Jersey City Wedding Ideas and Inspiration

Traditional Meets Modern For This Chic Summer Wedding Film

This wedding might just have it all: gorgeous gown, a beautiful combination of cultures, friends and family and plenty of sweet emotional moments galore. From the littlest of details (this Brides’ hair accessory) to the whole wonderful celebration, NST Pictures captured it all and we’re swept up in all these feel good vibes! Enjoy!

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Summer Weddings

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From NST Pictures… It seems like it was always meant to be with Mary and Steve. After meeting at 13, they became immediate best friends although eventually drifting apart in college. It wasn’t until a reunion among high school friends in 2009 that they bumped into each other again and rekindled their friendship, with Steve finally confessing that he had feelings for Mary ever since they met. Five years of dating led to a beautifully designed wedding at Battello with elements of both Korean and Filipino traditions tastefully blended into their modern-day celebration.

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Wedding Dresses

Badgley Mischka

Spring 2014 Bridal

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Adrianna Papell

Spring 2015

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A Wildly Chic Waterfront Restaurant Wedding

If you ask me, this wedding is the perfect intersection of contemporary and classic. With a design concept of pure white, fresh greenery and accents of black and gold, the groundwork was laid for a gorgeous day and it’s all thanks to Wile Events. They translated the couple’s personal style to a wedding worth obsessing over, and we’ve got it all from the lens of Christina Lilly Photography.

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Fall Weddings

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Modern

From Wile Events… New Jersey natives Marisa and Marc met in Hoboken where they both reside, Marisa a professional in the fashion industry and Marc the owner of a popular neighborhood restaurant. When Marc proposed on the same street corner where Marisa first said “I love you” and considering the life they shared was here in Hoboken, they knew they wanted to commemorate their marriage in close proximity, choosing to marry at St Ann’s – a stone’s throw from Marc’s restaurant and to celebrate in neighboring Jersey City.

This classic couple shares a personal aesthetic that leans towards a neutral palette and clean lines – from the way they dress to the way they decorate their home and work spaces. It was this same understated elegance that inspired their event design concept of pure white, fresh greenery and accents of black and gold. Sharing an Italian heritage, it was important to both the bride and groom to celebrate their background with subtle accents throughout their event.

Invitations designed by Wile Events arrived in ecru envelopes with custom matte black liners. A simple “M” monogram adorned the letter pressed invitations, as both bride and groom share the same double M initials.

The ceremony was held at St Ann’s Roman Catholic Church, a traditional, beautiful space requiring only a few lush garlands of greenery to accent the pews. The bride wore a Carolina Herrera gown in a classic silhouette and a simple floral cuff in place of a traditional bouquet, and the groom a Giorgio Armani Collection tuxedo.

Battelo, a chic waterfront restaurant and event space in Jersey City, was the perfect backdrop for their cocktail hour and reception, with white walls, exposed beams and brickwork, a massive reclaimed wood bar and breathtaking views of Manhattan. Greeting guests at cocktail hour was an eight-foot custom designed escort board in matte black adorned with a grand garland of greenery and white blooms, accented with classic white pillar candles. Guests sipped on Aperol spritzes and white negronis while enjoying antipasti.

Transitioning to the reception space, guests were seated at rounds dressed in white linens with natural bentwood chairs and greeted by hand-lettered table numbers on Lucite and matte black letter pressed menus tucked into white linen napkins with a sprig of greenery. The Wile Events floral design team created several floral vignette variations to create a layered look within the space. Some tables were adorned with glass compotes of seasonal white, high petal count blooms with accents of greenery, some with a trio of petite arrangements of single varietals, and some featured floating candle holders in elegant, footed glass holders and gold julep vases. Italian accents such as the Tuscan-style urns with olive branches atop the bar and traditional favors of five gilded dragées in Lucite boxes – each signifying a wish for the happy couple – were subtle reminders of the couple’s ancestry.

The bride’s one piece of advice for brides-to-be? “Enjoy it and trust the people you hire. You hired them for a reason so let them work their magic while you enjoy the excitement of it all!”

An Elegant Restaurant Wedding with a Spectacular View

From first glance at that dress straight through to the reception, this wedding is all about the romance. Crafted by NYC Flower Project along with the image after gorgeous image by Sophie Kaye Photography, it’s awash in white with candles dotting the landscape and a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline. And that, my friends, is the recipe for a truly beautiful day.

