Some celebrations are so out-of-this-world elegant we kinda lose our chill. Take this darling duo and their 8 month post ceremony party at the Brooklyn Winery. Radiating beauty and old world glamour, we simply can’t get enough of this gallery goodness. It’s the type of love story that we’re beyond grateful to share, and thanks to Bia Sampaio it’s all waiting for you in THE VAULT!
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From Bia Sampaio… Alyssa and Nic had a small and private courthouse wedding 8 months before they threw their gorgeous and vintage Parisian-inspired Reception Party. With only eight months to plan, they made a list of what was important to them: family and friends, good food, open bar, and great music. They accomplished that and much more.
From The Bride…We wanted to throw the kind of party we would want to go to, and we did exactly that. We live in Brooklyn, so we wanted to make sure everything took place in that borough to make it easier on not only us, but family who came in from out of town I knew I wanted a vintage-Parisian-vibe (deciding on the band early on helped focus that direction), and I knew I wanted to keep things simple. We’re both introverts, and it felt strange to be the center of attention to begin with, so we didn’t want to do the traditional moments typical at weddings. We quickly realized that, since this was our party, we didn’t have to do anything we didn’t want to!
Red is my favorite color (and Nic’s!) so I knew I wanted deep red incorporated into the event design. It was the wonderful team at Faye + Renee who suggested including some pale pinks to lighten everything up, and I’m so glad we did!
Brooklyn Winery already has a fantastic vintage/rustic feel, and I wanted to build on that with the rest of the design. I work in book publishing, so early on in the planning, I began collecting vintage French books in deep reds (all purchased through etsy.com). The books were used on the tables, and, in keeping with the theme, I also found a wonderful old set of wooden library card catalog drawers from the 1920s that we used as our card box. My original vision was based on the Woody Allen film, “Midnight in Paris”: Paris in the ‘20s with the “found” vibe of bohemian and vintage glamour. Brooklyn Winery’s dishes are all mismatched floral china found at antique shops, which perfectly matched my vision of “found” rustic.
In addition to the vintage French books I also found a lovely blue French sugar (“sucre”) tin that we used to hold pens for our guestbook. The guestbook itself was actually Paris in Love by Nichole Robertson: a photography book filled with photos of Paris all in reds. I also wanted to include portraits of my parents and Nic’s parents on their wedding day at the welcome table. This was important for me because my parents’ wedding anniversary was also August 9th, so I wanted to acknowledge that special occasion. Also, Nic’s father passed away about two years ago, and I wanted his presence represented at the party.
My dress was something I had been thinking about for a long time. I wanted something unexpected and completely unique. I knew I didn’t want to look Bridal. I wanted to be comfortable, and I wanted my dress to match the feel of the party: vintage and French. I found this one at Veka Bridal. They specialize in more alternative-looking wedding gowns. I wanted: blue, vintage-design, no train, comfortable, bateau neckline, and something just completely different from any other wedding dress I’d ever seen. At the reception, many guests actually asked me if my dress was vintage!
The band, The Avalon Jazz Band, was the highlight of the entire party. They really set the tone playing old standards and French jazz songs. I wanted to have a “first dance” with Nic (the only wedding tradition we did), and chose La Vie en rose because it’s such a romantic classic.
The ring was custom-designed by Anna Sheffield with a gorgeous 1.2 carat diamond is from Nic’s mom’s engagement ring.
Every cliché piece of advice you’ve heard is true: don’t sweat the small stuff, relax and enjoy yourself, and remember what you’re really celebrating! Brooklyn Winery provided a day-of wedding coordinator, and that really helped me relax on the day because I didn’t have to worry about being our vendors’ only contact point. So, if you can, having a day-of coordinator is a big stress reliever. But if there’s one thing I would remind brides-to-be, it’s that as long as you’re reasonably organized, things will work out. Throw the kind of party you would want to attend.
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Photography: Sampaio/Walz Photography | Wedding Dress: Veka Bridal Couture | Invitations: Minted | Bride's Shoes: Chanel | Bracelet: Anthropologie | Catering: Brooklyn Winery | Makeup: Vinnetta Scrivo | Hair: Matt King At Fox And Jane Salon | Band: Avalon Jazz Band | Favors: Laduree | Groom's Attire: Armani | Venue: Brooklyn Winery | Bride's Clutch: Kate Spade | Bride's Ring: Anna Sheffield Bridal | Earrings: Kate Spade | Floral Design And Event Designer: Faye and Renee Floral and Event Design | Seat Cushions: Party Rental Ltd.
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