New York Weddings

We have one more of Spotlight Style’s fantastic New York weddings for you today!

From Preeti, founder of Spotlight Style and Rita and Mike’s wedding consultant and designer …

Rita and Mike wanted to have a wedding outdoors with a modern feel. Osborne Castle was a beautiful venue with over 300 acres of greens so the couple was able to have a private wedding on a mountain top overlooking Hudson Valley.

The bride wanted a mandap to represent the same feel…so it was made out of birch tree pillars with floral pomanders and chocolate brown fabric.

The guest card table was made with a tray of grass and planter sticks for namecards…to keep with the beautiful outdoors feel.

cake from Jolly Be Bakery

photography courtesy of LaRie Taylor

Congratulations Rita & Mike on an absolutely beautiful wedding celebration from all of us here at Style Me Pretty!!

Thank you so very much to Michael Falco at Christian Oth Studios for sending us today’s incredible affair. It is a lesson in color, design and general fabulousness that we will always look to for a wedding pick-me-up! And to the lovely, lovely bride for taking the time to share with us all of the perfect details and beautiful thought that went into the day…

The reception took the whole event to another level completely. We loved the crisp, white walls and floors of Studio 450 and maximized the 360 degree views of the city and water. The sunset and night sky were gorgeous against our reds and oranges inside. We did the whole event cocktail-party style with lounge chairs highboy tables and a lit bar. We lined the center of white ottomans with sari fabric and embroidered pillows, we hung clusters of lanterns around the room and set up a long table for anyone who wanted to sit for a bit and get a bite to eat.

We hired Sarina Jain, the Jane Fonda of India and founder of Masala Bhangra to choreograph our routine. After the cocktail hour I made a costume change into a lime green Lehnga, traditional Indian dress. Ravi and I were introduced and walked into the intro beats of AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. We walked around and greeted people and then took our positions opposite one another on the dance floor. Sharad cued Al Green’s, “Let’s Stay Together” and we started a very sexy dance… just when everyone was cheering for that the music exploded into the “Beware of the Boys” remix with Panjabi MC and Jay Z and we started an all out Bhangra routine that then transitioned into the well known “Mauja Hi Mauja” and we finished up with HipHop Bollywood moves.

So all in all, there it is, our own American Bollywood movie in the making. The process was intense, the planning insane but the day of was so worth every minute of it. Our friends and family made it an event that was amazingly filled with love and emotion and really reflected who we are as individuals, a couple and designers. We achieved what we set out to do which was to create an event that reflected us, screamed to the world that we are in love and hugged each and every guest for being the support we need to be where we are today. We are blessed and so thankful for such a wonderful day to remember forever. I didn’t want it to end. Now, I just want to make this a reality for other people in search of a special day!

There is nothing subtle about this wedding. It’s an absolute celebration of all things gorgeous…color that is as vivid as it is chic, style that is undeniably breathtaking and a sense of joy that is threaded into every detail.  Art Direction, design and planning by the bride and groom (Ravi and Kristi), event coordination and production by Spotlight Style.

Oh and the photographs by Michael Falco for Christian Oth completely bring it to life!

Our interfaith reverend, Rev. Susanna Stefanachi Macomb, was amazing! There was not one dry eye left and she managed to capture us perfectly and inject some humor too! It was simply breathtaking. She honored our love, she honored our parents, she spoke so poignantly. Her words and our words coupled with the vibrant Mandap, which is a 4 pillared Hindu altar, were stunning.

We used the fabrics from India coupled with ones from Ikea to create the rich palette. I strung fake lei’s together to create long strips of hanging flowers that flowed in the wind. We set up an altar table that contained all our offerings, a copy of the Bible and Bhagava Gita and several personal items that were meaningful to us.Our aisle runner was a bright orange raw silk straight from India and we used Sari’s as decor everywhere. The most precious part of the the ceremony decor for me was the ribbon wall that framed the freight elevator.