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Winter Weddings

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Classic Weddings

From the Photographer… Set in the gorgeous Liberty House Restaurant overlooking the Manhattan skyline, Ruth & Irvin said their vows and wed surrounded by their closest family and friends. The day was wonderful despite the winter weather – a combination of a classic New York ceremony with details brought in via the bride and groom’s culture and religion. Neither Ruth nor Irvin let the rain stop them from beautiful outdoor couple photos behind their venue, with an amazing backdrop of New York City, and were smiling the whole time. Outfitted in a stunning BHLDN gown of the palest petal pink, Ruth opted for timeless hair and makeup. They married under the glow of string lights as the sun set, and shared their first kiss (that they had saved for their wedding day!)

Their reception was one of the most beautiful i’ve ever photographed, tables dressed in soft white and green with fresh florals and hundreds of candles. I always recommend my couples include a lot of ambient light in their reception and this couple went all out – illuminating the room from both the inside and out which made for some incredible photos. Ruth changed into a gorgeous short reception dress, also from BHLDN, that she had worn a few months before for her engagement photos. Irvin’s brother serenaded the crowd for the beginning – singing for the couples first dance and parent dances. After the toasts, which left everyone laughing, a live band took over for the rest of the night. It was truly a wonderful celebration and I was thrilled to end 2016 with such an amazing wedding.

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Silver Arrow Band

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Say “I do” in Style Aboard The Duchess + A Giveaway!

There’s saying “I do” in style, and then there is saying “I do” aboard The Duchess, an insanely gorgeous yacht that is equal parts fun AND sophisticated. Think fabulous contemporary decor, a floating rooftop (!) and panoramic views of NYC that will wow every.single.one of your guests. I mean, celebrating your newlywed status floating past the city you love? Sooo glamorous.

Whether it’s enjoying the newly built Duchess Lounge on the yacht’s second deck, sipping cocktails from their full-service bars or partying the night away on their oversized, hardwood dance floor, The Duchess has everything (and I mean everything) you’ve ever wanted when it comes to hosting your dream wedding. I’m talking climate controlled interiors, a state-of-the-art sound system (hello, live music or DJ) and outdoor furniture perfect for lounging. Not to mention The Duchess’ sister property, Fish Bar, is THE place to host your rehearsal dinner, a fab cocktail party or even your reception. We love them.

Whether you plan on an intimate “I do” with eight of your nearest and dearest or want to host a sit-down dinner for 400, contact The Duchess TODAY to begin your journey to that dream day. Star gazing is totally included, my friends.

THE GIVEAWAY

What: The Duchess is giving away a romantic dinner for two at their sister property, Fish Bar! (Value $200, Gratuity Not Included)

How: Simply leave a comment below telling us why you love yacht weddings! (Ex: They are sooo unique!)

Who: One lucky winner, chosen completely at random, will be announced right here on SMP on Friday, June 17, 2016. For terms and conditions, click here. Good luck, loves! xo

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Photography: Allan Zepeda (Image 2,4) + I Do Weddings (Image 1,3)

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Elegant Summer Wedding at Liberty House

I’d be willing to bet that this wedding day had some of the best weather imaginable. With crystal clear skies, the Manhattan views are absolutely stunning, taking already beautiful photos and elevating them to breathtaking. W Studios New York captured them all and city celebrations going forward have a new level to strive for. Mondays can be tough but with beauties like this one, we’re off to a good start.

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Summer Weddings

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From The Bride… Our wedding day was one that I had been waiting for for what seemed like an eternity. After meeting Michael almost ten years earlier, I was finally ready to make him my husband. The day of our wedding I woke up feeling equal parts excited and nervous; excited to be marrying my best friend and nervous that everything wouldn’t go as planned. Little did I know, I had nothing to worry about. Our day was really very special. We wanted something that was celebratory and beautiful, and that had touches of each of our styles, and most of all, that it was topped off with a huge party. We tried to incorporate a city meets country garden theme to highlight our personalities. All the details were a big hit with all the guests. Being a Type-A personality, I took on a lot of the tasks myself. With the help of family and friends, I DIYed many of the details: the signage and menus, the favors, the table numbers, and welcome bags. I really enjoy being creative and our wedding was the perfect excuse to put it into practice. We are so incredibly happy and excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

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Romona Keveza

Romona Keveza Luxe Bridal

Romona Keveza Luxe Bridal Fall 2016

Romona Keveza Bridal Fall 2017

Romona Keveza Collection Bridal Spring 2017

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ROMONA New York

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Modern Blush Pink Wedding

We see blush pink weddings quite often on the pages of SMP, but this modern affair give the popular color palette a completely fresh spin. Think the perfect union of sleek + streamlined and soft + feminine, all made possible by A-team vendors like Designs By Ahn, Remixologists, CLY Creation and Fred Lee. Have a peek in the gallery and don’t miss the film waiting down below!

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Spring Weddings

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From the Bride… To celebrate our first anniversary as a married couple, I thought it would be meaningful to dedicate a post to my husband. As this blog was a huge source of inspiration for us, I thought this would be the perfect outlet to show my appreciation to him for being able to carry out the vision I had for our special day.

