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Stylish Wedding at The Foundry

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Whimsical

From the beautiful Bride… We met in New Haven, CT, in the fall of 2008. Brian had just started graduate school and was in the same program as my twin sister, Annie. The night we met, Brian and his friends had tried to see a movie, but it was sold out. Instead, they went to a bar called, Bar, where I was with Annie. She introduced Brian as, “That guy who sits in the front row in class, and always has something interesting to say.” I was smitten.

If not for that sold-out movie, we may have never met!

We moved to Jersey City, NJ in 2011 for new job opportunities and have been there ever since. In that same year, our family grew a bit in the addition of our spunky Boston Terrier, Franklin, who has been a source of love and joy in our lives.

Just after our 5-year anniversary, Brian proposed! We knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and had talked about getting married, but the actual proposal was a total surprise. It was a private, intimate proposal at our apartment in the Paulus Hook neighborhood of Jersey City, on a crisp and sunny March day.

I said, yes! Then the first planning began!

We chose the Metropolitan Building as our venue because it struck the perfect industrial and vintage balance that we were looking for. Our hope was to immerse our guests in an experience that transported them from the day-to-day, to a place in their hearts where they would be inspired to celebrate.

We channeled the venue’s history and whimsy in the many DIY details we incorporated. From the homemade candle escort cards, to the table numbers, to the mirror signs hand-lettered by one of our closest friends, these elements helped add a very personal touch to the experience. Plus, working on these projects throughout our engagement brought us even closer together and added to our appreciation of how everything came together on our special day.

The ladies at A Polished Plan truly helped make our vision of the day a reality. Their help in planning and executing all the tiny details allowed us to focus on enjoying the moments.

From the handsome Groom… We felt lucky to be surrounded by so many friends and family in our bridal party! Margaret had both her sisters Annie and Diana as her co-maids of honor (co-MOH’s) because they are both so important to her.

Margaret purchased her Jenny Packham dress from Everthine bridal in Madison, CT. Her twin sister Annie, was also married in a Jenny Packham dress from Everthine in June 2012.

Our dog Franklin is a big part of our family and we knew he had to be there. He joined us for family pictures right after our first look and wore a mint green bow tie that belongs to Brian.

In lieu of a traditional champagne toast, we embraced Margaret’s Polish roots and had our guests toast us with shots of vodka while singing “Sto Lat”, a traditional Polish celebration song.

We hand-poured beeswax candles into vintage jelly jars that served as both an escort card and a wedding favor for our guests.

Margaret’s best friend and bridesmaid, Angela J. Brysiewicz, offered up her artistic skills and designed/created all of the beautiful vintage-inspired mirror art.

From The Couple…Make it YOUR day: This is a celebration of your past and future. It should reflect your personality and aesthetic.

Hire a day-of coordinator: You don’t want to sweat the details on your wedding day.

Book your photographer ASAP: You’ll want these memories captured in a true and beautiful sense by someone who understands you. The best photographers book early!

We’d like to thank both of our parents, whose love and support throughout the entire process made the day exceptionally special.

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Bridesmaid

Jenny Yoo

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Jenny Yoo

Spring 2014 Maternity

2016 Bridesmaid Collection

2016 Bridal Collection

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Fall 2016 Separates Collection

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Spring 2017 Separates Collection

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Spring 2018 Bridal Collection

Spring 2018 "Jenny by Jenny Yoo" Collection

Spring 2018 Flower Girl Collection

Spring 2018 Bridesmaid Collection

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Full of the perfect blend of elegant and personal touches, like a vintage locket with a photo of the Bride’s parents that hung from her bouquet (and amazing gift from her MoH!), this wedding is absolutely lovely in every sense of the word. 4 Eyes Photography captured this full blown lovefest to utter perfection, and we can’t stop pouring over the soft blush florals or romantic modern decor in the gallery here — and we know you won’t either!

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Organic Chic Wedding at The Foundry

From the Bride… We first met in law school. We had taken several classes together, and Charles had actually interviewed me for an externship at one point, but we were only passing acquaintances. The day we graduated from law school, we ran into each other out at bar celebrating and started talking. We completely ignored all of friends for the remainder of the night (sorry guys), and have been together ever since.

* What prompted the decision to have the wedding at this particular venue? It was a combination of luck and procrastination. We got engaged in November 2013 and decided we wanted to take a few months to enjoy being engaged before diving into wedding planning craziness. We did not fully appreciate, however, just how far in advance New York City wedding venues book up. By the time we got serious about looking for places, options for a Saturday night in 2014 were few and far between. We knew the Foundry was already booked up when we went to look at it, but it wasn’t far from our Williamsburg apartment so figured it was worth a shot. We fell in love immediately. The main space is just stunning, and we loved the idea of being able to mix the intimate, industrial feel of a dance party inside with the romantic feel of a tented dinner surrounded by ivy outside. But, it was already booked for all of the dates we were interested in. Then one day a few weeks later we were randomly looking at the Foundry’s calendar online and noticed that there had been a cancellation for the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We jumped on it immediately. By that time it was already March, so we had a whole wedding to plan in less then six months, but it was so worth it. We loved the Foundry!

* What was the ‘inspiration’ for your wedding style, wedding colors, etc. ? We turned to Julia and Brita for help with design and décor for the wedding. They came up with a “gilded garden” theme which worked perfectly. The tent had a rustic chic feel with a mix of long uncovered farm tables with eucalyptus runners, and round and square tables with flax tablecloths and floral arrangements. We then used greenery, florals, and candles in the inside space to help warm it up and pull in the design from the tent. For the ceremony itself, we used two birch trees and the Foundry’s curtains to frame the space. Once the ceremony was over, the trees were flipped to the back of the room and used for an interactive guest book.

