This little ode to wedding goodness captured my heart from the very moment I laid eyes on it. It’s a Brooklyn affair from the heart with a bundle of thoughtful details all lovingly crafted by family and friends. And the images by Emily Chidester? Wildly gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe them. These two love birds are about the cutests things we’ve ever seen and their wedding fits them to a T. Sit back and cozy on up to a féte at Frankies 457 that will pump your heart full of warm fuzzies and don’t forget to stop by the full gallery for a whole lot more.
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From the Bride… We’re all about good food, good memories, and sweet time spent with those closest to us. From the beginning, we wanted our day to reflect that. As we planned the wedding, we tried not to focus so much on theatrics, and opted instead to put energy into details that would make our guests feel loved and appreciated.
A huge part of our planning process was the decision to cut the guest list. My husband was born in New York, and I’ve always loved the city, so we invited an intimate group for a beautiful autumn weekend in NYC. Our wedding felt like a wonderful weekend spent with family, rather than a huge production. We tried not to take any of it too seriously and just enjoy the fleeting moments. Instead of a formal rehearsal dinner, we got to go bowling and eat pizza and cupcakes the night before the wedding. It was fun and super casual, and probably one of my favorite parts of the weekend.
I realize a small wedding doesn’t work for everyone, but I can’t recommend it enough. At times, I’d worried if we’d made the right decision, but when I looked around our wedding dinner that night to see a room filled with people who knew and cared for us deeply, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. My husband reiterated this in telling me one of his favorite parts of the day. As I walked down the aisle towards him, everyone standing towards the back closed in behind me and encircled us. He teared up multiple times during the ceremony because he felt so much love. That night, the room was as full as it would have been if we’d invited 300 guests. One of my friends pulled me aside just before we left to tell me, “this entire day has felt just like a hug.” And I couldn’t agree more.
From the beginning, I wanted our wedding to feel romantic, nostalgic, and heartfelt. Because of the small group, I was able to devote more time to each person both during my planning and the weekend. I was in love with our venue, which made decorating easier, since we did everything ourselves. Instead of a theme or color scheme, I decided on several elements that I liked and incorporated them throughout the entire day: from invites to favors. Not only was this cost effective, but it made figuring out each element of the day a little easier, since I had a template to choose from. One of my inspirations was a line from one of our favorite songs, “I love you like the stars above, I love you til I die.” Drawing from this, I incorporated silver stars throughout the weekend. We never spelled this out for guests though, so it felt like a little private love song was woven throughout the day, just for us.
Frankies 457 was incredible to work with and totally captured the spirit of our day. The space was rustic, warm, and the perfect setting for a small dinner party. The seated dinner was served family style, which allowed for tons of delicious food and great conversation. I was really inspired by the space’s textures, so I kept it simple by decorating the tables with clusters of flowers my best friend and I arranged in assorted glass bottles the morning of. My husband and I scored all the bottles, soda crates, and the chalkboard frame for $16 at a local antique yard. One of my favorite details was that we got to hand write each guest a letter on the back of NYC postcards for their place settings, which we wrapped with baker’s twine. I painted an old window frame with chalkboard paint and wrote the menu in chalk, which was quite a feat to transport to Brooklyn un-smudged! I also designed all the paper products, favors and welcome bags myself.
In reflecting upon our day, far and away our favorite part was how much everyone invested in it (and us). Our guests didn’t just show up–they helped set up and break down, they cried and laughed with us, and showed us more love than we could even process. I vividly remember sitting at the table during dinner holding hands with Matt, and looking around the room at everyone; each glowing and truly enjoying their evening. As our favorite songs played in the background, I tried to freeze every single face and every wonderful thing about that moment in time. We walked off together once it was all done, barefoot and giddy, and positively overflowing with happiness. Our day didn’t feel like a quick burst of euphoria, but rather a slow, steady outpour of peace, joy, and love, and one that I’ll remember forever.
Photography: Emily Chidester / Flowers: Bunches Direct / Ceremony and Reception Site : Frankies 457 / After Party: Abilene’s / Food: Frankies 457
/ Officiant: Pastor Mark Muckler / Dress: Allure Bridal / Makeup: Cynthia Carrington / Tux: Belk / Flower Girl Dresses: J.Crew