After all of our attendants danced in, that’s right they shimmied on down the aisle to “In your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, they created a soul train line that a crazy, dancing groom then grooved down. There were cat calls and bum taps and everything you’d want when you dance your solo!

Shortly after, I emerged from the freight elevator to the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World” version by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. Beside the fact that it’s a beautiful song, I’m from Kansas so the Somewhere Over the Rainbow has a lot of meaning for me. In my gorgeous, eggshell Matthew Christopher mermaid gown with modern, urban detailing, and decked out with full Henna on my hands and arms, over-the-top orange Indian jewelry, bangles and a tikka hanging from my hair onto my forehead, I also danced my way down the aisle in my bright orange Gucci shoes!

I met my mom part of the way down and together we two-stepped to my groom. It was both uplifting and touching and was exactly who Ravi and I wanted to be at that moment.

Today’s first featured wedding, shot by the hugely talented Michael Falco for Christian Oth, is all about color and culture. Bringing two different backgrounds and histories together into an incredible celebration of style. Both the bride and the groom are no strangers to design, with their branding company MonkeyThat helping them to approach the wedding with a focus on style and cohesive branding.

Here are a few more pics of the gorgeous couple in action…

From the bride…

We had a vision off the bat and that was to take the very best elements of his Hindu heritage and my midwest Christian background and seamlessly intertwine them into one romantic and beautiful ceremony. It had to be bright. It had to have ritual. It had to be happy. It had to be touching. It had to have humor. It had to have tears. It had to have dance. It had to be raw. It had to have art. It had to have surprise. It had to have delight. But more than anything it had to be inspired… It must be about our story and have heart and soul.

As designers, Ravi and I like to take seemingly unfamiliar things and create an unexpected thread that not only bonds them together but is clever or has hidden meaning… but all without a heavy hand. This was no different except that we were creating it for ourselves. A designers dream and nightmare all wrapped into one happy little package. We decided that we needed a theme… our concept deserved  a name. Thus project East Meets West 2009 was born.

Once the naming business was out of the way we needed to set the tone of the upcoming soiree. Create the color scheme, define the overall look and feel, hint at the vibe.. we needed a brand. We wanted to make it clear that this would be something most of our guests would never have seen before, so come prepared. I made a feel book to send with my mother-in-law on her trip to India with colors, fabrics and examples and she came back with the most vibrant fabrics imaginable! We ran with those colors as a guide and added every color in between. Our playground was the entire spectrum from pumpkin orange to ruby red and on into fabulous fuchsia.

About a month before the wedding I got the crazy idea that I wanted to create a video depicting our trek to get our marriage license. I really wanted to make sure that we documented this moment in time, that we are in NYC, because I don’t know how long we will be here and it’s just so full of crazy things. Our friend, Dave Evans, Jr. offered to spend the day with us and film us… what we didn’t know was that he is a kick ass editor as well! He got great shots, found the best song ever and created the cutest video. We screened it at our rehearsal event and everyone loved it. He has since posted it on youtube because everyone has been asking for it. you can find it right here.

There are two reason why I love this wedding so much. The first is that the amazing Michael Falco at Christian Oth Studios photographed the day. Any time I get something from a photographer at Christian Oth Studios, I get really excited…every one of their artists shoot flawlessly, with an emphasis on style, on emotion, on pure and undeniable beauty.

The second reason is that this wedding is an absolute explosion of everything that I love in a great wedding. The color, the style, the joy literally pours out of each and every image and I am 100% convinced that you guys are going to LOVE it.

From the STUNNING bride…

Ravi and I knew we were a design duo early on but our light-hearted sense of humor is what took us to the next level romantically. Once we started collaborating, we knew we were onto something good… I know his strengths and he knows mine. I’m the list maker and he’s the dreamer. I love color and he loves form. I tell good stories and he laughs a lot. It’s a good match all around. Everything we do makes the other better – in design and now in love! When we got engaged we knew it was game on… time to embark on the biggest, hottest, most explosively creative and authentic endeavor thus far. We’ve branded everything from hot NYC chocolate shops to tiny start-up rollerblade companies. We’ve pulled off large scale events and art directed just about every retail and hospitality experience imagineable so starting our little studio was a no brainer… embarking on a wedding… our wedding… was a completely different story.  MonkeyThat was about to up the ante!