Any special moments? My mother passed away shortly after I graduated from college. On the night of our rehearsal dinner my Dad brought me her wedding ring to wear as my “something old” and “something borrowed.” It was very special and a nice way to have her with me. My amazing maid of honor also gave me an antique locket with a picture of my parents on their wedding day to tie around my bouquet when I walked down the aisle.

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Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier Bridal Fall 2015

Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaids Fall 2015

Spring 2016

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The Foundry is one of those venues that I can spot from a mile away and instantly recognize. And every time I do, my eyes light up with joy and an eagerness to see how each couple will make it their own. It’s lovebirds like these two that keep setting the bar. Working with Workship Luxury, Village Invites and so many more talents, you can see the entire day from Cly By Matthew here in the full gallery.

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Intimate New York City Metropolitan Building Wedding

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Vintage

From Cly By Matthew… We really loved the organic floral design and the simple decor of this chic same sex wedding at the Foundry. Workship Luxury did an amazing job decorating the center pieces and we really loved the bride’s bouquet with long stems. It was unique and beautiful. The bride with the wedding gown went for the vintage chic 1920’s hair style and red lipstick. She was really drop dead gorgeous in person and we really enjoyed capturing her beauty. They did not see each other before they walked down the aisle and when they did, I can’t forget their facial expressions. They were just so in love and in the moment together. They had many out of town family and friends who joined the celebration. There was so much love in the room and family and friends really had a great time.

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Photography

CLY BY MATTHEW

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Vera Wang

Spring 2015

Fall 2014

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This might be the sweetest flower girl I’ve ever met—she’s the cute little cherry on top of this gorgeously intimate day captured by Boris Zaretsky. From the invitations crafted by Bella Figura to the Bride’s sweeping Madeline Gardner dress to the cozy reception filled with sounds from 74 Events, the entire fete is New York City elegance at it’s finest. Hop over to the full gallery for even more!

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New York City Spring Engagement Session

From the beautiful Bride… From the second Greg and I got engaged in the intimate setting of Greg’s parent’s backyard with only our dog Harley as our witness, we knew that we wanted to plan a wedding that was just as intimate and a representation of us as the proposal itself. We had been dating for a little over three years by the time Greg proposed and I had never previously thought about what kind of wedding I was going to have. With the help of pinterest, Style Me Pretty, and the wonderful but dangerous tool which is the internet, Greg and I set out to plan the party of our lives, to celebrate the love, respect and admiration that we have for one another.

The first and most important task was to locate the venue. Oddly enough, this did not take long as we fell in love with the first venue we saw. A co-worker of mine, who got married the previous year, listened to me go on and on about not wanting a hotel or a catering hall wedding and immediately suggested the Metropolitan Building. It was love at first sight. The Metropolitan Building, with its shabby chic style and a mystical romantic ambiance, spoke to us and we knew this was the place for us. It was different and unique and showcased our love for antiques. Going antique shopping had become one of our favorite pastimes and to incorporate this into our wedding was an unexpected treat. Not to mention, I couldn’t wait to see our wedding photos since the Metropolitan Building serves as a spectacular backdrop for any photo shoot.

Once the venue and date were set, we started to focus on everything else – the wedding planner, the photographer, the florist, the music, the stationary, etc. I was able to find Kate of Green Apple Weddings and Events and Melanie (florist) by combing the internet and seeing their incredible work. I could not have planned such a spectacular event without these two ladies. Kate was my organizer and sounding board while Melanie was my artist who painted with the most beautiful flower arrangements. The pink, white and orange flowers coupled with the candelabras turned the Metropolitan Building into a magical wonderland.

I struggled with the decision of whether to hire both a photographer and videographer or just a photographer. I happen to have attended high school with a very talented photographer. I would stalk his facebook page and blog in anticipation of seeing his recently posted photographs. I was ecstatic when he agreed to shoot my wedding! Boris’ shots not only tell a phenomenal story but also evoke emotion more than any other photos that I have ever seen.

The two things which did not come easy to me were the invitations and the wedding dress. It took me several months to narrow down the perfect invitation from Bella Figura, suitable for the space and the occasion. As for the wedding dress, I ended up buying two dresses. If there is any piece of advice that I would give a soon to be bride, it would be to take her time picking her wedding dress. Many factors can sway a bride’s decision – pressure from family members, pressure from store clerk, price, etc. It is important to take your time and not to make any haste decisions. In my search for the perfect wedding dress, I tried on dresses ranging from $900 to $14,000. My initial purchase was a body hugging mermaid dress which fit my figure and looked beautiful but unfortunately after much thought and consideration I realized that it wasn’t formal enough. I then started trying on A-line dresses, which I never previously considered. It is very important for brides to try on different wedding dress styles since you never know what dress you will fall in love with. Keep an open mind and keep looking. Don’t ever settle for a dress you are not sure about. My second dress was perfect for the space and for me. It was a dropped A-line which showed off my figure and had the ballroom style skirt. I also opted for a light cream/champagne colored dress as opposed to white.

Once the invitations were sent and the dress was found, I turned my attention to the bridal party and more particularly, the bridesmaid dresses. I wanted my bridesmaids to all be dressed in vintage-style dress but I also wanted all of the bridesmaids to be in different dresses to accent their individuality. We decided to all go shopping at the local department stores and we were able to find the perfect set of dresses – all in cool silver, blue and purple tones. At first I was not sure how it would turn out but now looking back at the photos, I could not have been happier with their choices. And not to mention, the bridesmaids can now easily wear their gowns to other events!

Oftentimes, I was consumed by the minor details which I was told repeatedly that no one would notice. Nevertheless, I spent a significant amount of time picking out the hand calligraphed escort cards, creating fun and playful programs, designing the custom napkins, and putting together the wedding favors. I think in the end it all paid off.

