Art Deco Inspired Alder Manor Wedding

Mallory Recor
March 14, 2014
Categories: Real Weddings, Vintage Chic
Tags: Art Deco

Art Deco is making a huge come back right now, and it’s weddings like this one from Jonathan Young Weddings that is leading the way. Gilded details are only enhanced by the collected, romantic pieces from Brilliant Event Planning brought to the table, and the whole thing has an air of passion that will draw you right in.

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From the bride… Our shindig went down on April 20, 2013 at Alder Manor, a crumbling-but-gorgeous manor home built in 1912 perched on a hill overlooking the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York. My entire vision for our wedding was sparked by the venue … I used to be an editor at Brides New York magazine, which is where I first came across Alder Manor and completely fell in love with its Downton Abbey-meets Grey Gardens-meets Great Gatsby glamour… the crumbling gardens, the wood paneled ballroom, the richly detailed library. Everything from my dress to the decor sprang from the inspiration the venue provided. We wanted everything to feel authentic to the mansion’s heyday. Our amazing vendors worked together to bring my vision to life—it turned out more beautifully than I could have ever dreamed!

My husband and I are originally from the Bay Area, but have lived in New York for several years— me for almost 13 and him for almost six. So our friends and family traveled from near and far to attend, some from as far away as Japan and England. While the wedding was fancy we didn’t want it to feel stuffy, so there were a lot of fun details woven throughout the day. As guests arrived at the ceremony, they were greeted with glasses of champagne. Pashminas were draped over the backs of chairs for guests to take if they got cold. Our ceremony was short & sweet, officiated by a longtime friend of my family’s who created a personal ceremony, and we wrote our own vows. A live jazz trio played for the ceremony and cocktail hour, and we used songs during the ceremony that had personal meaning to us, like “Georgia on My Mind” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” Immediately following the ceremony, we hosted a champagne toast and gave a speech thanking our guests and families for being there. Each champagne glass had a cocktail stirrer that doubled as an escort card — my sister and I made them all ourselves using wooden dowels, hot glue, and pieces of gold Christmas garlands. I downloaded fonts to match our invites from Smock Paper to create the tags.

I also semi-crafted our ring holder, using a vintage compact, and sewing navy velvet inside. My sister held on to the compact, but our ring bearer and flower girl were our dogs—our min pin, Alfie, and our pomeranian, Nico. Alfie tried to make a run for it as Jon’s cousin was walking them down the aisle, but she swiftly grabbed him!

My bracelet was vintage—a gift from Jonathan—and my earrings were my something borrowed from my sister.

We had a big wedding party—21 people! But they all were so amazing. My bridesmaids all chose their own dresses, and they did a fantastic job—they all looked so beautiful. Dinner was served across the manor’s ballroom and library, which are adjoining. Sides were served family style, and the entrees were served via French service, so everyone could try a little bit of each option. Everyone had a blast on the dance floor, our DJ totally killed it. We had two disco balls going just for fun. My favorite part was the confetti toss during “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey—it was the song that was playing when Jon and I first kissed. Everyone went wild as the gold confetti cannons went off.

It was such a magical evening and I couldn’t have done it without my amazing vendor team.