When the Bride’s dress is named the “Cleopatra” and features elegant, draped beading at the back and a romantic, flowing skirt, you know she is going to look unique, strong, and beautiful. And the goodness doesn’t stop there! This Brooklyn wedding photographed by READYLUCK, epitomizing bohemian elegance with details from the warm color palette to the assortment of lanterns, can’t be missed!
From the Bride… Before we ever started the planning process, we shared the vision that we wanted our wedding to be an event that would bring our friends and family together to eat delicious food, dance to great music, and celebrate love in all its many forms. We couldn’t have been happier with the end result!
My dress was “Cleopatra” by Amanda Wakeley – I knew I wanted something totally different, and I felt beautiful and strong in it. I wore a bracelet custom designed to match the dress, and my mother added extra beading from the dress to my grandmother’s brooch pin, which I wore in my hair. Steve wore a Hugo Boss tux with a custom shirt by Martin Greenfield Clothiers of Brooklyn, New York, and a gold wedding band by Rebecca Overmann.
We co-created our ceremony with our lovely officiant, Deborah Roth, who helped us weave together customs that were meaningful and genuine to us. We placed a “wishing stone” on each guest’s seat prior to the ceremony and had our friends and family imbue them with good wishes during the ceremony; they are all in a vase in our home now. Our favorite crafted detail was four scarves, one from each of our mothers and maternal grandmothers, woven together and used to bind our hands in an infinity circle for the handfasting part of our ceremony – one of the world’s oldest wedding customs and the likely origin of the term “tying the knot”! It was such a powerful way to honor the strong women in our lives who helped teach us how to love.
Because Liberty Warehouse provides such a beautiful blank slate, we wanted colors that would really pop off the tables and walls. We decided on a mix of greens and jewel tones that would be bright and colorful while also being warm and inviting. One of my best friends made our cake – an ode to our childhood days of making sweet treats together. All of the decor, flowers, and details were orchestrated by the talented Konstantinos Floral Design and Decor Group, who executed this organic, bohemian vibe that had the room dripping in flowers and lanterns. We had a table with pictures of our grandparents as a nod to “our beginning.” Pegasus Productions designed the lighting, including the outdoor ceremony area, which then become a lounge area for guests during the reception.
Our favorite DIY project was a mural of letters and cards that we constructed for the cocktail area. Three months into our relationship, I moved 3,000 miles across the country for a year and a half, and because of this we accumulated quite the collection of notes and letters. Along with some cards from close family and friends, we decided to display these on a beautiful wooden door that we found in a local Astoria recycling warehouse.
Our favors were also a special “NY” DIY project. We knew our reception would go late into the night (a pizza truck showed up at 1:00am), so we decided to send guests home with breakfast – a brown paper bag with two bagels from our beloved Brooklyn Bagel (cream cheese and plastic knife included), honey sticks, and a choice of our three favorite teas from our local tea shop, Tea & Milk. Guests told us this absolutely saved them from hangovers!
There were so many incredible moments – probably the most memorable, though, was the last dance to “I Will Wait” by Mumford and Sons, a song that had special meaning to us. Marcus Reid Band of Hank Lane Entertainment played an incredible version of the song that had us and every one of our guests wildly jumping up, throwing our hands in the air, and singing along to the chorus! It was such an amazing end to an evening of seriously some of the best music we’ve ever heard.
One piece of advice that I would give Brides-to-be is to focus on the big picture – for the night of and in the larger scheme. It’s easy to get stressed by the details and decisions, but ultimately you and your guests may not even notice small details. Your guests will however feel the vibe and tone that you set. Staying focused on the message about yourselves and your values will absolutely translate to your friends and family.
Photography: Readyluck | Floral Design: Konstantinos Design | Wedding Dress: Amanda Wakeley | Lighting: Pegasus Productions | DJ: Hank Lane Music | Groom's Attire: Martin Greenfield | Venue: The Liberty Warehouse