SO much more to come!

We have two totally beautiful weddings … two totally different styles … coming up this week from Spotlight Style!  First up ~ Tracey and Christopher’s perfectly pink wedding in New York …

Tracey and Chris were married at the Harlem Stage ~ The Gatehouse in New York City this past May.

Tracey is stunning in her Pronovias gown!!

from Preeti, at Spotlight Style …

The couple met in Harlem and so the inspiration for their wedding was “A Match Made In Harlem.” The Gatehouse was the perfect backdrop of old traditions with modern designs! The event was something that we all created to represent the Harlem Renaissance.

How gorgeous!

photography courtesy of LaRie Taylor

Our congratulations to Tracey & Christopher!!

And thank you to Spotlight Style for sending the beautiful photos our way! More from Preeti a little later this week…

So today is good for so many reasons. The obvious, it’s about to be the Fourth of July! Which means hot dogs, potato salad, backyards and fireworks. Can’t beat that. BUT, it’s also great because we are announcing the winner of the Bluefly Giveaway! It took a while to go through the entries and find a perfect fit, but we are excited to reveal the lucky girl or boy later today.

Ok, back to the cute, cute nautical inspired wedding that we are featuring.

More from the lovely and HUGELY talented Candice Dowling, the planner behind the day…

The tablescapes were gorgeous and filled with SO many details. We used navy linen as a base, and brought in beautiful beech wood chiavari chairs with white pads from Party Rentals, Ltd out of Greenwich. Centerpieces were of one tall, French galvanized bucket filled with white peonies, ranunculus and hydrangea. They were fluffy and tightly filled — so gorgeous! There were three satellite arrangements of yellow and white gerbera daisies in smaller galvanized buckets. Each bucket had the same yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon from Kim’s bouquet wrapped around them. The taller, French galvanized buckets had thick red grosgrain ribbon.

Each place setting had a rattan charger with an accompanying blue polka dot plate and clear glass saucer for the chilled gazpacho, all rented from Party Rentals, Ltd. Their navy napkins were rolled and tied onto them was a menu “tag”, which we created in the round. It had a seersucker boarder and a cute little yellow grommet, tied together with white grosgrain ribbon. Each guest received a cute little galvanized bucket filled with red Swedish fish. We created red and blue favor tags with lyrics to their first dance song by U2 and tied it on with red grosgrain ribbon.

Each table was named after a New England town that held special significance to the bride and groom. Places like Westport, Newport, Nantucket, Block Island, Bar Harbor, Mystic…. we even inserted the GPS coordinates of each location onto their table sign. A fun little detail we carried throughout the event — like on the custom stamp we made for their invitations!

Guests dined on chilled gazpacho, surf and turf with filet mignon and lobster tail with steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob. There were even toothpicks on the table for pickin’ corn out of your teeth! The entire event was catered by the Club’s restaurant, Riverview Restaurant. Chef Danny and his team did a fabulous job!

More on the way!

to see the full gallery, click here!

I am really excited about today’s featured affair for two reasons. The first is that it just happens to be the perfect way to kick off Fourth of July weekend! And second, it was sent to us by a wedding planner whose work is forever charming and stylish, Candice Dowling of Jubilee Events.

Photographs are courtesy of Kelley and Todd Whittaker (website coming soon)

More details from Candice…

After their beautiful ceremony at Assumption Church in Westport, Matt and Kim went to the spot that was very meaningful and sentimental to them. A place where they spent many nights watching the sun set as a couple. They love Combo Beach in Westport and try to visit at least once every weekend during the summer months. Her love of rowing and his love of the water really drew them together. After the ceremony, Kim took off her gorgeous veil and pinned a fabulous little white flower in her hair. Doesn’t she look STUNNING?

