I love the overall vision this Bride & Groom had for their Big Day: to throw a big dinner party for close friends and family. Because sometimes the jumping off point of inspiration isn’t about the details, it’s about the vibe. And then the details just fall into place so, so beautifully. Not to mention, this glowing Bride is the Co-founder of Birchbox, so of course, she looked effortlessly gorgeous. Ready for more? See all of Mark for Trent Bailey Studio‘s captures in The Vault.
From the Bride… Our overall vision was to throw a big dinner party for close friends and family. We planned a wedding weekend, with the Arnold House as our home base. It’s a 10-room Catskills hotel that has been renovated to look very Ace-y and owned by a super cool couple who lives part time in Manhattan. Our family stayed there and we also had a Friday night welcome party in their barn and a casual Sunday brunch there (we couriered Peter Pan doughnuts and Bien Cuit croissants from the city!). The actual wedding was at East Hill, about 6 mi away. The same couple who owns the Arnold House has a 60-acre property that includes a modern pool area (where we had our cocktail hour) and a container house (where we stayed). We wanted it to be a low-key weekend of activities in a gorgeous upstate area: hiking, distillery tours, yoga at the Arnold House.
My hair was by Jeff Chastain, and makeup by Nam Vo. It was amazing to have friends—people I’ve known and worked with for over five years—do my hair and makeup. I trusted them to make me look like myself, only better. We didn’t have a bridal party, just Rob’s best friend Julian and my sister Annie, but we had our friends and family participate in other ways. Our officiant was our dear friend Nate Rogers. We put the ceremony together ourselves, and asked friends and family to do readings from Madeline L’Engle, George Saunders, and a Brooklyn poet named Robert Hershon. Our ceremony was in a wide-open field, then we walked up to the pool area for cocktails, then reception under a tent.
Poppies & Posies did a spectacular job with our florals. I wanted seasonal, not too girly—an undone organic look but not hippie. They nailed it and were a dream to work with. Rob designed all our printed materials (though my best friend and Birchbox cofounder Hayley did the menus!), and we had them printed by our longtime Birchbox printer Tazo at 4over4. Then we roped in another friend, Allidah, to write our escort cards, which hung on the fence at cocktail hour. It takes a village.
Food was a huge priority for us! We worked with Oliver Kita, an incredibly skilled caterer to create a big, happy dinner party. We designed a menu that felt like something we would do at home (obviously not at this scale or all at once). For cocktail hour, we the Italian aperitivo hour tradition so we had an entire bar of negronis and spritzes and a giant wooden table piled with charcuterie and mostly local cheese. There were other delicious snacks like radishes with local butter, and deviled eggs because Rob loves them. Dinner was family-style and, again, foods that we would make ourselves: steak with chimichurri sauce, roasted vegetables, great crusty bread. My parents sourced 20 vintage soda bottles that we filled with olive oil for the table and my dad personally hemmed and folded all the napkins. Oliver made us a naked wedding cake that I swear tasted just like birthday cake, plus homemade mallomars as a party favor. We were also lucky to have the Doug Winters Band keeping everyone on the dance floor. Rob had seen this band at a wedding in 2009, where he danced so much he sprained his ligament. Our first dance was to Jackie Wilson’s “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher.”
My dress was by Roland Mouret. I wanted something modern and simple but with pretty details. My shoes were by Jimmy Choo. Rob wore a made to measure suit by Monsieur Brunold and shoes by Church’s.
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Photography: Mark for Trent Bailey Studio | Floral Design: Poppies And Posies | Wedding Dress: Roland Mouret | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Catering: Oliver Kita Fine Catering | Groom’s Attire: Monsieur Brunold | Groom’s Shoes: Church’s
