Michele and Chick At The Harold Pratt House, New York
You know, sometimes, when we look thru the photos of a wedding from one of our great Little Black Book members, something just jumps off the page. Sometimes it’s the beautiful setting, sometimes it’s the color palette, and pretty much everytime … it’s the emotions that they’ve captured. But the images from this wedding, from Lauren Rutten Photography … in addition to all of the above … exemplify the magnificence of traditional beauty.
First, the subtle but rich bundles of exquisite flowers amassed in elegant, old-world silver vessels. Followed closely by one single, simple bloom. A ‘catch your breath’ kind of moment …
… bunches of joy … simple love …
Lauren had this to say …
It is one of the great privileges that I am blessed with the opportunity to share very intimate moments of my couples’ lives. I mentioned to Michele that she reminds me of Ali McGraw in Love Story…such down to earth, graceful beauty …
She & Chick are the sort of true New Yorkers who love their city for all the old romance it continues to embody.
from the beautiful bride …
“The setting of our wedding was the Council on Foreign Relations ~ the Harold Pratt House ~ and we were lucky enough to have access to all of the wonderful rooms of this classic Park Avenue limestone mansion. The mansion represents old New York at its best, lots of mahogany, marble and understated elegance. I wanted guests at our wedding to feel as though they were guests at a very fancy dinner party, right out of an Edith Wharton novel. We loved being able to celebrate different portions of the evening in different rooms, ceremony in the drawing room, cocktails in the library, dinner in the ballroom, dancing in the study, dessert in the living room, etc. While our wedding was a very formal black-tie event, it was very intimate and cozy, with candles and fireplaces everywhere. There were tons of flowers, ranunculas, peonies, hydrangeas, roses, tulips, etc, no two arrangements were alike, and the goal of this late fall wedding was to incorporate as many rich jewel tones as possible. The food was delicious and included many local and seasonal ingredients. This evening surpassed all of our dreams and I really owe it all to my mom, who worked tirelessly to make everything absolutely perfect. And it was!
{from eddye … hooray for Michele’s mom!}
more from Lauren …
What resonates most with me as a photographer are the rituals of a ceremony, a couples’ body language, and how people find comfort within a space. Seeing Chick tear up at the first sight of Michele brought me to tears…and then again, under the Chuppah, the way in which Michele gently embraced Chick’s face just as they are about to kiss…this gesture I had seen before when we spent some time shooting their engagement photos. It tells me they are so at ease and gentle with each other. My preference in shooting is always to be in the midst of the goings ons…no long lens and off to the side for me. I want to feel immersed in the space & the emotion of what is happening. Often I find myself in very tight little spots in order to capture a truly unique perspective of what’s going on. I pride myself on being like a very stealth cat and not disturbing the setting…scooting in and out for just enough time to catch a few frames.
What else I remember of the day? How beautifully illuminated the rooms felt…the Chuppah appeared as though it was bathed in a lovely white glow…and the dinner in the ballroom had a sparkle of rich color everywhere.
from Lauren’s blog …
As I’ve look through the photographs during my editing process, what strikes me most are the joyful expressions on Michele and Chick’s faces. I could tell you all about how elegant everything was, how much fun everyone was having, how delicious the food was, but mostly I want to tell you about the smiles I saw radiating from this couple…
Presenting … Michele and Chick …
What a totally awesome couple!
And for a change, we’re going to give you each and every wedding vendor that we know of!
Catering: Abigail Kirsch Events; Event Designer: Frank Alexander, NYC (Flowers, Chuppah & Candles); Music: Hank Lane Productions; Lighting: GG Productions; Gown: Monique Lhuillier; Shoes: Rene Caovilla; Hair: Mahogany at Bergdorf Goodman; Makeup: Mercedes at Bergdorf Goodman; Gown Assistant/Dresser: Anna Tenorio from Kleinfeld ( she was truly wonderful!); Groom Tuxedo: Ermengildo Zegna custom made at Bergdorf Goodman; Stationary: Vera Wang; Cake- Carl Dean Heddon (designed it to look similar to Michele’s gown).
Thank you SO much Lauren & Michele and Chick for sharing all of these fantastic images from your phenomenal wedding day!!
What a beautiful and elegant wedding! It looks so intimate and everything is so well-presented!
I had a question: do you what the lovely squares of food are underneath the picture of the cocktail? It looks as if there are chopped pistachios in it and perhaps chocolate...?
Thank you!
Gorgeous! May I inquire as to the name of Monique Lhuillier gown that the lovely bride is wearing? Thanks!
That looks like a truly beautiful/elegant wedding. Congratulations on great ideas & execution!!
Where did you find those GORGEOUS SHOES?? Thank you!
Hi Sushma-
Thank you for your comments. Believe it or not, I forgot the exact name of this desert but I'm going to look at the wedding menu when I get home from work tonight and I will let you know. Our catering company was Abigail Kirsch Productions in Manhattan, NY and we were extremely happy with them!
-Michele
Hi Francine-
Thanks for your kind words. The shoes are Rene Caovilla, I got them from Saks Fifth Avenue. See the Rene Caovilla link above. I especially love that they did not look like typical satin 'bridey' shoes. I have already worn them out on the town and I love them as much as when I wore them here!
-Michele
Where are the brides earrings from??? Beautiful :)
Thanks, Ally! Earrings are Jude Frances.
Sushma-
The name of the desert you are referring to is "pistachio pistachio": it was a french pastry and one of many beautiful butlered deserts prepared by abigail kirsch. We worked directly with carl deen heddin on these passed deserts and he was wonderful.
-Michele
Congratulations! I'm getting married here in September- so fun to see another beautiful event at the location. If you have any tips please let me know!
A wonderful modern take on a Victorian-style wedding. The handkerchief is so cute :)
Michele - What a lovely wedding! I wanted to inquire about the sash on your bridal gown. I am in search a beaded sash for my own wedding gown and wanted to know if this was custom or was part of your Monique Lhuillier design? Thank you so much!
Hi Alisa-
The sash was made of crystal and jewels, although it is a Monique Lhuillier sash, it was not part of my gown, I chose to add it to create something a bit more original. Good luck with your search!
-Michele
Your wedding was gorgeous! Could you tell me who makes the trio of hair combs that are pictured? *Love* them. (Still searching for hair accessories for my wedding nxt wkend!!) Thanks!!
Caitlin-
The trio of hair combs are also from Monique Lhuillier. I'm sure you will look beautiful! Congratulations!
-Michele
That chuppah is absolutely gorgeous! Great idea to illuminate it within!
Steph-
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I hope you love the venue as much as I did. If you have any questions, you can ask for my contact info. Best of luck!
-Michele
Hi Jewish Bride:
Thank you for the compliment. Frank Alexander created our chuppah, he was absolutely wonderful to work with!
Congratulations on your wedding! I am also planning a wedding in an old mansion in NY (the India House) and was thinking about a similar feel as you seem to have captured. I would love any and all ideas you used to make it all look so glamorous yet also cozy. I think the architecture probably helps. Also, was it at all problematic/awkward to have the dinner and dancing separate? I am afraid people won't dance but my fiance likes the idea of an elegant dinner and then dancing /dessert in a separate space.
Thanks for any thoughts / advice you can offer. And congratulations again.
Sarah
Hi Michele,
Congratulations and you looked beautiful! I was wondering if you were thinking about selling your sash. If so, I would be very interested! Also, I know it is a Monique Lhuillier, but do you know the specific name for the sash? I am on a hunt to find i!
Thank you,
Morgan