The reception was held at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. The views? Stunning. It was obvious to them that it was the perfect location, which would marry her love of rowing and his love of the water. Guests were greeted on the blue slate patio overlooking the Saugatuck River and the docks that lead out into the water. They enjoyed Matt and Kim’s signature cocktail, the Pimms Cup, served from large sea glass canisters into high ball glasses which were garnished with a lemon wheel, cucumber spear, and a seersucker swizzle stick. Heaven.

We displayed escort cards on a red linen wrapped cork board with some retro metal pushpins. It was perfect! We also had custom napkins, swizzle sticks, and coasters made for the event. The beautiful calligraphy was done by Lisa Ridgley of Pen and Ink Calligraphy out of Westminister, Maryland. I LOVE Lisa. She is so good to our brides and does AMAZING work!

to see the full gallery, click here!

Holly Andres and Paul Rich sent us today’s featured wedding from Blue Hill at Stone Barns, NY and we just have to show you the fine images of the food first!

Here’s Janet and Ethan’s menu …

Greenhouse Greens and Herbs ~ With this morning’s farm egg
Asparagus Soup ~ American sturgeon caviar, mushrooms
Alaskan Halibut ~ Pistou of spring vegetables
Loin of Lamb ~ Quinoa, cracked wheat, spring parsnips

Is this not incredible??

On his blog, Paul said that he was walking around the exterior of the buildings to catch some evening shots of the property when he came across one of the chefs kneeling in the garden. Paul asked him what he was doing. The chef replied that he was “working on the asparagus soup going on for the wedding meal inside!”

This is such a gorgeous site for a wedding! Gourmet … Green … Simple charm …

Congratulations Janet and Ethan!

Paul Rich and Holly Andres are a husband and wife team based in Portland, Oregon. They work with their brides and grooms to capture the moments that are unique to each wedding. As you can see from the images above, they are story-tellers! Their personalities and talents award them with the highest praise from one and all!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

This just happens to be one of my favorite weekends of the entire year, so I thought I’d be just touch cheesy and feature a couple of absolutely fabulous red, white and blue affairs! The weddings themselves are all about the chic and are sure to inspire you no matter what your color palette happens to be.

Up first, a fabulous nautical inspired wedding that the forever talented Candice Dowling of Jubilee Events sent me…

photography by Whittaker Photography

From the lovely Candice…

Matt and Kim were married on May 30th, 2009 at 2:30 in the afternoon at the Assumption Church in Westport, Connecticut. Immediately following, guests enjoyed a gorgeous preppy and nautical inspired fete at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. Kim and Matt were an amazing couple to work with! At our initial meeting I knew we’d be a good match — they wanted a preppy, tailored, and nautical wedding in blue and yellow with pops of red.

Matt and his Groomsmen wore gorgeous seersucker jackets from Brooks Brothers with a navy brooks brothers tie and khakis. The groom wore a head of ranunculus as his boutonniere and his groomsmen wore a single yellow rose.

Their delicious cake was made by Sweet Cakes out of Fairfield, Connecticut. Suzette did a fabulous job bringing Kim and Matt’s vision to life. The guests REALLY enjoyed the cake and complimented on how delectable it was!

So much more on the way!

to see the full gallery, click here!

We haven’t been up on our soapbox lately about how critical it is to find the best wedding film-maker you can possibly find to capture your wedding day memories! Please, please, please heed our advice. You will never regret it. {Particularly if you choose from one of our fabulous Little Black Book cinematographers!}

And if you’re fortunate enough to book Fiore Films, you will be forever blessed with a masterpiece! Because Sharrone is a master … a master at creating intensely romantic, edgy, cinematic-style wedding films.  Her dramatic style pulls you to the edge of your chair, waiting to see what happens next! True, passionate storytelling at its best.

