’s Eve is a bit like winning the lottery. Luckily, our friend gave Matthew my phone number and he called the next day. The rest was history.
We feel very fortunate to have been married at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Chelsea, which holds a special place in our hearts since it is where we attended mass together weekly. It is a wonderfully welcoming church with an impressive community service portfolio. It also happens to be gorgeous, which was a big bonus!
Both Matthew and I love eating, so food played a big part in our wedding day. We took pictures at the Shake Shack, which is a NYC institution in Madison Square Park famous for its fantastic hamburgers and notorious for its long lines. Showing up in a wedding dress was a blast –everyone let us cut the line, and the employees gave us free food and a small bottle of Prosecco! At the reception we went more upscale, with a sit down multi-course dinner and intermezzos butlered to guests on the dance floor. We lightened things up a bit at the end of the night with a gourmet chocolate bar with goodies for our guests to take home (the chocolate covered bacon was the biggest crowd pleaser!)
There were so many little details that went into the wedding – my grandmother’s rosary that I carried with my bouquet, the handkerchief wrapped around my bouquet that had been Matthew’s Christening bonnet as an infant, the DIY signs for our card table, the votive candles hung over the dance floor that twinkled over our heads all night. We had a lot of fun with all of the planning and could not have asked for a more perfect day.
Wedding Photography: CLY Creation / Floral Design: Kiriba of Atlas Floral Decorators / Ceremony Location: The Church of St. Francis Xavier / Reception Location: The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers / Invitations: William Arthur + Lion in the Sun / Vintage Taxi: FilmCars / Bride’s Shoes: Calvin Klein / Wedding Dress: Amsale / Jewelry: Firenze Jewels / Hair: Daleesa Weary / Make-up: Ellen B. of Ellen B. Beauty / Bridesmaid Dresses: White House Black Market