Urban elegance is the name of the game for this Long Island City wedding photographed by Lindsay Hite of READYLUCK. Starting with a ceremony covered in twinkling cafe lights and ending with a reception that’s the very definition of “chic,” it’s no wonder Around Town Entertainment kept the party going well the night. See it all waiting in THE VAULT.
From the Bride and Groom, Lesley and Josh… From the outset, we wanted to throw a beautiful and personal party for our friends and family to celebrate the love we have for each other and for them. We envisioned New York City as the location of our wedding because the city is where our relationship began. It’s where generations of our family members married, and, practically speaking, is a close destination for the majority of our guests. We wanted the wedding to have an offbeat, but elegant vibe that would reflect our interests and personalities, as well as put this beloved city on display.
We were instantly attracted to The Foundry – partly because of the view of Manhattan, partly because of the lush courtyard, and mostly because it felt like it had a lot of character. At the same time, it was a terrific blank slate to translate our vision. After that was decided on, we selected vendors that both connected with our vision and we felt would be easy to work with despite us being in Utah and their being in New York.
From the Bride, “Soon after we selected the venue, I started searching for her dress and found ‘the one’ at Alta Moda, a local dress shop in Salt Lake City. This dress had everything I wanted, and didn’t even know I wanted! I fell absolutely in love with the dress’s unique, intricate lace pattern, its feminine silhouette that accentuated my curves, and ultimately, it’s timeless feel.”
We spent a lot of time concerning ourselves with tangible details – coordinating typefaces, colors, materials, and all things tactile. We were struck by the story of The Foundry, which had been part of the local brass and metal production industry. We wanted to avoid an overly industrial look, but chose neutrals and metallic colors as sort of a nod to the building’s history. This palette also complemented everything else – the flowers, the food, the music, the people, etc.
We truly lucked out with our vendors. Lindsay from READYLUCK was a pure joy to work with. She is an incredibly talented photographer and one of the kindest, most thoughtful and easy-going people we worked with. Hiring her was by far one of the best decisions we could have made during our planning process. Our caterers were phenomenal to work with throughout every phase of the planning process and brought us both such joy to see how our ideas materialized on the big day. Working with them was one of the highlights of planning because we shared so much love and appreciation for each other.
We were thrilled to partner with Saipua, whose design aesthetic perfectly complemented the ambiance we strove to create. We also loved that Saipua, in essence, is a mother-daughter business with Sarah as head florist and designer and Susan, master soapmaker. For favors we knew everyone would enjoy, Susan created customized soaps we gave our guests at the end of the evening. A live band was a must, and we were thrilled with Around Town’s renditions of each and every song. Having them there certainly made the reception all the more lively and photogenic.
We did not have too many DIY elements (other than our vows). The most unique aspects of our wedding were the ceremony and cake. The ceremony was officiated by the bride’s oldest friend who got to know Josh especially well during the couple’s courtship in New York. Her ceremony was so touching and personal – it was by far one of the most talked about features of our wedding. Similarly, the wedding cake was actually made by a close friend of the bride, from college. It was such a treat to involve her in this way. We placed complete trust in her and the results far exceeded our expectations.
From the bride, “It’s hard to know what advice to give because I’m not sure whether it’s better to give advice based on what went right or wrong. A lot of former brides advised me to “enjoy every moment,” Honestly, that was harder to manage than I expected, in part because I still felt somewhat responsible for getting things done on the day of the wedding, and that gave me additional, unwelcomed stress. So my advice is a bit more specific: ‘In order to be fully present and enjoy every moment (1) make sure your “day of” timeline and plans are as final as you need them to be to feel relaxed, (2) be sure checks for tips are made up in advance and someone has been delegated the task of distributing them, and (3) drink just enough to relax your expectations and truly enjoy your party.’
Photography: Readyluck | Event Design: Jose Rolon Events | Floral Design: Saipua | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Invitations: Tabula Rasa | Reception Venue: The Foundry | Engagement Ring: Tiffany & Co. | Catering: Real Food Catering | Makeup: Jessa Blades | Hair: The Karcher | Lighting: Universal Light And Sound | Favors: Saipua | Groom's Attire: Jason Ascher | Officiant: Naomi Zeveloff | Ceremony Music: Venus Ensembles | Transportation: Luxor Coach | Tent: Ace Party Rentals | Beer: Triboro Beverage | Bridal Salon: Alta MODA | Bride's Earrings: Katie Waltman | Bride's Hairpiece: Paris By Debra Moreland | Bride's Wedding Band: Cat Bird | Groom's Wedding Band: In God We Trust | Reception Music: Around Town Entertainment | Wine And Liquor: Quality House Wines