We have a trailer from Andree and Bryan’s stunning spring wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia to prove our point. See for yourself …

See what we mean? Fiore Films is phenomenal!

ps … just as a follow-up on a previous feature {Sivanne & Omar’s Save The Date}, their Engagement “Hot Shot” is super-steamy {see it here}

So, if you’ve been reading the blog this week, you know that I am at Engage ’09, which is an incredible event that the wonderful Rebecca Grinnals put together for wedding pros that are innovating in their field. It has been a beyond words experince and I’ve made some seriously great friends in some of the most well known vendors in the world. And it’s in the Cayman Islands so….umm. Does it get any better?

Anyway, I was going to hand the blog over to some of my guest bloggers for the week so that I could get a little r & r but what can I say, I am addicted. The minute that these babies landed in my inbox, I threw my vacation out the window so that I could get them up. They are just that good.

Belathee is this incredible photography team whose work I am forever in awe of. It’s so editorial, so unbelievably chic, it’s almost hard to tell that you’re looking at a real wedding. The girls are a rare talent to say the least. Here are a few notes from the Belathee about this affair…

Annabel photographed this couple from London who planned a mini wedding with quite a fashion statement here in NYC. They got dressed at the Gramercy Park Hotel and held a little ceremony in Gramercy Park.

Then they were off to South Street Seaport for some mesmerising images around the city. The designer behind the gown is Angelica Colarusso and both the bride, Nicky, and the gown got quite a bit of attention on the streets! Nicky, the bride, embraced the fact that it was getting dirty and thought it made it even more special to have leaves stuck in the tulle :)

This couple was sent to us via Fiona Leahy , a fantastic wedding planner based in London and  it was truly a treat to capturing such stylish clients and the big apple always proves as an amazing backdrop for any occasion.

More to come from this incredible shoot by Belathee in just a bit!

On the Little Black Book Blog, we strive to bring you more of the stellar work of our LBB members … the event planners, the photographers, the cinematographers … the cake designers, the floral designers … We show you their work, not because we think they’re terrific, but because we know they’re terrific!

Carla Ten Eyck is just that … amazing …

When you hire a photographer for your wedding, you’re not just hiring a picture-taker. You’re gaining a friend. You’re hiring someone who will be by your side on one of THE most important days of your life. That person will bring out the sheer beauty, the raw emotion … the awe in you. That’s what you get with Carla Ten Eyck.

Carla Ten Eyck captured Samar and Shane’s exquisite multi-cultural wedding that spanned three glorious days.  There is no way that we can do this incredible celebration justice. We simply want to show you, brag to you, how great Carla and her incredible team are.

Samar and Shane’s wedding weekend …

The wedding took place in Hudson, NY. It was a three day Pakistani and Irish wedding celebration. Friday night the family held a Mehndi ceremony in the beautiful barn at Oak Hill Estate in the Hudson River Valley. These celebrations are traditionally women only, but Shane and Samar invited the men to participate as well. During the ceremony they sat together in a swing while guests came up to offer them blessings. After the blessings there were traditional dances upstairs in the barn. Saturday was the formal wedding ceremony. Samar’s father officiated the ceremony, and the bridesmaids carried wooden bowls full of rose petals instead of bouquets. Floral decor was by Little Black Book member, Linda Baldwin Flowers.

Shane and Samar’s incredible celebration proves without a doubt that if you are lucky enough to have Carla and her team ~ Mike Romano, Katie Slater and Graham Scobey ~ you will have memories … and a friend who will last a lifetime!

Congratulations Samar & Shane on an absolutely phenomenal wedding! And Carla, well as we’ve said before … sheer beauty!!

For the rest of Samar & Shane’s story, take a trip to Carla Ten Eyck’s blog site. It … she … is totally awesome.

We have been all about the chic, modern loft wedding that Laura and Eric threw this past winter in New York. It’s one of those weddings that just makes you giddy. From the perfect decor to the stunning couple, it’s as if this night was destined to be beautiful.