Initially, as a bride, I was overwhelmed with the amount of choices and felt that I wasn’t able to have a sense of an overall theme for the wedding. It started out as a process of elimination, as I came to realize more of what I didn’t want. In terms of choosing a theme, prior to being engaged I always thought I was so confident in what I wanted. Yet, I came to realize that my choice of rustic flowers didn’t tie in with our modern venue, and although there were many individual designs I had in mind, it didn’t necessarily mean it all tied in together.

Ultimately, our venue was our biggest dilemma and although I had envisioned it to be in NYC we needed it to be in NJ where it would be closer to our church. Our options felt limited and frankly, the ones that were a realistic possibility felt a bit outdated and gaudy. I almost lost all hope in finding a venue until my husband told me he had found a place that was close to the city, yet still within distance to our church. I always wondered how a bride was to know when she found “the one” in terms of venue, dress, etc., and I can say with certainty that as soon as we saw our venue, there was no point in looking any further. The Maritime Parc is a newly built space located on Liberty State Park where the greenery of NJ is set against the backdrop of the city skyline. The interior of the building reminded us of the Guggenheim Museum, which we thought was appropriate as my husband proposed to me at MOMA, where we had our first date. This venue also was a clean, blank canvas where we could really tailor it to what we wanted.

Thankfully, I had my husband’s guidance and practicality in terms of not getting too emotionally involved in the endless decisions. In the end, it was he who ended up choosing the bridesmaid dress, flowers, many of the vendors, etc. Once we established that he had the better judgment, I focused my efforts in making our wedding more meaningful by involving and enlisting help from our close friends and family. My college roommate who majored in opera sang for our dance while another friend took our engagement pictures. Not only that, but with huge help from friends, we made a video to surprise my husband during the reception. I had filmed scenes at our college campus and all the places that meant something to us in the city of Boston where we first met. (Who knew a 5 minute video would be such a labor of love?)

The night before our wedding, my husband and I promised each other that whatever hiccups we may encounter on the actual day, we would put it behind us and enjoy every moment of it. We told ourselves we wouldn’t lose sight of the reason we were getting married in the first place. And thankfully enough, everything went smoothly and we had such a blast. I’m certain it was because of our bridal party and vendors who played a key role. In the end, you also have to remember to leave it up to the vendors to do their job best. This was such an unforgettable experience for both of us and I’m grateful that my husband took the reins in playing the “bridezilla” role. Just as he was able to connect the dots in terms of my vision, I’m confident that our relationship will continue to strive where our strengths and weaknesses complement one another.

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Tara Keely

Fall 2016 Collection

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Liberty House Wedding Featuring a One-Of-A-Kind Gown

Not only are you going to love this wedding for the crazy good Anne Barge dress with a beautiful custom tulle overlay but even more so for the loving details woven throughout. It’s a celebration full of classic design and beautiful blooms by Limelight Floral Design and you can find every last image captured by Michelle Lange right here in the full gallery.

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Summer Weddings

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Classic Weddings

From the Bride… “Katie and Ryan are getting married? This is going to be THE best PARTY ever” – the reaction of all of our most beloved friends and family upon getting engaged. And so, Ryan (my high school sweetheart) and I and I set out to plan what we hoped would be the best party ever, full of love and happiness – and in our hearts, it was better than anything we could have ever imagined.

I will never forget the rolls royce ride to the church with my parents, and the way Ryan looked as he saw me for the first time walking down the aisle. There are a countless moments I can bring to mind, that will always bring a smile (and even a few tears) to my face.

Having both grown up in NJ, and currently living in Hoboken, we choose the Liberty House in Jersey City which fit our vision perfectly. An open room full of air and light, with an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline – the perfect venue to deliver our once in a lifetime party. Having made my entrance in a beautiful tulle skirt overlay, I slipped the skirt off to celebrate in my “party dress” from Anne Barge, all night long.

The day was simply perfect, and in looking back we would not change a single thing, because in the end, what matters most is being surrounded by all your special people as you marry the person you love more than anything else in the whole entire world.

Liberty House Wedding

One thing we really know how to do here at SMP: welcome in the New Year with a whole lot of pretty. A task made decidedly easier when the talented Brklyn View Photography sends a gorgeous little day like this our way. It’s soft purple hues meets all kinds of romance meets a stunning Liberty House setting, and it most definitely deserves some QT in the full gallery. Join me there for every ounce of lovely.

