Elevated Garden-Inspired Wedding With A Classic Touch

Melissa Hammam
December 8, 2023
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, Seasonal Wedding Trend, Summer, The Blog

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

All white flowers, lots of greenery, slate blue, sage, and gold.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The overall vision we wanted to create was an elevated garden for our guests. My planner Joy and I went through every single detail with two words: elegant and clean. Fluffy greenery, textured linens, exotic florals in glass vases, gold accents, and thousands of candles of different sizes. Our amazing florist, Stephanie and Jesse from Whisper and Brook Flower Co., executed perfectly!

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

Andy planned this ‘fancy happy hour’ for me by the water here in New Jersey, which at the time didn’t seem out of the ordinary that he had asked me if I was free three weeks in advance! When we get there he tells me that there’s a boat that will be passing by the Hudson at a veryyyy specific time of 6:00 pm that he wants us to see. We leave our happy hour after a few celebratory Friday drinks (he was acting a little too excited about the happy hour, so I was starting to get suspicious), and he insists on walking over to a specific area of the boardwalk. We get there, and he goes, “there it is!” and I look over … nothing there. When I turned around, he was down on one knee, and I yelled, “I KNEW IT! AND YES!!!” It was so beautiful. What was super surprising was when we arrived back at our apartment, I opened the door, and my family, his family, and my best friends from near and far were there for a surprise engagement party!! I began to tear up as I saw all our loved ones, the apartment filled with flowers and white balloons, and my sweet fiance, who spent weeks planning the perfect surprise!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

After 7 appointments all over New York and New Jersey, I finally went to Sareh Nouri in Short Hills. I went with the ‘Royal Highness’ gown which was a strapless ball gown, with a long train and a French lace cathedral veil! We added this extra large beautiful bow to the back of the dress to add a WOW factor! The dress also had this chic slit down the leg, so I knew the shoes would have to be special; I went with white Jimmy Choos!

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]They all had mismatched blue and white floral and solid slate blue dresses that ranged from Revolve, Jenny Woo, Michelle Mason and V. Chapman. I absolutely loved the way their dresses looked with the mono floral rose bouquets! [/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groom wore a black tuxedo with a Lily of the valley and petite rose boutonniere, looking so handsome! The groomsmen looked very dapper in their black suits with black bow ties.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Cocktail Hour: Scallop Crudo, Shrimp Hush Puppies, Grilled Chicken Flatbread, Smoked Gouda Arancini, Tempura Fried Broccoli, Crispy Potato Rosti Cakes, Chilled Shrimp with Avocado Mousse, Cornmeal Fritter. Chef Stations: Gourmet slides and baby lamb chops, grilled clams and mussels, pepper crusted tuna loin, pork loin, chicken and waffles, south street seaport station with lobster rolls, and a risotto station with mushroom truffle or shellfish. For dinner: Tuscan Kale salad, Halibut, Snake River Wagyu, or the Vegetarian Lasagna. To finish off the night, we had strolling desserts, a s’mores station, and chocolate popcorn made by the Ryland Inn.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]As soon as I landed on the vibe and color scheme, our planner, florist and I did a venue walkthrough where all our visions came to life. I decided on all white flowers, heavy greenery and hundreds of candles of different shapes and sizes. The fireplace in the Grand Ballroom was completely filled with different sized candles which gave a beautiful illusion of a lit fireplace. I went with a delicate Lily of the valley bouquet which really elevated my look. I remember walking into the reception space for the first time, there’s actually a picture of me crying/smiling and hugging Stephanie and Jesse, our amazing florist, from all the happiness. One of my favorite elements from the florals was the beautiful ground floral arrangement Andy and I stood in during the ceremony, which we then repurposed for our sweetheart table. I have to thank our planner Joy and our florist, Stephanie and Jesse, for giving me the best inspiration for the theme! [/field]

[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

A three tier all white classic wedding cake by La Bon Bake with sugar orchids cascading from the bottom and wrapping all around the cake to the top layer. It was exactly what we pictured!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”][/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #1″]We had a ‘Generations of Love’ table with different styles of gold frames, each with pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding day. It was a beautiful table that was also decorated with white flowers and candles. Our family members loved seeing the photos![/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #2″][/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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