And like many celebrations, there is a life, a story behind the beauty. Here are some last details and a touching note from Laura, the gorgeous bride…

Due to my aforementioned obsessive planning trait, I would have normally chosen to give ourselves plenty of time to perfect every detail and incorporate tons of DIY projects. During our planning, however, life took a different turn: my stepfather, whom I think of my only father as he’s been with us since I was a child, was diagnosed with liver cancer. As many who have dealt with cancer can attest, there were many ups and downs… some times we thought he would beat it, and other times we were scared he wouldn’t make it through the week. Eric and I decided right away that we would do our best to make sure he would be there with us on our day, so we chose a winter date in the same year and ramped up our planning.

photography by Heather Waraksa and event design by Daughter of Design

The decision to move up the wedding turned out to be, far and away, the best one we made, and not just because my father made it to our wedding. In the months leading up the big day, his health began to fail rapidly and life became very difficult for him. But his anticipation of the wedding and his desire to be there to walk me down the aisle kept him going, and when I called him I could hear the joy and excitement in his voice even through the pain and depression he was dealing with.My mom described the day she took him to get fitted for a new suit (and a very dapper new hat and coat to go with it) as one of the happiest he had during that time.

My father passed away just a few weeks after the wedding. Thankfully, we had the warm memories from the wedding and the pictures showing the happiness and positive spirit that he had that day to ease us through this period. Eric and I are so extremely grateful that we were able to spend this time with him, show him the love that we have for each other and the promise of our future so that he could rest assured that I was taken care of. These memories are happy ones and we cherish them… and I know my father would be proud of that.

Near the end of the evening, after the photographers had left and things were beginning to wind down, it started to snow in Manhattan.  We – and our guests – all went out onto the roof deck and reveled in the magic of the city lights and the snow falling around us.  It was so breathtaking… as if the stars were aligned for us that night.

I heart today’s real wedding. It’s a really lovely distraction from the outdoor weddings that we feature (and I love outdoor affairs in a BIG way). There is just something so utterly romantic about getting married in a crisp, white loft that has been decked out with candles, whites and an intimate collection of friends and family.

And yet, just when you think that it’s all about the style, all about the chic…there is that bit of handmade charm that EVERY wedding needs to feel complete!

all photos by Heather Waraksa and the gorgeous event was designed by Daughter of Design

As a quick little sidenote, Laura loved the details so much that she launched her own event design company specializing in the finishing touches that turn a pretty wedding into a spectacular one! Definitely check out her new adventure, Make Merry Event Design Services.

A Bit More From Laura…

We served three kinds of really fabulous cupcakes and THE best banana pudding I’ve ever had, period, all from Sugar Sweet Sunshine.  Our caterer Yen Ngo of Real Food Catering, added macaroons and meringues to round out the dessert table.

We gathered wedding photos of our family and friends, printed them in black & white, and hung them from champagne and cream colored ribbons accented by hanging votives (our tribute to them as inspirations for our marriage).

Oh also, we followed the DIY project you posted from Kathleen – the hot chocolate and marshmallow bags. And it was a total family effort: cards printed by me, bags and hot chocolate purchase and put together by my mother, sewn by my aunt, and molasses cookies (family special recipe) added by my mother-in-law. We left these at the hotel for our out-of-town guests and also brought some to the wedding to give away to the others.

Although the venue, the flowers, the amazingly gorgeous white color palette from today’s affair are ALL incredible, it’s really the personal approach that the couple took to their day that makes me really, really happy. Since I can’t say it any better than the bride, I’ll just pass the torch!

We did (almost) nothing that was traditional.  We served champagne before the ceremony because…well, who wouldn’t want that? We were married by a friend of ours that was ordained for the occasion.  With her help, we wrote the ceremony and our own vows, and although I’m biased, they were amazing and so completely ‘us’… many guests told us it was the highlight of their evening.