This shoot takes us through a tour of some of New York City’s most stunning sights, as Alicia Swedenborg captures it all with this adorable couple. From views of the NYC skyline and the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign, to the blossoming cherry trees, we get a variety of scenes but one thing remains: the obvious love between these two. These pics are postcard worthy and the perfect memento for a day well spent.

From Alicia Swedenborg… Jennifer met Kevin through a mutual friend after paying for a six month subscription on eharmony…she didn’t really have a chance to use that dating website…He proposed on her birthday with all of her close friends. He bought her favorite cake from Lady M, and instead of saying happy birthday on the cake, it said “Will you marry me?”

Jennifer & Kevin live in Queens so we decided to do their engagement session there! We started by the blossoming cherry trees, got a little urban and then did a quick outfit change before we ended in Gantry Plaza State Park by the iconic Pepsi Cola sign and the sun setting behind the New York City skyline.

Photography: Alicia Swedenborg | Venue: Gantry Park Landing | Red Dress: Bloomingdales | White Dress: Bergdorf Goodman

Romantic NY Metropolitan Building Wedding

When Michelle Edgemont and Brklyn View Photography join creative forces, gorgeous weddings are kind of a given. But truth be told? This Brooklyn love affair just might be my very favorite yet. Sprinkled with metallic details and stunning floral moments by Blossom And Branch, it’s redefining urban romance with all-out style and this little taste is only the beginning.

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Urban Chic Spring Wedding at The Foundry

From Michelle Edgemont…On a nice August New York City day, Dana and Jonathan were married at the amazing Metropolitan Building. Full of antiques, interesting spaces, and unique props, the Metropolitan Building was a perfect compliment to the couple’s urban style. Michelle Edgemont designed and planned their beautiful wedding day. The main colors, peach and pink, were accented with her signature metallic gold touches throughout. Notice the cascading ribbon on the bridal bouquet and the gold confetti inside the hurricane candles. Michelle worked closely with Blossom & Branch to execute her floral vision. With lush garden roses and fluffy hydrangea, Blossom & Branch created romantic, pretty centerpieces and a show-stopper of a chuppah. Jove Meyers Events kept the wedding day running smoothly with his impeccable style.

With the bitter days of winter right around the corner, this pretty spring affair comes welcomed with open arms. It’s bursting with bright blooms by Xylem & Phloem, paper goodies by Village Invites and it’s all captured by the amazingly talented Dave Robbins. Click through the gallery for every lovely detail and don’t miss the video captured by SparkStory.

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Garden Weddings

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Winter Solstice NYC Wedding at the The Metropolitan Building

From The Bride…Historically, the Foundry in Long Island City produced the metals used to build the NYC skyline we saw from its rooftops. What a romantic idea to build the foundation of our marriage in such a special venue. Besides, we fell in love with the place! We were immediately drawn to its industrial chic exterior and its warm, rich interior. Since Heath and I were high school sweethearts, when we envisioned our wedding, we wanted something that would reflect our relationship: sophisticated, timeless and overflowing with warmth and love. That venue helped us create the most incredible memory we could have imagined.

Our vendors were the best in the business; helping us design our dream wedding in the most perfect venue. Yen and Gary, our caterers and planners, outlined a day that would run with ease. No angst, no stress, they made it fun, and helped build a feast that was eclectic, elegant and delicious.

Our florist, Jenah Barry, helped us envision a whimsical selection of flowers, creating a wonderland garden. The lightness of the flowers was an incredible contrast with the harsh brick and metal. To honor and remember Heath’s beautiful mother who passed away only a few months prior, Jenah included extraordinary peonies (her favorite flower) in all of the arrangements, which added to the love and emotions of the day. The arrangements were lush and picturesque. Jenah also created a natural wood and floral chuppah for our ceremony that was magical, providing a sacred home for our vows.

As my mom and I searched for my wedding dress to reflect my personality and the feeling in the Foundry, I immediately fell in love with a soft, graceful, Gatsby era dress, by Jenny Packham. Heath wore a handsome navy tuxedo. That first look was magical and quirky; much like our relationship. The timelessness of our attire and the beauty of our wedding party was a perfect complement to our elegant vision.

Our incredible photographer, Dave Robbins, captured the moments of love and feelings of the day to perfection. He was creative, yet unobtrusive. His stunning pictures continue to make us laugh and cry. As a recording of that memorable day, we are forever grateful. Joe Petrilla from SparkStory was also amazing. His creative video is awesome.

Gold seems to run through the veins of SMP, so this Bride’s gorgeous gilded Sarah Seven gown made us stop in our tracks. It’s simply beyond. The best part is, that gown is just the beginning of a style-infused fête captured by Sean Kim Gallery and planned by Pickles And Pies. Every gorgeous detail sitting in this gallery will make you want to stop and stay awhile, and you can do just that right here.

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Winter Weddings

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Library Inspired Wedding in New York

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Vintage

From The Bride…Adam Mullinax and I (Sara Mintz) wed on the first day of winter, the unseasonably balmy 21st of December, 2013 at the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City, Queens. We embraced the gritty turn of the century elements of our venue, which was built the same year as the Queensboro Bridge and was originally an electrical parts factory. As a foil for the venue and neighborhood’s industrial qualities we wanted to imbue the space with festive warmth and a look of unique, faded elegance. Thus, we included antique and vintage details throughout, lots of candlelight and dim light emitting from antique crystal chandeliers, and lush floral designs within a restrained and elegant palette of white, green, and black with pops of orange from kumquat branches.

