Not only is Judy Pak taking over our Instagram account today, but she’s sharing this wedding best described by the bride as “old world vintage romance.” Set at the ever-charming Alder Manor, it strikes the perfect balance of moody romance, and features steal-worthy moments like the bride’s hair by Face Time Beauty and a three-tier confection from our friends at Sweet Grace. Peek in THE VAULT, and get your afternoon of inspiration started.
From The Bride… Philip and I met at the end of 2012, when I didn’t anticipate I’d meet the one any time soon. But as soon as I walked into one of my favorite neighborhood spots and saw him reading a book while waiting for me for our first date, I knew it was going to be the start of something special. One year later we were engaged and started the whirlwind of wedding planning.
I had grand visions of a destination wedding in Tuscany with intricate vines climbing up the walls of a private estate and secret gardens as our backdrop. Little did I know that we would be able to find the same mysterious beauty and grandeur right outside of New York City at Alder Manor. The mansion was transitioning to new ownership with renovations planned so we held our breath for months hoping we could secure the venue. We are so glad that it worked out, even before any renovations to its original early-twentieth century charm. With a venue like that, it was easy to find inspiration.
Since we had a year and a half engagement, I had enough time to slowly collect little beautiful trinkets as I came across them. I was inspired by the eclectic landscaping of the venue with its collection of Roman artifacts and sculptures and the ceremony area with columns modeled after a theatre in Athens. I realized everything I was drawn to fit an Old World vintage romance theme which perfectly accented the mansion. The whole process was really a labor of love with my sister hand-drawing and designing all of the paper goods from the invitations to the menus and Philip helping me to spray paint lanterns gold on the weekends and meticulously constructing our programs together on his days off.
However, all of the details really couldn’t replace the feeling that day as I walked down the aisle with all of the faces of our closest family and friends joyously watching and the unexpected emotion that Philip showed that day. We both are more practical than emotional and always joke about our robot hearts (it even made a cameo in our vows), but we really surprised ourselves with how much we were impacted by this moment. We were not just overwhelmed with joy by the deep commitment we were making to each other, but felt so grateful to our wonderful support system who will be with us through our lifelong journey!
Photography: Judy Pak Studio | Cinematography: Art Line Studio, Inc | Coordination: Exquisite Affairs Productions | Floral Design: Sprout | Wedding Dress: Reem Acra | Cake: Sweet Grace, Cake Designs | Shoes: Antonio Melani "Leena" | Catering: Chefs At Work | Makeup: Renee Lee | Hair: Face Time Beauty Concierge | DJ: Play Something Good | Venue: Alder Manor | Hairpiece: Percy Handmade | Photo Booth: The Photo Booth Shop