The songs played during the ceremony were rock songs, performed on an acoustic guitar and accompanied by a cello.  The same (amazing) guitarist performed with singer Juliana Riccardi during cocktail hour:  Jazz covers of rock, pop and rap songs.  There were no bridal party introductions, no cake to cut, and no bouquet thrown – we came down from cocktails and danced a foxtrot for our first dance (our only nod to tradition) to start the party, then had no further interruptions for the rest of the evening.

all photographs by Heather Waraksa

We asked our bridesmaids to pick out their own black and white cocktail dresses, and groomsmen to wear any dark suit they already owned or wanted to purchase. We loved the eclectic feel and, having been a bridesmaid on many occasions, I didn’t really want my girls to have yet another dress they’d never wear again.  To add some cohesiveness, we gave each groomsman a gray two-tone dotted tie (polka dots made appearances throughout the wedding), and gifted the bridesmaids with the pieces they wore in their hair. 

So much more to come! Oh and we’re hoping that Laura will gift us all the step-by-steps for her incredible hairpiece!

Today, we are featuring one of those weddings that everyone can love. Although not all brides swoon at the site of a fabulous loft affair, as I do, I think that it’s fair to say that all brides swoon at the site of gorgeousness…in every shape and size!

the gorgeous photos are by Heather Waraksa

From the beautiful bride, Laura…

The ‘mood’ of our wedding was inspired by our venue: silver and crystal chandeliers in an otherwise plain white space.  We put together a vintage-meets-modern feel and decided the best way to decorate the loft on a relatively tight budget was not to fight it, but to complement it:  thus the colors were shades of white, black, silver, candlelight & champagne.  When Annie, of Daughter by Design, brought us down to see the space fully decorated, after cocktail hour, I immediately knew it was the best choice we could have made.

We went with very minimal flowers, mostly to save money but also because I wanted the candlelight to be the focus.  So we filled the tables with candlesticks (from CB2), floating candles in tall tapered glass vases, and tons of votives;  small arrangements of hydrangea and freesia were accents. I’m a designer, and I made all of the paper goods other than the invitations – menus, programs, escort cards, signs, etc.

When I was planning my own wedding, I had this fantasy of hosting an all white soiree in some swanky loft in NY. Clearly, that didn’t pan out. But for some reason, whenever I see a really well done loft affair, I still get all giddy inside.

Today’s wedding, sent to us by the adorable bride and groom, was all about the chic. Sophisticated, elegant and yet fabulously New York chic. Plus, it was designed by one of our favorite Little Black Book members, Daughter of Design, which makes it even more special!

Before we get into all of the details though, I had to start off with these incredible shots of the bride’s bling. And by bling, I really mean, oh-my-gosh gorgeous, completely fabulous, all-the-good-words-in-the-dictionary beautiful bling…

photography by Heather Waraksa

SWOON. Aren’t you a little bit in love? And a little bit jealous? Well, the gorgeous bride who put all of this together is with us all day, sharing her perfect details and her totally down-to-earth perspective.

I guess you could technically call this a destination wedding. Eric and I live in Miami, but he was born and raised in Westport, Connecticut, and I have moved around so much in my life that I don’t really have a ‘hometown’.  We looked everywhere when we started our planning – here in Florida, out in Napa & Sonoma, in Connecticut – and finally decided that Manhattan would be perfect.  It’d be convenient for all his family and friends (he actually had quite a few that lived in the city), and we love Manhattan so much that we hope to buy a little a pied-a-terre there someday.

I wouldn’t say I’m the ‘typical’ bride in that I’ve dreamed of planning a wedding for my whole life.  Although I’m a big (obsessive) planner in general, and love design and entertaining, I’m extremely non-traditional and cringe at doing something that someone else has already done.  After having been to many weddings that were born out of the same mold, I wanted to make sure our wedding was a little different: not only reflective of us as a couple, but also fun, new and interesting for our guests.  We decided our goal would be a “fun, intimate party… that also happened to be a wedding”.  And every decision we made came from there.

So much more on the way!

Today’s featured Little Black Book photographers, Britney Gardner and Joe Rumore shoot weddings from coast to coast! This one ~ just happened to be in New York City on an unseasonably warm spring day. However, the bride, Melane, didn’t mind the heat one bit … she’s a Texas girl at heart!