My amazing, talented, and absolutely lovely florist, Ariel Dearie, did the majority of our florals, but to help make sure I wasn’t fretting throughout the day (and the ease on our budget didn’t hurt either) one of my older brothers picked me up and took me to the floral district in NYC first thing in the morning on our wedding day. I picked up bunches of privet berry branches and white ranunculus (which were featured in the arrangements) and the bridesmaids and I assembled their simple bouquets ourselves while having our hair and makeup done. I had picked out a coppery silk satin ribbon to add a touch of coordination to their “choose-your-own” navy dresses, which subtly coordinated with the groomsmen’s raw silk copper ties.

The groomsmen wore any gray or navy suit they already owned with white shirts in addition to their matching ties. The slight variations in textures and hues paired well with patina of the venue. More importantly, we really wanted everyone who generously participated in our wedding to feel relaxed and at their best, so we allowed our party to wear anything they wanted within two universally flattering colors, navy and grey. I fell in love with an allover gold Sarah Seven dress, which helped initially dictate our color scheme, and Adam wore a three piece navy blue suit, which I complimented with navy blue satin pumps (also my something blue!). After processing, we invited the wedding party to sit in the front rows as everyone sat down for the ceremony. We also opted against formally announcing the wedding party, so they were at liberty to relax and have the same experience as the rest of our guests, once the ceremony began.

Many of the smaller design elements we brought in ourselves like the antique cognac leather medicine box found in Cold Springs the summer before our wedding that we used to receive notes from our guests in lieu of a guest book; a gilded glass sign display found at Housing Works on the UWS that we placed in the Metropolitan Building’s foyer, to direct guests to the second floor; the embroidered table cloth found on Etsy that we used to cover the table that held glassware for the bar; the mix and matched brass candlesticks adorning each of the tables; antique knives used for meats and cheeses during cocktail hour and thrifted sterling silver plated platters the servers used for passed cocktails (we were insistent that we avoid that initial crush at the bar after the ceremony!); the antique cake knife and server used for our cake cutting, which makes me smile every time I see it in the kitchen drawer. Our event coordinator, Erin Crosby, constructed our birch chuppah and we used an antique tablecloth of hers and Adam’s old bar mitzvah prayer shall as a personal and meaningful canopy. With a little extra work, we found most of these items for the same (or less!) cost as their rental fee equivalent, and we now get to use them regularly, as reminders of the day. Erin also has a wonderful inventory of very reasonably prices rentals, like her collection of mix matched vintage dinner plates that we used for our dinner service. If you are marrying in the NYC area and are looking for unique rentals, event coordination and/or planning, or event design, Erin offers all of these services! We used vintage stamps on our invitation suite with NYC, MA (where I am from) and NJ (where Adam is from) pictures, in a blue, gold, and cream palette as the first hint about the wedding’s look.

For small elements that couldn’t be vintage, I hand crafted as much as possible. I was inspired by Design Sponge’s wedding inspiration shoot and modeled my gold cake topper on their red garland topper. I handmade and individually wrapped hundreds of salted caramels (with some generous help from Erin and my maids of honor) that I then packaged in hand assembled holiday crackers, a fun and festive nod to the season. I wanted the cracker to be visually consistent with the overall event, however, so I followed Martha Stewart’s directions and hand covered each paper roll (generously hoarded by friends and family, specifically for this craft!) in antique wallpaper, and then wrapped the roll, caramel, and “snapper” in matte brown parchment paper tied with simple cream kitchen twine. We placed them in a chest of drawers so they were hidden at the beginning of the event, but could be effortlessly revealed at the night’s end by simply opening the drawers and adding a “Thank you for coming, please take a cracker” sign atop the chest. I saved one to snap in celebration of our first anniversary.

In addition to the favor chest, we hand-picked all the furniture from Eleanor Ambros’ (the venue’s owner) vast and wonderful collection the week before the wedding and chose placement throughout the space. This allowed us to incorporate our palette of gold, cognac, navy, and ivory in a subtle and organic fashion and the vintage and antique worn pieces contributed to the overall scheme. This was one of the most fun parts of planning, for me!

We kicked off the reception with our first dance to the The Zombies, “This Will be Our Year”, followed by my father daughter dance to “Moon River” sung by Audrey Hepburn, and Adam’s mother son dance to “This Old Heart of Mine”, by the Isley Brothers, which turned into a perfect, but unplanned moment when all immediate family joined in on the dance floor for the end of the song. Rob Hitt was our amazing DJ who perfectly captured our wish for classic, great and highly dance-able music that all guests could enjoy and appreciate for the majority of the evening before delving into hip hop and pop for the last hour of the night.

All the cliches are true–it can be stressful, it’s a lot of work and you have to be creative if you want to maximize your budget, but it pays off and it’s totally worth it in the end–try and enjoy the planning stages for the aspects that naturally appeal to you. For me, it was the event design and hand crafted elements. In fact, I enjoyed the planning process so much I’ve started helping like minded brides in the Boston area. Please reach out if you’re looking for help with your vintage-inspired, handmade, but budget conscious wedding (or party!).

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Sarah Seven

Signature Bridal

Gold Label

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Here at SMP, we’re firm believers that inspiration is everywhere, and for these two lovebirds, a passion for reading had them hitting the library for some creative ideas. With help from Hatch Creative Studio, the unique design incorporated fun pieces (like a card catalog to hold the escort cards!) throughout the decor. Loli Events made sure everything ran perfectly and according to plan, and Photo Pink captured each magical moment.

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Romantic Autumn Wedding at The Foundry

From The Bride… My husband really wanted the farmhouse look, but I wanted something a little more upscale. We chose the Foundry because the greenhouse space offered something very spiritual and meditative with its ivy, water, and glass roof. The Foundry also offered lots of different spaces– I wanted my guests to have a different experience in every room, so there was always something to discover. I wasn’t too concerned with continuity of design.

