Ben and Kim’s love story began long before their wedding day when they were just a pair of high-school sweeties growing up in New York City. Fast forward 13 years and there was zero question where they should tie the knot. “We knew Brooklyn was where we wanted to be married – outside, right on the water, with the city that raised us in the background,” said Kim. China Jorrin photographed the celebration full of beauty and emotion like you’ve never seen.
We are two NYC kids who met at 15 years old, quickly becoming high school sweethearts. Ben is a video producer/editor/director and Kim works in casting for film and TV. After imagining the day of our wedding since we were teenagers, finally experiencing it after 13 years together, in front of our closest family and friends, was the greatest gift we could’ve received. We knew Brooklyn was where we wanted to be married- outside, right on the water, with the city that raised us in the background. The simplicity of our gorgeous white florals and neutral colors and style, perfectly reflected our vision for this incredibly meaningful day. It was an absolute dream.
What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning?
We envisioned a day filled with memories and love, surrounded by close family and friends. We knew our wedding would be fairly large – we have been together for almost 13 years and it was important to us to include all of the people who had contributed to our life together. It was truly special celebrating with the people we grew up with. We had always wanted to get married in Brooklyn – and knowing we needed a venue that could accommodate a large party, we knew immediately after finding it that The Liberty Warehouse was our dream location. We wanted an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour overlooking our beautiful hometown of NYC (which nearly didn’t happen due to the thunderstorms, but magically cleared just in time for the invite!!). We moved inside for the reception, surrounded by Amber lighting and flickering candles, while the sunset and outdoors were still accessible just a few steps away. It was absolute perfection. The entire staff at The Liberty Warehouse, led by Jeff Torem, were so wonderful throughout the planning process and made our experience one we will never forget.
Tell us about your color palette and style vision?
Ben and I wanted our wedding to reflect our warm, romantic, and simplistic style preferences. The neutral color palette we chose perfectly summed up our vision for the evening’s decor – white/cream, charcoal and dove gray, and black. White flowers with pops of greenery, light Amber lighting, and the gorgeous brick arched Liberty Warehouse structure in the background perfectly defined our personal style and vision for our Brooklyn wedding. My bridesmaids wore mostly long chiffon charcoal or dove gray/cream dresses (one gray Tulle dress for my youngest “Maid”, my sister Sophie), and the groomsmen wore fly black suits. Ben wore a stunning gray tuxedo with black lining on the pants/jacket. He looked so handsome.
What unique elements or DIY details did you include?
We loved the idea of incorporating photographs of us, our family and our friends. Making our wedding as personal as possible was our priority. We knew we were going to use baby photos of us as our table numbers, which was such a fun and cute moment for us to do together. With this idea already planned, we decided to use baby photos of our bridal party on our wedding website instead of current photos. It personified this natural theme we had of incorporating the past and the present, as our relationship is such a wonderful reminder of time and love. For our guest book at the wedding, we had Polaroid cameras on the escort card table, so our guests could snap a photo of themselves and write us a little message as a keepsake. We also had photo collages of us and our families on the same table. We have such incredible families and we wanted to show them off!
What was your favorite moment?
Our ceremony was our favorite part. Our officiant Jeddah helped to create such a wonderful flow to the ceremony, allowing our personalities to just shine right through, resulting in a very moving and loving moment in the day. It’s what our guests reference as their favorite part in the day, as well. It was incredibly important for us to personalize our vows, and hearing each other’s words was a special experience for us both. After being together for so long, there were so many different things we could say in those 20 minutes. It was entirely about love and our devotion to each other- a mix of humor, romance and memories. We also included a moment where we thanked our parents, having them stand while we turned in their direction, and hear how special and inspirational they are to us, in our own words. That was very rewarding. The dancing was our other favorite part. Our incredible DJ Neza literally kept our guests on their feet the entire night. He crafted the evening so perfectly, knowing when to play certain songs, when to entice people back on the dance floor and also when to slow it down. He developed the perfect balance, and if we could have him follow us around in our daily lives, creating a life soundtrack for us, we would.
Your favorite crafted detail?
Personalizing our wedding was our favorite detail. From the table number baby photos, family photos, photos of Ben and I at 16 years old right next to a photo of us from this year, speeches from our parents and siblings, personalized vows – it was just us. Every moment, every word- it perfectly defined who we are as people in this relationship together, and what experience we wanted our guests to have on this day. We’ve known each other almost half our lives, and sharing the history of our relationship with those who know us best was our favorite part. Planning the menu was also incredibly fun… Because we like to eat. Who doesn’t!?
What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?
If time allows, space out the planning process so you don’t get too overwhelmed. We happened to have almost a 2-year engagement, and planning a NYC wedding does take some time, but it allowed us to really enjoy every detail without feeling too stressed. I also think it’s important for brides to just relish in this moment. Everybody says it, and I will add myself to the tally, but this incredible day that’s potentially taken so long to plan goes by so quickly. My sister gave me a great piece of advice that was passed down to her from a friend: take a moment during the wedding to just look out at your guests, look at the scene in front of you, and take it all in. Because in just a few short hours it will be over! As I was looking into The Liberty Warehouse from outside by the water, an incredible sunset behind me, I thought to myself, this is pretty special. This is a day about my love and me, and all of the people who love us most. It is a day of celebration.
Photography: China Jorrin Photography | Floral Design: Raven Hollow Guild, Inc. | Wedding Dress: Suzanne Neville | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Rings: Deena Jewelers | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Amsale | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Essense of Australia | Catering: The Liberty Warehouse | Makeup: The House Of Makeup | Lighting: Pegasus Productions | DJ: DJ Neza | Groom's Attire: Joseph Abboud | Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Officiant: Jeddah Vailakis, NYC Wedding Officiant | Venue: The Liberty Warehouse | Bride's Hair: Drybar | Candy: Samuel's Sweet Shop, Rhinebeck NY | Groom's Shoes: Nordstrom | Groom's Tie: Pierre Cardin | Invitations + Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas