This Bride and Groom are the very definition of “cool.” For starters, they’re the duo behind The Local Branch, a traveling boutique selling American-made apparel, leather goods, accessories, and more. Then, there’s this wedding full of eclectic, vintage-inspired touches including a gorgeous wedding dress made by the Bride’s mother, floral arrangements by the Bride and her ‘maids, and personalized favors for each guest. See every special moment photographed by Elena Wolfe and assisted by Robyn Blasi in The Vault!
From The Bride…Blaine and I met when we were just kids and started dating when we were seniors in high school. We had a few years apart for college and then after school we headed out west to California where we lived in San Francisco for about 5 years. We started a small clothing line together and we renovated a vintage Airstream trailer to be a mobile workshop, which allows us the ability to travel full-time with our business. We got engaged on the road while on the Appalachian Trail in October – and then had a late summer wedding in the Hudson Valley, NY – a place near and dear to our hearts.
We initially wanted an outdoor wedding, but all of the logistics became too overwhelming – and when we discovered The Pocketbook Factory in Hudson, NY we knew this was the ideal mix of everything we were hoping for. The large industrial windows flooded the space with natural light, and the quirky vintage furniture provided a touch of charm that we both love. The venue also allowed us the whole week to slowly transform the space, so with the help of a few close family members, we turned this blank canvas into the wedding of our imaginations!
We are both innately creative people, so we had a lot of fun dreaming, planning and executing all of the many details. We definitely had a vision and wanted our wedding to be a mix of vintage and eclectic, sentimental and authentic with a lot of charm. We loved the juxtaposition of hosting a fancy event inside of an old industrial sewing factory. We knew with a dreamy color palette, the glimmer of hundreds of candles, the big white summer flowers, an amazing family style meal, a wide assortment of whiskey and old fashioned gypsy jazz band, the mood would be set and the party would be one for the books!
We chose whites, ivories, soft pinks, golds, coppers and brass for our colors, which felt really romantic against the men’s black suits and the factory’s dark wooden floors and brick walls.
I really wanted to do the flowers myself, so when our caterer told us about the flower party option at Flower Blossom Farm, I was beyond excited. Since we travel full-time, we were able to collect dozens of vintage brass candlesticks and antique copper vessels from all over the country, which we used to adorn the tables. My mom, sister and best friends/bridesmaids went with me to the farm a few days before the wedding, where we made all of the table arrangements and bouquets. The farm hosted us with fancy quiches, coffee and pastries and taught us the tricks of the trade. The flower party was a lovely kickoff and one of my fondest memories of the weekend.
We were trying to think of something sweet and personal for our favors. We stumbled into a cute little shop in Brooklyn where we discovered little books packed full with quotes and sayings. During our road trips we’d read through the phrases, selecting the best fit for each and every guest. We tied the little quote pages around napkins with baker’s twine and a rosemary sprig at each person’s seat. The favors were really special and everyone could tell that it chosen specifically for them.
Throughout our wedding it was all of the little details which were really important to us – not necessarily that they be grand or elaborate, but more that they were sentimental and authentic with meaning behind each choice, and that was especially true with my dress.
I tried on lots and lots of dresses with my mom and sister, and although there were so many beauties out there, I just knew that it would mean a thousand times more to me if I could make make my own gown with my mom. She made her own wedding dress, and after a little bit of coaxing she finally agreed. We visited a quaint fabric store in Manhattan’s fashion district and within seconds the most beautiful lace fabric caught my eye. Just like that, my mind was made and my mom and I were toasting with the store owner to my soon-to-be wedding gown! We worked on it together a little bit at a time over the length of my engagement. When it was finally complete, she added my “something blue” to the dress – a little blue tag reading “Mom”. Making my gown with my mom was such a beautiful memory for me.
Our cake was a Tuscan Lemon Wedding Cake, which was the most delicious wedding cake I have ever eaten! It was a rich olive oil and citrus cake with a lemon buttercream frosting. The same bakery also made a few varieties of French Macarons and three different types of pies (with really gorgeous latticed tops). My mom made her famous Chocolate Bon Bons and a good family friend made darling tea cookies with jam. We also had a few assorted flavors of gelato and a french press coffee bar!
There was a moment when everyone was sitting and eating the amazing family style meal – chatting and laughing and toasting their cocktails, and then the sun began to set and warm sunlight made the entire room glow. Blaine and I noticed the lighting and this tender moment at the same time, so we just stopped and held hands and soaked it all in.
A lady told me this – “I hope your day is lovely and I hope that it goes by in slow motion”. I took that with me throughout the day, because the day flies by, and you can so easily get caught up, so just try to stay in the moment and take time to pause and breath and reflect and have fun.
Photography: Elena Wolfe Photography | Floral Design: Flower Blossom Farm | Ceremony Venue: Church Of St Mary Holy Trinity Parish | Reception Venue: Metropolitan Building | Catering: Jeff Loshinsky Catering | DJ: Sugartown Industries | Band: The Hot Club Of Flatbush | Cake + Dessert: Crisan Bakery | Letterpress: Camille Robles of Ramble & Ride | Photography - Assistance: Robyn Blasi Photography And Cinema