Barb Salzman from Hatch Creative Studio was instrumental into turning our wedding into an experience, not simply an event. I didn’t want anything too tight or structured, lighter was better, but I also love installations. Barb spent hours with us helping me find just the right mix of yellow flowers, just the right heaviness and sparsity for the vases and the arch, and also located us a card catalog to pack our escort cards. She also listened to my less than conventional opinions about my bouquet. Our sample meeting was magical– I felt like I got to walk through my own wedding at her studio!

Finally, we were absolutely THRILLED with our PhotoPink pictures. We still think we have the best pictures we’ve seen.

My husband is not religious, but I am, so I modeled our ceremony after a Catholic wedding rite. We used the traditional “in sickness and in health” vows and also wrote our own surprise vows– Alex promised to always keep me at an external body temperature of 72 degrees (because I am always cold). I wrote the ceremony, and we really made sure that the focus was on the sanctity of marriage and union, rather than on our love.

We had choreographed our first dance using swing steps and had a lot of cool side by side steps. However, we hadn’t counted on the fact that my dress was about 4 feet+ in diameter and covered both our feet! No one could see our fancy moves.

At the reception, Alex sang for me and accompanied himself on guitar, Jack Johnson’s “Banana Pancakes” to hearken back to our lazy college days together, and Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Fire.” He made everyone swoon.

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Wedding Dresses

Enzoani

2014 Beautiful

2014 Blue

2014

2014 Love

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Bold statement alert: the gallery you’re about to click through is bar none my favorite Jen Huang wedding ever. And if you take a look back at her amazing work over the years, you’ll realize that’s a pretty big deal. With layer upon layer of rich berry tones and floral lover’s heaven a la Poppies & Posies, this Monday morning just got really, REALLY good.

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Contemporary Long Island City Wedding at The Foundry

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Romantic

From The Bride…My vision for the wedding design was romantic and ethereal, much as is my personal style. I’m a California girl through and through, and I wanted the wedding design to show my casual-but-funky style. Purple is both my and my husband’s favorite color, so we started our palette there, and moved on to include mint greens and rose golds.

The inspiration was vintage chic, with a lot of very soft touches to contrast with the industrial design of the space. As writers and scifi nerds, it was also very important to us to incorporate quite a few personal elements (hence the star wars table names, the vintage typewriter, the invitation addressed to Dumbledore, and the LOTR quotes!). The aesthetic was ultimately driven by my gown, which in layers of blush silk chiffon and organza-but with a high couture design, embodied the romantic, modern fairy tale vibe I had envisioned. Because I wore blush, I wanted my bridesmaids to wear ivory, and the sweep of our collective gowns really added sense of airiness to the space.

I put together a lot of the details myself-with the help of my very patient bridesmaids-including the chalkboards and cakestands-and although it was a lot of work, the end result was better than anything I could have ever hoped for. Everything flowed together so perfectly, from the romantic twinkle lights, to the vintage sofas, to the farm tables, to the deep purple dahlias and earthy succulents. Every detail of the design was seamlessly integrated, and although nothing ever goes exactly as planned, the culmination was flawless; there isn’t a single thing I would’ve changed about my wedding day!

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Watters

Willowby Fall 2014

Watters Maids Fall 2014

Wtoo Maids Fall 2014

C20 Mothers 2012 Part I

C20 Mothers 2012 Part II

C20 Mothers Spring 2013

C20 Mothers Fall 2012

Seahorse Spring 2013

Watters Brides Fall 2014

Watters Brides Spring 2013

Watters Brides Spring 2015

Wtoo Brides Spring 2015

Willowby Spring 2015

Watters Maids Spring 2015

Wtoo Maids Spring 2015

Encore Spring 2015

Watters Brides Spring 2016

Willowby Spring 2016

Wtoo Brides Fall 2015

Willowby Fall 2015

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BHLDN

Bridal 2016

Bridal 2019

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I love this Bride and Groom. I love them for the obvious reasons, yes. You can tell they are head over heels for each other, and I just adore that. But what really rocked my socks off about this duo is their way of making their big day 100% them. It made for a day that was not only perfect but personal – and thanks to Agaton Strom we can see every moment of their stylish day here.

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Industrial Urban Space

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New York Wedding Film at The Metropolitan Building

From the Bride…My name is Shawna and my husband’s name is Wes. We met a decade ago on the streets of NYC and after a 10 year courtship, in jobs that kept putting us in different cities, we finally were able to move in together in Long Island City, NY. We loved it there so much and on a walk one day found this incredible oasis in the midst of the city – The Foundry. An old metal mill that still had many of the iron work and exposed beams intact! It was as quirky and unconventional as we are, but beautiful enough for everyone to appreciate. It was home, literally and figuratively, and it represented all the love, the work and the time we put into our relationship to finally be able to get marries. Wes is an advertising art director so he created an arch logo to mimic the foundry’s arches to put on all our stationary, such as the seating labels and the menu. We also had the string quartet play a Death Cab for Cutie song that meant a lot to us at an important crossroads in our relationship as my walk down the aisle song, and we printed that out so everyone could read the words. We also had them play The Pixie’s “Where is My Mind” as our song to walk down the aisle together, because we thought this whole day was pretty crazy after a decade of being together.

My bridesmaids are all so unique and beautiful, I chose a Jenny Yoo dress that they could wear any way they’d like (with long panels that could be tied a plethora of styles). I also had 2 of my closest male friends in my bridal party, and had them wear pocket squares that matched the color of the bridesmaid dresses.

Our families are incredibly diverse and we wanted that to be reflected in the wedding. Wes’ mother is Chinese but he grew up on a farm in Vermont. So we asked our caterer to have Chinese inspired cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres but to have desert platters with Vermont staples like their ocal maple syrup. My father is retired FDNY so we had the FDNY pipes play for us right after the ceremony. One of my bridesmen is a classical pianist and The Foundry tuned their old piano so he could play a special piece for us. Wes and I have been together so long I wanted to name the tables after the years BEFORE we met (since most everyone thinks of us as a duo) – and I put pictures of us during that year as the table setting. Im a broadcast new reporter, and instead of a videographer, I wanted the day to be captured like a documentary so our caterer set up a time lapse camera in the space and just sped it up to the music of our procession, first dance etc etc.

The table settings were elegant and simple with lots of white flowers and hanging candles. Our ceremony was unconventional – we kept it short and gave our own vows and chose to tell funny stories about moments in our relationship that everyone in the room could identify with. It made for a laugh filled ceremony, which was important to us because our strange sense of humor is what has always marked our bond. At the end of the day we wanted everyone represented in our wedding because they’ve all helped to make up who we are and why we love each other so much.

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I’ve heard my fair share of love stories, but when they start with a chance meeting at age 11, you know it’s something special. Fast forward years later to a Central Park proposal and what follows is a classic New York wedding planned by DM Events that’ll make you stop and swoon. Press play on the film from Unique Visions Studios and get started!

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Ballroom Weddings

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Old-Timey Romance in Long Island City

From The Bride & Groom…We met in a double-wide trailer classroom when we were eleven years old. Basically, we owe East Cobb Middle School’s horrible planning a big ‘thank you’ for bringing us together.

Before you say, “awww” – we didn’t know we were completely head over heels in love with each other until we both found ourselves in New York City. In fact, we were not even friends in high school and rarely saw each other outside of class. However, any acquaintance is a friend when you move to big bad New York, so I (Blair) got back in touch with Ron when I was looking for a place to live in the city. Ron sweetly offered to show me around town, but busy schedules kept it from happening. Finally, three months after my move to NYC, I took him up on his offer. Our connection was instant & it was clear I had either met my best friend or my soul mate. Turned out to be both! After running around town together for two straight nights, we decided to take our new friendship on a date. In particular, we went on a picnic in Central Park.

We went on a picnic for our first date in Central Park. Yes, it was awesome. I even turned down free tickets to a Yankee’s game to hang out with my new crush. Fast forward five years, to Ron’s 29th birthday. Since it fell on a Monday, we decided to keep it low key and re-do our picnic in the park. OBVIOUSLY, you can see where this is going. The thing is – I DIDN’T! Sunday night before his birthday, I couldn’t sleep. It was just one of those crazy nights where sleep doesn’t happen. Unfortunately for me, Ron woke up at 8:30 ready to go! He shot out of bed (very unlike him) and begged me to just get ready so we could go to the park. I kindly reminded him that you don’t picnic before 11AM, but he couldn’t calm down. So, FINE. Who am I to ruin a birthday? I got in the shower and slowly got dressed trying to slow down this train. While I showered, he packed our picnic and slipped the ring into the picnic bag. Lucky for him, I didn’t question his work and just allowed him to pack as he pleased! As Ron will tell you, I’m not very good at letting anyone plan anything, so this was quite out of the ordinary. I must have been exhausted. Of course I said “yes” and the rest is history!

This couple’s love story: 4 am shift change in Manhattan, waiting to hail a cab, meeting a perfect stranger in the lamplight — so romantic! With the help of Roey Mizrahi Events, they did a stellar job incorporating that same capricious whimsy into their wedding day. (Note the dress!) Gabriel Mellan was there to capture some stunning images from the enchanting event. You’re probably going to need tissues for the video, too.

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Cultural Wedding at The Foundry

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Whimsical

From the Bride… I first met Bradley at 4am on the desolate streets of Manhattan trying to get a cab. If you’re a regular Manhattanite then you know about shift change. That’s the one hour where it’s nearly impossible to find an open cab. After the perfect meeting, 6 months of long distance east to west coast dating, and one year of living in the same state Bradley proposed to me in Sardegna, Italy.

Right away we knew exactly what we wanted out of a wedding, top hats and moustaches. First it needed to be in the city of blinding lights (especially since we met there). Second we wanted it to feel enchanted and old-timey. Thirdly we wanted to feel like it would never end for that unforgettable experience. Bradley and I are romantics and we love the style of the early 1900’s.

The big day was Sunday September 4th. We choose the 2nd floor of the Metropolitan building to host our wedding. The room itself fit perfectly in with our 1900’s romantic aesthetic. We choose to do the flower arrangements ourselves. Even though it was stressful, with the amazing help of friends and family it all came together flawlessly. My mother-in-law helped me find old milk glass vases on ebay to house the arrangements. I wanted every table to look completely different and not have one centerpiece, but instead let it be made up with myriad vases and candlesticks.

Bradley and I are huge JJ Abrams fans and we wanted to find a fun way to work JJ’s theory of mystery boxes into our wedding. We created a mystery box that we placed on everyone’s table. Inside was a disposable camera attached to an I-spy game. We put things like,”I-spy a drunken aunt getting her groove on the dance floor” in the game. It turned picture taking into a fun activity four our guests but we also got the type of pictures we were hoping for as well!

For the dessert bar we hired Nine Cakes to design our dessert buffet. We went for an enchanted forest theme cutting tree bark into cake platters and serving delicate treats on it. We also designed an old-timey photobooth run by Wet Paint with props like hand-made wooden moustaches, quote bubbles and top hats. My dress was just about my favorite part of the whole wedding process. I found a dress I loved but I didn’t like the color and certain things about it so I took my idea to Esin of Sew Elegant where she personally made me my wedding gown from top to bottom in the exact fabric and color of my choice. She was my fairy godmother!! My husband also had his tux personally designed by AieVee to fit the early 1900’s theme. With impeccable planning by Roey Mizrahi our wedding went off without a hitch and it was one truly unforgettable experience.

