It’s official, Trent Bailey Studio is the master of wedding photography. I mean, just take one look at this gallery and you’ll be hard-pressed to claim otherwise. From capturing the sweetest first look, to their darling exit, Daughter Of Design was on hand crafting wedding magic like you wouldn’t believe. Oh, and the Kiss The Bride Films? You won’t want to miss it. See it all below and in The Vault!
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From the Bride… We sort of have an unofficial “theme” to the wedding based on our hometown. We both grew up in Saltaire, Fire Island – that’s where we met as kids and also where we got engaged so designed the wedding around this idea of a “seaside home” vibe.
Many young girls and women spend hours dreaming of their wedding day. The dress. The flowers. The cake. The first dance. It’s hard for me to explain why I never dreamed about my wedding day growing up. It wasn’t for lack of excitement, or because I didn’t plan on getting married, I wanted to begin my experience with an open mind and feel free to do whatever felt right. That’s why, when it came time to begin the planning process with my husband, our perfect day came as naturally as our love for each other.
It is unusual, these days, to find the person you want to marry when you are fourteen. We both grew up spending our summers in a beach community on Fire Island. In our town there are no cars, bikes are the only form of transport, and people don’t wear shoes. The reason this place is so special though is because of the life-long friendships that are forged there. This was where our relationship started, and everything grew from there.
Michael proposed to me on that very same island, the night of the summer solstice, on a quiet sunset-lit beach. We later met up with our friends and family for an evening of celebration. It was a perfect night!
When it came time to start planning, we both agreed very early-on that the most important thing for us was to have all of our family and closest friends in attendance. With this in mind, we knew we wanted to keep our wedding fairly local; within a few hours of New York City. While we thought this decision had simplified the process, we had no idea how many wedding venues are in this area. Our amazing wedding planners at Daughter of Design helped us narrow down the choices and imagine all the ways each space could be used. When we came across the Altman Building, an old carriage house in Manhattan with white brick walls and vaulted ceilings, we didn’t know right away that this was the place for us. We decided to have our wedding here for two reasons; first it is a beautiful vintage-industrial structure, but more importantly, this wide open venue gave us the ability to be creative and to turn the space into anything we could imagine. Obviously this flexibility is a two-sided coin, more freedom meant more work, however, it also meant that each aspect of the design, decor and style were distinctly “us”! Our hand was in the detail of every element of the wedding.
Even though we chose not to have our wedding theme focused on Fire Island, it is such an important part of our lives that our talented florist, Louis Miller Design, and planner, helped us find ways to incorporate unique “nods” wherever we could. For example, our entryway was decorated with iron maritime lanterns, potted beach grass, and a wooden wagon. The escort card display was modeled after the tennis sign-up board from the island. Even the cocktail-hour had lights hanging from the ceiling to create a warm mid-summer feel.
Our ceremony was a few blocks from our apartment, at the church Michael and I are both members of. To help create a more personal experience Michael’s pastor traveled up from his home town in New Jersey. Her sermon was better than either of us could have imagined, drawing from aspects of both of our lives and recognizing the strengths in our relationship. It set this infectious tone for the night. The reception and after-party were executed flawlessly. For me the most challenging part of the wedding was not the decision making or the planning, it was trying to stay in the moment the entire time. What everyone tells you is correct, the whole thing goes by really fast. The best advice I could give to future brides and grooms on this monumental day is to enjoy every second and take in every moment.
Photography: Trent Bailey Studio | Cinematography: Kiss The Bride Films | Event Design + Planning: Daughter of Design | Floral Design: Lewis Miller Design | Church: First Presbyterian Church In The City Of New York | Reception Venue: The Altman Building | Catering: PS Tailored Events | Hotel: Gramercy Park Hotel
