I’m completely convinced NYC is where all big dreams come to life – this rooftop wedding included. With vendors that made each moment sparkle – Patricia Kantzos, QuatreCoeur and Cake Alchemy, just to name a few – the bride and groom’s “classic elegance meets modern sophistication” vision unfolded to perfection. The gallery is packed much more NYC pretty and you can have a peek right over here.
From the Bride… From the time we were engaged, we knew we wanted to get married in New York. I was juggling grad school and a full-time job at the time, and did not want to venture too far out of Manhattan for logistical reasons. More importantly, it’s where we met, where we fell in love, and where we want to start our lives together. We both wanted a romantic, yet elegant wedding. However, I envisioned classic New York and David saw modern sophistication. One day, I randomly mentioned our second date, which was brunch at Norma’s in the Le Parker Meridien Hotel, and it quickly transpired to a meeting with the banquet manager, Lisa Elias.
The primary wedding colors were a soft grayish blue and champagne. The blues were used on the cover of our wedding invitations by Bella Figura and worn on the bridesmaids in dresses by Liz Fields. For my wedding gown, I had an exact picture of how I wanted it to look like; and I initially opted for a fully custom gown. Since the silhouette was rather simple, my matron of honor advised me to save money and time by looking for a dress that almost fits the description and have it tailored to my needs. I eventually found a La Sposa wedding gown in ivory that perfectly matched my vision from the neckline down. I had the entire lace portion custom built. My husband on the other hand, is much more laid back, and purchased his Paul Stuart tuxedo and Brooks Brothers shoes about two weeks before the wedding.
My florist, Ruth from QuatreCoeur and her team created the alter pieces. Our table setting was kept simple with white lines and silverware. I customized the menus from Finestationary.com and the favor cards were from Bella Figura. The favor cards were to inform my guests that a donation had been made to the Susan G. Komen foundation in memory of my aunt who could not be with us. The centerpieces for our dinner reception were kept at a low height so that it would not take away from the 180 degree views of Manhattan. They were a mix of lush floral arrangements on a silver bowl and cloche bell arrangements displayed with smaller vases and loose flowers at the base. Each cloche contained flowers in red, which is a traditional wedding color for our culture.
Then I used Rose Calligraphy & Design to hand write each of the guests’ names and table numbers on each of the leaves. In my opinion, having professionally written calligraphy was well worth the money and definitely put the sophistication on my DIY project.
We opted not have a separate traditional Chinese wedding, so we decided to add some of the elements to honor our culture. One of my most memorable moments in the wedding was during the simplified tea ceremony, which involved my husband and me serving tea to each of our parents. When it was time to serve tea to my parents, my parents congratulated us and my dad told my husband to take very good care of me. At that moment, I felt a wave of emotions that turned into tears of joy and saw the same in my father’s eyes. Though the moment was subtle and brief, it was what I had pictured with my dad all year.
Besides the cultural elements, we tried our best to entertain our guests through food, music, and fun. We worked closely with our officiant, Deborah Roth, to deliver a heartfelt ceremony and customized vows. For the cake, we chose a pumpkin flavor filling with chocolate buttercream. This beautiful cake was custom created by Cake Alchemy. Our reception started at 5pm so that our guests could take in the beautiful sunset over Central Park. Afterwards, DJ Russian Bear from Scratch Weddings kept us busy on the dance floor for most of the night, while Kevin Norris and his team from The Modern Photobooth were an absolute hit with all the guests. Adding to the romantic setting, we hired, Grace Cloutier from Julliard, to perform in the ceremony. We also created some drama for my entrance by asking our best man, and renowned violinist Sheng-Tseung Wang, to play Pachelbel’s Canon in D in a duet with Grace, which turned out beautifully. For our cocktail hour, we hired Jeremy Noller’s jazz trio, also from Julliard, to entertain our guests with New Orleans, big band style jazz to create a festive mood.
The next morning, we met our family and close friends at brunch for good-byes as many had flown in for the wedding. Our love story started over a delicious brunch at the Le Parker Meridien; it was only fitting that we send off our guests with the same experience.
Photography: Patricia Kantzos Photography | Florist: Quatre Coeur | Wedding Gown: La Sposa | Cake: Cake Alchemy | Invitations: Bella Figura | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Wedding Bands: Luk Fook Jewelry | Bridesmaids Dresses: Liz Fields | Makeup: MakeupNV | Hair: Reiko Utsugi | Harpist: Julliard - Grace Cloutier | Venue: Le Meridien | Earrings (Bride): Blue Nile | Groom Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo | Grooms Tux: Paul Stuart | Jazz Band: Julliard - Jeremy Noller | Violinist: Sheng-Tsung Wang