Side-note: Two days before the enchanted wedding of our dreams Clarissa’s grandmother Teruko Shull passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. She was a mother to Clarissa and even though her passing was bittersweet it was the hardest thing we went through. Our wedding was dedicated to her amazing soul and without her we will never be the same but because of her we will grow much stronger.

From Roey Mizrahi… Clarissa and Brad were referred to me by a common friend of ours (one of the bridesmaids). Upon our first meeting there was already an instant connection and understanding which as both a planner and a bride and groom you’d like to feel. I could already envision the type of wedding they wanted and the type of unforgettable celebration they had already begun creating. They were both so hands-on in the entire process and every detail and decision had a purpose. The wedding showcased perfectly how unique and creative they are. They were absolutely inspiring to work with and I am touched every time I look at the photos or watch the video and am reminded of the time spent working with them to execute the wedding of their dreams.

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If ever there were a sweet couple meant for The Foundry‘s rustic bare beauty, this bride and groom would be it. They took their cultural backgrounds, layered in color and elegance and the result is a vibrant day with touches of grace. Click here for so much more from Karen Wise Photography.

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Modern Long Island City Wedding

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Classic Weddings Modern

From Mario Rivera, Lifestyle Event Group… Camille and Jonathan’s concept for their wedding developed over time. They knew they wanted a Spring rustic and elegant wedding, however, during the process we learned more about the couple which revealed a lot about their current relationship and what their union would signify; the joining of their own little families to become one big family and their deep but very different cultural roots.

The Foundry in Long Island City, a beautiful bare venue built during the 19th century was found to host Camille and Jonathan’s day of events. Their ceremony highlighted both cultures, Jonathan’s mother flew plumerias and orchids in from Hawaii to put together traditional Samoan leis for the bridal party, and Camille’s mother chose a poem written by her favorite Puerto Rican poet that she read in Spanish and English to the wedding guests.

For their reception, the design of the room highlighted the bride’s desire for a graceful rustic wedding. Guests sat at mahogany wood tables adorned with antique glass, spring flowers, ambient candle lighting and handmade kraft paper menus to display the family style menu selection. Our chef composed a menu that carefully combined cuisine from both sides of their worlds for guests to enjoy as a family.

Guests danced the night away under the incandescent lighting, took silly pictures in the photo booth, soaked in the views of the city from the rooftop garden and enjoyed the groom’s family’s special Samoan performance.

Despite an awe-inducing love story literally made for the movies (read: summer camp sweethearts), when it came to wedding planning, this gorgeous bride had one priority in mind: absolutely no “wedding cheesiness.” To help orchestrate her vision, she hired the uber-talented VAvoom Events to create a chevron meets gold meets modern dream come true. See it all captured by Hannah Persson right here.

And a crazy cool film from Orr Bortman…

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Classic Weddings Modern

From the Bride… Throughout our 16-month long engagement and planning process, my mind changed several times, but one thing always remained: I was trying to avoid as much wedding cheesiness as possible. The problem with that, however, was that the story of how Jesse and I met just oozes “aww’s” and “ahh’s.” My now-husband and I met when we were 12 and 14, respectively, at sleep-away summer camp in upstate Massachusetts. We were smitten back then but that relationship quickly faded as most pre-teen summer flings tend to do. Go ahead, get the “aww’s” out of your system now!

Fast forward about 15 years, and through the magic of Facebook we reconnected. After about 10 months of dating, Jesse proposed to me on a beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean in Mexico. We were over-the-moon.

After returning home and feeling very overwhelmed, we knew we needed help and immediately hired our amazing wedding planner, Amanda Pierce from VaVoom Events. Amanda totally “got” my vision of a (non-cheesy) New York City whimsical wedding day and pointed me in the direction of Studio Square Events, an amazing loft-like event space in Long Island City with floor to ceiling views of the Manhattan skyline. Jesse and I knew this was our place. As a bonus, the ground floor is an open to the public outdoor beer garden which was perfect for our September wedding after-party.

Studio Square also works exclusively with Sterling Caterers, who truly and deliciously fulfilled our vision of eclectic NYC-style cuisine (complete with a Bacon Bar in cocktail hour and NYC street cart dinner station).

Next, we began the search for a photographer who could capture our day in the not-so-typical fashion we craved. Again at the suggestion of Amanda, we found Hannah Persson after seeing several of her weddings featured on Style Me Pretty, and immediately fell in love with her artsy style and upbeat, infectious personality. Check.

The rest of the planning process was a blur of Pinterest, google searches, chevron, chevron, and more chevron. And as a little homage to my golf-obsessed hubby, we planned a little surprise for him during the reception – a full putting green setup complete with personalized golf balls.

Our wedding day really was everything we hoped it would be and so, so much more. We are so lucky to have found and worked with the vendors we worked with, as they truly made our dreams come true. We could not have asked for a more perfect day.

From Hannah Persson… I was so excited when Ali the bride, and Amanda, the event planner/designer called me, saying they had seen my work on Style Me Pretty and had to have me shoot the wedding! As soon as I began to hear about all the details — the jumbo balloons, the chevron aisle runner, the pink champagne with gold sugar rims, the L-O-V-E balloons, the GORGEOUS venue Studio Square — I was anticipating this day from the get-go! It’s an added bonus for the photog when everything takes place in one space. The awesome videographer and I were running up and down floors – it was really cool that the cocktail hour space, the ceremony, and the reception each had it’s own floor in the awesome converted warehouse in the upcoming LIC. The bride got ready at the W Manhattan, and then we did the perfect photoshoot at Gantry Park with the vintage Pepsi Cola sign. Everything was planned to perfection because of Amanda at VAvoom events. She really outdid herself with this one, and we are all so happy with the day. It couldn’t have been more magical. Witnessing the sun set behind the beautiful Manhattan skyline was one of the coolest wedding experiences I’ve had. And the couple is so incredibly sweet, along with their entire family. Pretty perfect day.