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Fall Weddings

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From Brklyn View Photography… Jess and Jon’s love story was a long time in the making. They’ve been together for over eight years before becoming husband and wife. Jess and Jon wanted their wedding day to reflect all the things that they love to do together which involves going to the movies, being with the friends and celebrating with their families. Jess designed and created everything from her movie themed save-the-dates, invitations, table numbers and wedding favors. Jess and her sister spent three days creating delicious confections for their guests to take home in their personalized concession boxes. Jess gave her bridesmaids beautiful bow bracelets in pastel colored macaron boxes and Jon gave his groomsmen purple ties as their way of saying “thank you” for being a part of their wedding. As Jess & Jon were saying their vows, Jess was overcome with emotion. She realized at that moment, all the planning and preparation for their marriage was becoming a reality. I am so incredibly honored to have been there with Jess & Jon to witness them become husband and wife and photograph their wedding day. Wishing you both a lifetime of movies, laughs and happiness! Congratulations Jess & Jon!

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Dessy

Bridesmaid 2014

Women's Tuxedo

Tuxedo

Fall 2014

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Pronovias

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Dancing Lights, Cruise Collection

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New York City Skyline Wedding from Kensington Blue Photography

Let’s talk for a moment about how very awesome traditional weddings are, shall we? How they are seriously dripping in elegance and a downright sophistication that can.not.be.beat. How they feature the loveliest bride and grooms, stop-you-in-your-tracks details and moment after moment of pure, unadulterated happy. And then let’s talk about how this fabulous gem of a day from Kensington Blue Photography is all of the aforementioned with sweeter than sweet DIY stylings, pretty pink hues and a gorgeous Maritime Parc reception that is all kinds of amazing. See it all in the full gallery.

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Fall Weddings

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Ballroom Weddings Religious Institution

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Classic Weddings Whimsical

From the Bride… When Dave and I first got engaged, the only things we knew for sure were that we wanted to get married in New York, we wanted to do it on somewhat of a budget and we wanted to be as hands-on as possible to ensure our wedding was completely personal and screamed “David & Alyssa” in every aspect. Our heads were a blur when it came to the details, though. We had so may things that were special to us and we wanted to incorporate them all without making it look like a giant hodge podge.

The venue was the hardest thing to choose. We looked at Maritime Parc as a last-minute decision, but once we saw it, we knew it was the one. Set in the pretty Liberty State Marina Park, it met all our requirements- our love for great food, our love for the city, our love of the water and our love of the outdoors. The room was clean and modern, allowing us creative decorating freedom to really let the spectacular NYC views shine through. You also can’t beat a venue that is right on the water, overlooking the city, with beautiful boats docked to one side, an old train station in the middle and the Statue of Liberty to the left. Did I also mention the gorgeous willow trees?! What a dream!

With a lot of help from our loving family members, the advice of our excellent vendors and more Pinterest and SMP inspiration than I can remember we slowly began to gather ideas. The church was ornately decorated and the reception venue had the killer backdrop of the NYC skyline so we knew neither place needed a lot of decorating. The Flower Girl kept it simple, yet elegant, with bouquets in mercury containers. We also kept our own looks simple, Dave and his groomsmen going for classic tuxes and the bridesmaids wearing dresses I stumbled upon in H&M. As for me, I wanted my dress to be elegant, classic, and definitely something I could dance in! I didn’t like many of the bridal accessories I saw, so my Mom came to the rescue making me my veil and the lace top was (no one believed me when I told them this!) an H&M shirt I altered. Other than my ring, the most important accessory I had was my grandmother’s clutch I carried in her honor as she was unable to attend. And I know for David, he really enjoyed wearing his octopus (one of his favorite animals) cuff links that I bought him.

Our ceremony was very unique in that it was held in a Catholic church and performed by both a priest and a rabbi in order to encompass both of our religious backgrounds. To pay tribute to where we got engaged (Barbados), we served a special rum punch as our cocktail hour signature drink. Many of our guests were from out of town so we designed our invitations and menu cards to include an outline of the NYC skyline. We also acknowledged where we live by using figurines of New York landmarks (Statue of Liberty, a taxi, the Flat Iron building, etc) as the table markers. Our love for Scrabble knows no bounds so we knew that would make the perfect guest book and as I mentioned above, David’s favorite animal is the octopus so when we found the octopus bride and groom cake topper’s on Etsy it was a no brainer to get them.

We both have a big sweet tooth, which led to our party favors being a self-serve candy bar, with the favor jars also doubling as the place settings. It was a treat everyone enjoyed! Other things that made the night incredibly special for us included a sparkler entrance, the kissing tree, an amazing slideshow Dave’s aunt put togther and a photo prop/photo backdrop area where people had a blast snapping photos throughout the night.

To this day people still compliment us on our wedding, which makes us thrilled. But what makes us even happier is knowing that we started off our “forever” (married life) in a dream wedding, that was perfectly us, on the best day of our lives!

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