Having meticulously planned my own wedding, I can attest that it takes a lot to get to that end result. So, when I see a celebration like this one, jam-packed with layers of personalized details, I not only see the love, but feel every curated, every carefully crafted moment…thanks to the uber-talented designer Bride, who made all that beauty come to life. From incorporating her own art to seamlessly blending two cultures together, she truly thought of every last detail. Even asking her 90-year-old uncle to be the ring bearer (sweetest thing ever)!! With The Wedding Library at the coordination helm, Peartree Flowers on bloom duty and Sophie Kaye behind the lens, it was a truly special celebration and one that I promise you’ll want to cozy up to!
The theme of the wedding was A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a Chinese twist. Set at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, nestled in a beautiful countryside landscape just beginning to turn to autumn, the celebrations made every effort to pay tribute to the natural surroundings, from the carefully selected menu to the elaborate decor. The hallway leading to the reception featured a romantic cascade of hanging vines and fall foliage in a gradient of colours, while the tables were covered with flowers and tall, lush branches, dripping with hanging candles, to transform the space into a glowing enchanted forest. The overall effect was both sophisticated and magical.
As both the bride and groom are Jewish, and the bride is Chinese as well, the wedding represented a true marriage of the two cultures. Before the ceremony, the families and wedding party participated in a private tea ceremony and Ketubah-signing, during which the bride wore a traditional Gua dress from Hong Kong, while the groom donned a Chinese “cabbage blossom” over his suit. At the reception that evening, everyone danced the Hora, and to close out the night, they had a Taiwanese-style send-off, offering Chinese wedding candies to their guests.
The chuppah was the centerpiece of the ceremony, a gorgeous floral structure with moody and romantic hanging blossoms. At nightfall, it was revamped into a lantern-lit pavilion that guests could walk through to get from the hayloft to the main restaurant. The effect was utterly ethereal, with the soft, rosy glow from the lanterns lighting up the dark courtyard. It was the perfect way to repurpose the chuppah, and served as a stunning and memorable bridge between both cultures!
As for the bride’s gown, she chose a romantic, off-the-shoulder dress with beaded flowers across the shoulders by Israeli designer Chana Marelus, who personally added unique embellishments to the dress. Veil-designer Daphne Newman created a bespoke veil with matching flowers and beadwork. As a special touch, Daphne embroidered Kim and Isaac’s names onto the petals of one of the flowers in the center of the veil. Isaac wore a custom-made blue Zegna suit with a red velvet bow tie, and gifted his groomsmen and the two fathers with kimono bow ties in varying shades of red, each with a different pattern, to compliment the bridesmaids’ dresses. Finally, the guests wore burgundy kippot during the Jewish ceremony.
As Kim is an artist and is often commissioned to design wedding invitations, it was a dream come true for her to be able to design the artwork for her own wedding. She created and hand-lettered all of the paper goods, from the personalized crest and invitations to the escort cards and the custom-made mugs in the gift bags. The wedding suite featured whimsical illustrations of significance to both Isaac and Kim, as well as auspicious Chinese motifs and symbols to honour Kim’s heritage.
From the beginning, Kim and Isaac knew that deciding on a color scheme would be nearly impossible; Kim’s love of colors has had a huge influence on her artwork, and would play a big role in the wedding as well. Instead, they chose to draw inspiration from the mood and environment of the day: autumnal foliage and crisp chinoiserie as an homage to the season, bridesmaid dresses ranging from the palest blush to a deep burgundy as a nod to Chinese wedding colours, and rich jewel-tones for the tables and bouquets to tie everything together. On the whole, the tapestry of colours was what helped make the day so festive and unique, and full of warmth and happiness.
From The Wedding Library… I just adored this wedding – full of color, cultural elements, and the sweetest couple. The bride, Kim, illustrated their incredible invitations, all paper goods, and the favors. I was so excited to shoot with such an amazing color palette – a pastel blue runner, a vibrant chuppah, and the most painterly florals made up their wedding day details. The couple involved moments from both of their families and religions, with traditional jewish elements, chinese lanterns, and a tea ceremony.
Photography: Sophie Kaye Photography | Coordination: The Wedding Library | Floral Design: Peartree Flowers | Gown: Chana Marelus | Ring: Susie Saltzman | Hair + Makeup: Natalia Bizinha Makeup Artist | Wedding Venue: Blue Hill At Stone Barns | Bride's Instagram: Kim Zeluck | Bride's Website: Kim Zeluck