Modern Foundry Wedding

If you haven’t already been introduced to The Foundry and it’s insane level of awesomeness, then today’s the day you fall head over heels in love with all things industrial and amazing. Because pair this modern meets romantic locale with the talents of Exquisite Affairs Productions and Marcey Brownstein and only magical things happen. See it all captured by Agaton Strom right here.

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New York City Engagement Session

From Exquisite Affairs Productions… The bride, a Long Island Native and the groom, from Vermont, wanted to make sure they incorporated their roots throughout their wedding.

The guests were greeted by cheeses from Vermont upon the reception, before guests left for the evening with smiles spanning their faces, they were treated to a slice of cake and a bag of coffee from Blue Bottle.

We remembered their loved ones with white balloons, guests showed their love by circling words in a dictionary to describe Shawna and Wes.

The bride, a fashionista and television personality, wore a stunning couture gown with swoon-worthy blue suede shoes.

Bow ties and adorable puppies: two things I absolutely never grow tired of. And this darling NYC engagement session from Cynthia Chung? Well, it happens to feature BOTH of the aforementioned, along with a bride and groom-to-be who seriously couldn’t be cuter if they tried. It’s the world’s most fabulous city meets all kinds of love-filled moments and you can see them all in the full gallery.

From Cynthia Chung Weddings… It was really perfect how well their outfits translated to the nautical, 1920’s vintage-esque feel of the South Street Seaport area. Henny’s (the bride-to-be) elegant and soft dress matched so well with Justin’s blazer and bow tie. It was delightful to photograph such a well dressed and cute couple!

From the Bride… Justin and I wanted our shoot at South Street Seaport to exude a sense of casual elegance, while our shoot at Kissena Park was meant to convey a more relaxed casualness. We tried to pick outfits that would translate well at those locations while maintaining a cohesive theme for each shoot.

Our photographer, Cynthia, did a great job capturing the way the wind caught my dress, and she timed our shoot at Kissena Park perfectly so that it would take place as the sun set. She captured all these small details that added a bit of romance to every shot.

I was a bit skeptical when Cynthia recommended Kissena Park as one of our locations because both Justin and I grew up near that park, and we would have never thought of it as an engagement shoot location. However, we love how the photos came out and the fact that we got to shoot at a place so close to home made it all that more special.

The Metropolitan Building Wedding

The Metropolitan Building is one of my favorite places in the world to get married. It’s like this perfect combination of vintage charm and Jane Austen-esque romance that just screams for a pretty party. And when an adorable duo like this ties the knot amongst its historic charm (with the help of some of NYC’s most fabulous vendors), it’s more than a wedding… it’s an epically awesome celebration. See it all captured by Kaitie Bryant right here.

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Romantic Vintage

From the Bride… It was only natural that we get married in New York City, since it’s where we met and fell in love.

I also knew that because I live in NYC, I had no ability to search yard sales, haul craft materials in a car, or go to giant discount stores to find the little details that so many brides use to make their wedding personal. So the minute I walked into the Metropolitan Building, I knew it was our venue – it was so breathtaking and didn’t need a thing added to make it a gorgeous setting for our wedding. I loved the vintage, whimsical feel of the venue and tried to incorporate that in our details, such as displaying our parents, grandparents and great grandparents wedding photos, and the luggage tags and skeleton keys used for the escort cards.

My dear NYC friend LeeAnne did our wedding flowers – she has such talent and vision that I didn’t even know what the flowers were until the day of the wedding (one less thing to plan). The flowers were so gorgeous, as one friend said; they “almost stole the show.”

While I found the planning process to be extremely exhausting, I was able to completely enjoy our wedding day. We both felt present in the moments of the day and were overwhelming blessed to have all our friends and family share in the joy God gave us in our marriage.

One moment I will never forget from our wedding was during our ceremony – we chose to sing “Come Thou Fount” and everyone’s voices filled the room in such a powerful way, I got chills. It was so beautiful.

Foundry Wedding

Modern meets industrial might be my favorite way to say “I do,” especially when that glorious gem of a day is planned by the genius that is Exquisite Affairs Productions, serves up yummy treats from Marcey Brownstein and is set against a stunning Foundry backdrop. That’s what we like to call a dream team of vendors, and the result is pure magic, right down to the tulip-lined tables. Get your city chic on in the full gallery captured by Brian Hatton. It’s amazing.

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Romantic New York Wedding at Water’s Edge from Kelly Kollar Photography

From the New York Times… Ashley Ellen Windle and Andrew Lowell Gurman were married on Sunday 5/26/13 at The Foundry by Cantor Lisa Shapanka Arbisser at the Foundry in Long Island City, Queens.

The bride, is a violinist with the Muse String Quartet and also teaches violin at the Thurnauer School of Music at the Kaplen J.C.C. on the Palisades in Tenafly, N.J.

She graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins and received a masters in music from the Manhattan School of Music.

Mr. Gurman, 37, is a managing director at Michael Lord & Company, a Manhattan firm that recruits lawyers. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale and received a law degree from Harvard.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the modern meets lofty awesomeness of NYC affairs that I forget about the other side of New York weddings. That soft, romantic side that sort of blows your mind with pretty. Romantic weddings like this one from the ever-talented Kelly Kollar Photography; a day that is sooo sophisticated and sooo elegant, you almost need a new adjective to describe it. See exactly why right here.

And even more amazing from First Day Films… enjoy, lovelies.

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Beach Weddings Event Venue

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