Surprise Wedding in SoHo from Speaking Through Silence
Surprise weddings are just my everything. I can't even imagine my excitement if I ever pulled the invite for one of these parties, because I would be beside myself with happiness. Speaking Through Silence Photography is bringing us just such a fête, and it is overflowing with style - making it that much more fabulous. What's even better is the new Mr. & Mrs. got their dream day surrounded by their favorites, and it doesn't get better than that. See it all here.
From the Bride... Devin and I had several conversations about getting married and earlier in 2012 we came to the decision to tie the knot. When Devin proposed in June, we realized quickly that a long engagement was not our style, and we made the decision to get married that fall. This meant that big decisions had to be made quickly!
We live in New York and have family from the US, Canada, and all over the world, so we knew that New York would be the place where everyone would come together. We originally thought of just going to City Hall and having a big celebration after, but decided that the most important thing to us was to have our closest friends and family present for this special moment. So we kept the ceremony a secret and went ahead planning the party. With our priorities in mind, we had some key points that guided our decision making process. They included: having a unique, non-traditional ceremony; making New York our backdrop; not spending beyond our means; making our loved ones feel included and appreciated; and of course, making sure everyone had the best time possible.
We started the day by getting ready at the beautiful Conrad Hotel in Battery Park City, and had a photo session with our wonderful photographer in DUMBO, by the East River, and at Washington Square around the corner from our party location. I decided on a dress by a local NYC designer, and the groom wanted a casual and elegant suit/no tie look. We didn’t officially have a wedding party, so I didn’t ask my “bridesmaids” to color code, as I wanted them to feel comfortable in their chosen outfits. Instead of a bridal party, during the ceremony, we each had our brothers stand with us as our support.
The location choice defined the whole party. I Tre Merli restaurant in SoHo was the ideal setting and had a perfect ambiance. With the exposed brick walls, the red booths, the high ceilings, we couldn’t have chosen better. Live jazz welcomed guests, chalkboards gave guests details about the evening, seasonal flowers in soft fall colors covered the tables with little pumpkins and gourds, and each guest received a vintage NYC postcard with a hand written note commemorating the evening. And, instead of a wedding cake, the restaurant supplied their delicious tiramisu, which we topped with a US and Canadian flag to honor our Canadian/American union. We had attempted to keep the ceremony a secret, and managed to surprise the majority of the guests by getting married on the spot. Our officiant was incredible, and the ceremony was filled with details about our relationship, our values, our families and friends, and our aspirations together. After eating, imbibing, and celebrating in this magical city with family and close friends, we ended the party by continuing the celebration at The Dove Parlour in Greenwich Village. We couldn’t be happier with our celebration and are grateful to everyone that could be a part of it.
Wedding Photography: Speaking Through Silence Photography | Wedding Venue: I Tre Merli Restaurant | After-Party Venue: The Dove Parlour | Floral Design: Lauren Farrell at Fleuremedy | Wedding Invitations: Paperless Post | Wedding Dress: Saja Wedding | Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile | Jazz band: Achilles Kallergis and Quartet | Hair for the bride: Salon Ziba | Hotel: Conrad New York, Battery Park City
We live in New York and have family from the US, Canada, and all over the world, so we knew that New York would be the place where everyone would come together. We originally thought of just going to City Hall and having a big celebration after, but decided that the most important thing to us was to have our closest friends and family present for this special moment. So we kept the ceremony a secret and went ahead planning the party. With our priorities in mind, we had some key points that guided our decision making process. They included: having a unique, non-traditional ceremony; making New York our backdrop; not spending beyond our means; making our loved ones feel included and appreciated; and of course, making sure everyone had the best time possible.
We started the day by getting ready at the beautiful Conrad Hotel in Battery Park City, and had a photo session with our wonderful photographer in DUMBO, by the East River, and at Washington Square around the corner from our party location. I decided on a dress by a local NYC designer, and the groom wanted a casual and elegant suit/no tie look. We didn’t officially have a wedding party, so I didn’t ask my “bridesmaids” to color code, as I wanted them to feel comfortable in their chosen outfits. Instead of a bridal party, during the ceremony, we each had our brothers stand with us as our support.
The location choice defined the whole party. I Tre Merli restaurant in SoHo was the ideal setting and had a perfect ambiance. With the exposed brick walls, the red booths, the high ceilings, we couldn’t have chosen better. Live jazz welcomed guests, chalkboards gave guests details about the evening, seasonal flowers in soft fall colors covered the tables with little pumpkins and gourds, and each guest received a vintage NYC postcard with a hand written note commemorating the evening. And, instead of a wedding cake, the restaurant supplied their delicious tiramisu, which we topped with a US and Canadian flag to honor our Canadian/American union. We had attempted to keep the ceremony a secret, and managed to surprise the majority of the guests by getting married on the spot. Our officiant was incredible, and the ceremony was filled with details about our relationship, our values, our families and friends, and our aspirations together. After eating, imbibing, and celebrating in this magical city with family and close friends, we ended the party by continuing the celebration at The Dove Parlour in Greenwich Village. We couldn’t be happier with our celebration and are grateful to everyone that could be a part of it.
Wedding Photography: Speaking Through Silence Photography | Wedding Venue: I Tre Merli Restaurant | After-Party Venue: The Dove Parlour | Floral Design: Lauren Farrell at Fleuremedy | Wedding Invitations: Paperless Post | Wedding Dress: Saja Wedding | Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile | Jazz band: Achilles Kallergis and Quartet | Hair for the bride: Salon Ziba | Hotel: Conrad New York, Battery Park City