The Metropolitan Building is one of our favorite little spots in New York. It’s full of curiosities and fabulous old treasures that play ever so nicely with beautiful weddings like this. Exquisite Affairs Productions crafted the perfect details to accompany such a striking venue – soft and romantic nestled into the old patina of the building. It’s making our hearts beat a little faster after ogling all the fabulous images by Heather Waraksa and with over 175 photographs to get cozy with, the gallery is where you need to be spending your afternoon. See it all here.

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…When Craig and I began planning our wedding, we envisioned an event that had the warmth of our annual New Year’s Day open house, where people linger all day at our Brooklyn apartment. It’s become an institution, but an easy one: There’s no start time or end time, no dress code; the food is always good enough to disappear, but unfussy enough that the conversation is the main event. As we began searching for venues, we soon realized that the words “easy” and “wedding” didn’t typically fit into the same sentence. A country wedding seemed too complicated; a big-city wedding too flashy. Then I walked through the Metropolitan Building, an events space in Long Island City, Queens, owned by an antiques dealer. The former electrical parts factory is literally a storehouse of treasures; the nooks and crannies are decorated to the hilt, and as you look around, you can’t help but see the remnants of a thousand other celebrations. The space was big enough for a crowd, but intimate and comfortable enough to make people feel like they were in their own worlds. We were sold.

The rest of the party sprouted up from there, sown from a few simple ideas: For a mix of old and new—inspired by our venue and our taste in music—we hired Lapis Luna, which plays a mixture of jazz and swing, but covers everything from Billie Holiday to Billy Idol. For our May Day wedding date, Jeff at Pennington Flowers wove cherry blossoms and candles into the most spectacular chuppah, accenting the rest of the eclectic space with soft spring echoes. And the hard work of Chef Rossi at the Raging Skillet and Christine Viola at Exquisite Affairs Productions created an evening so seamless that both Craig and I were able to focus the most beautiful moments of all—the ones that could have happened in our living room, but that we wanted to share with 200 people: The warm voice of my family’s rabbi, who also married my parents, who flew in from my Ohio hometown for the occasion. The original song that my father played on his guitar—the one he wrote for me when I was twelve. Speeches and toasts by a few, partner dancing for many, and, most of all, our vows, which we each wrote in our apartment, when the other wasn’t looking.

It was exactly right: A feeling as new as our marriage and as familiar as the faces surrounding us. And thanks to Heather Waraksa’s genius, we can re-live it any time we want.

Venue: The Metropolitan Building / Event Planning: Exquisite Affairs Productions / Floral Design: Pennington Flowers / Wedding Photography: Heather Waraksa / Second Photographer: Mike Gross Photography / Catering: The Raging Skillet / Band: Lapis Luna / Guitarist: Elan Artists / Lighting: After Hours Entertainment / Cake + Cupcakes: City Sweets & Confections / Hair + Make-up: Monica McAlpin / Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller / Bride’s Shoes: Via Spiga / Groom’s Suit: Duchess, Clothier / Valet: Parking Systems / Shuttles: Express Bus Services / Linen Rental: Cloth Connection / Chair Rental: Atlas Party Rentals / Officiant: Rabbi Alan Sokobin / Hair + Make-up:  Monica, Friend / DJ: Brad Lee, Friend

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