She and Ryan asked 30 of their closest friends and family to fly to New York with them to celebrate their marriage in Central Park!

The morning of the wedding, Melane’s bridesmaids were busily putting the flowers together while hair, make-up and the final details were being attended to …

Meanwhile, at Camp Ryan …

… and then the final reveal … that romantic “first look”…

Melane and Ryan headed outside into the hustle and bustle of New York City for a flurry of photos to commemorate the day.

And then onto their final destination … Central Park. But first, a few more pre-wedding shots from Britney and Joe of turn loose the art …

What an unbelievably pretty wedding venue!!

Wow!

And then off ~ in true New York style ~ to an intimate dinner at Sarabeth’s Central Park South.

Britney asked Melane what the best part about the whole day was. She replied, “Saying the vows we wrote to each other … and involving our family and friends in the ceremony. My sister and brother-in-law led us in the traditional vows as we repeated after them and a friend officiated.”

Ryan and Melane’s wedding came in right around $8000 … a perfect example of how to pull-off a budget wedding in high style!  Our best wishes to you both!

***

Thanks SO much to the very talented team at turn loose the art.  The front page of their website says, “There is art in your life.” SO true. And these two truly know how to capture it!

{ps … Congrats on the 1st place at the ISPWP contest in the Reception~Dancing category! Personally, though, I loved the Kids Will Be Kids 5th place winner!}

Ulysses Photography is listed in Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book in the NY Hudson Valley area. However, if you take a trip to their website and blog … you’ll see they don’t just hang around there! As is the case with most of our LBB photographers, they love to travel and have lots of wonderful examples of their weddings for you to peruse. In this case, a visit to Ulysses and Jenni’s blog will take you all the way back to August 2005 weddings! Now that’s impressive!! It’s SO fascinating to see how much has changed in the wedding world … and just how much will never change!

Ulysses and Jenni ARE Ulysses Photography. They describe themselves as crazy in love. How great is that? They go on to say that there is no popular catch phrase to describe their style. I like that, too, because I think that all photographic artists have so many many styles, depending upon so many many factors that it would be doing them a grave disservice to assign a style label. Suffice it to say that they are terrific!

Today’s featured wedding is from last July and took place at Catlin Gardens NY.

Kristina wore a Nicole Miller gown … the bridesmaids dresses were by After 6.

Many of the special touches seen throughout the day were made by Kristina, her mom … and even her dad!

This pretty cake was from The Pastry Garden.

from Kristina …

My Mom and I (and my Dad, too!) spent a lot of quality time making many of the small things the guests found at their tables, such as the menu cards, place cards, and the wedding cake cookie favors. The cookies came out great but were A LOT of work. By the end of it, I didn’t want to see another cookie for the rest of my life (unfortunately, that didn’t last long!) I think we all had a great time working together to come up with creative ideas that would make our guests feel special. I especially loved the air fresheners, with the poem attached, that were left by the valets in our guests’ cars. Hopefully, it was a pleasant reminder of the fun they had at the wedding and how much we all appreciate that they were there to share that day with us.

The staff at Catlin Gardens made sure everything ran so smoothly. It was great to know that everything was taken care of so that my family and I could just enjoy ourselves! Sometimes, when I’m really craving something sweet, I think of the wedding cake from The Pastry Garden and regret that I only had one bite of that delicious cake. Brides: enjoy the cake on your wedding day and maybe even have two pieces!

I recommend going to Nicole Miller as a stop on your hunt for the perfect dress. They were so friendly, helpful, and gave me their honest opinions. They also have a great selection of beautiful dresses that are perfect for the beach, garden, or big white wedding of your dreams. My dress was exactly what I wanted. It was so comfortable and not too fussy but made me feel beautiful all night.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather or better vendors. We love to show off our wedding album to anyone who stops over at our home, and without fail, people are totally blown away. The pictures are really beautiful!

Congrats to Kristina & Cory … fantastic wedding!

And a HUGE thank you to Ulysses and Jennie for sharing their fabulous photos with us!!