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Upper Westside Manhattan Wedding from Readyluck

February 10th. 2012 by Mallory | 2 comments

We have all gone BANANAS over this new take on a nautical wedding. Seen through the lens of Jonathan Hanson for Readyluck, we’re loving the classic wedding mixed with the perfect blend of seafaring deets to make it more than worthy of it’s waterside locale. Something totally new for this water-loving blogger to obsess over. Join me in the gallery and help me obsess, will you?

After eleven months of bliss Marc and I decided to go on vacation to my favorite vacation spot growing up – Hawaii. On the second day of our trip Marc told me he had booked a photographer to take professional photos to satisfy my mom who was always complaining that she didn’t have any (I hate taking pictures!). We went down to the beach to meet with the photographer and had a blast being silly and posing for forty five minutes. When we were done the photographer said goodbye and Marc escorted me to a private hut on the beach. There were yellow rose petals on the sand leading to the dinner table set for two. There were menus with our names on them with all of my favorite foods listed. As soon as we were fully in the hut Marc got down on one knee and tried to recite something he had written earlier but ended up getting out the words “will you marry me.” We both were crying with joy and embraced for what felt like a few hours but in reality was only a few minutes. The photographer returned to our watery faces for some shots after the monumental moment. We then enjoyed a delicious private feast on the beach in Kauai! At the end of the evening we returned to our hotel room covered in roses and on the bed roses in the shape of a huge heart.

Marc and I immediately bonded over our love of food. Marc graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and owns and runs his own catering company. Marc spends his time planning and executing other people’s parties. He was so excited to finally be able to plan his own!

We had a vision of getting married by the water – we find the water to have a very calming and romantic presence. I have lived on the upper west side of Manhattan for the last five years and loved sunny days eating and drinking at the boat basin on 79th Street. After ruling out a few places due to number constraints and overall feel I walked Marc over to the Boat Basin thinking it could be a great venue for us if his company would be allowed to cater there. As luck would have it they allowed him to cater and the date they had available was perfect for us!

In five months we were able to put it all together and our reality wedding was better than all of my dreams. It was an amazingly sunny, 62 degree day in the midst of fall in NYC. Marc and I didn’t do the big wedding party – as it was too much of a hassle and we didn’t want to tell our most loved ones what they could and couldn’t wear. His brother was his best man and my best friend was by my side all day and night. Our attire on the invitations read “Cocktail wear with a nautical flare” Our vision was since this was a boat basin it should have a nautical feel. My maid of honor wore red, while my mother wore navy. We had a life ring made with our names and the date for people to pose with as they entered the ceremony to give it a feel of a forced cruise entrance photo.

The food was really at the heart of the party. We were very focused on having fun delicious food that everyone could enjoy. Our cocktail hour included a raw bar as well as passed micro lobster rolls, kobe beef sliders, mini fish tacos, tuna ceviche, pecking duck crepes, Panko chicken frites, and Vietnamese summer rolls. We had two signature drinks passed which were the drinks we enjoyed on our first date – dark and stormy and mojitos. Our meal at dinner was served family style since we really wanted everyone to be able to try everything and experience an interactive dining experience. Each table was served two different salads as an appetizer. For the main course we chose braised beef short ribs with macaroni and cheese and glazed heirloom carrots as well as seared ahi tuna with Himalayan red rice over a roasted wild mushrooms and endamame.

Dessert was very important to me – as my sweet tooth is very well known by everyone who has ever met me! My favorite cookies were layered rainbow cookies. I asked Marc if we could make a cake out of these cookies and before I knew it we had ordered two sheet trays of the cake, then cut them into cookie bites, layered them to resemble a cake and vwhala! Our cake cutting was so fun! Marc took a cookie off the pile and we shared our first one. Immediately following was a free for all of everyone just taking a cookie off the pile that resembled a cake. They were so moist and delicious – the best rainbow cookies I have ever tasted! We had a dessert table filled with all of my other favorites: micro ice cream sandwiches, banana pudding, lemon glazed cake doughnuts, peanut butter mouse pretzel cups, pistachio, chocolate orange, and almond biscotti’s, and assorted fruit.

The ceremony took place under a Chuppah that has been in Marc’s family for over 100 years. It was from Marc’s Great, Great Grandmother who started her own temple in Montreal. Music was very important to us as well. The song we exited the ceremony to was hakuna matata from the lion king. Our first dance was to our favorite song “give into me” sung as a duet.

The wedding day as a whole was point blank the best day of our lives. A very vivid memory is Marc and I getting ready. We both got ready in our apartment with Dori, the maid of honor. Dori had the job of keeping us separated so that we would not see each other before the grand reveal for the cameras. While Dori was helping Marc with his bowtie in the other room I was standing nervously alone in the dining room. All of a sudden Marc screamed “Erica” to which I replied “Yes?” – then he said “I love you.” In that moment my anxiety and fear disappeared and I became overwhelmed with joy with the reminder of what this day was about; committing to spend the rest of our lives as best friends together forever.

Photographer: Jonathan Hanson, ReadyLuck / Videographer: Bruce Cullen / Floral Designer: Banchet Jaigla of Banchet Flowers / Event Design & Planning: On The Marc Events & The Spark Group / Makeup: Jackie Gomez / Caterer: On The Marc Events / Cake & Desserts: On The Marc Events / Wedding Gown Designer: Monique Lhuillier / Band: Marianne Bennett / Venue: The West 79th Street Boat Basin Café

Readyluck is a member of our Little Black Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.
Monique Lhuillier is a member of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.

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West Monitor Barn Wedding Inspiration from The Painted Tulip + Alanna Scully Photography

February 9th. 2012 by Mallory | 4 comments

Red barns are beyond fantastic, in my humble opinion. They are perfectly American – and paired with a delicious Cherry Pie, a barn can make for the most fantastic fall day. Alanna Scully Photography teamed up with a few of Vermont’s greatest, including The Painted Tulip on the florals, to create this tall glass of water of an inspiration shoot for all you farm loving brides and grooms. Click here for more!

From Alanna Scully Photography … There is something about a red barn that just makes me feel at home. When that red barn is in Vermont and you’ve got a beautiful fall day, it’s even better. I asked my photographer friends (who became husband and wife this summer!) Debbie and Jared Burns to model for me as I set up a stylized shoot at the gorgeous West Monitor Barn in Richmond, VT.

It was Columbus Day weekend, which was by far the three best days of fall weather I have ever seen in Vermont. It was perfect shooting weather and the late afternoon light was breathtaking, as was my couple. I asked Nicole D’Agata of the Painted Tulip in Waterbury to help out with some beautiful florals for our table and for our bride and groom, and the amazing staff at the Vermont Tent Company provided the rest of our set. When I edited these pictures, I was reminded of how great love is and how nice it was to spend an afternoon with Debbie and Jared, a couple who isn’t afraid to show their affection and share their joy with the world. Love like this, much like a red barn, can make you feel right at home.

Photography: Alanna Scully Photography / Venue: West Monitor Barn / Florals: The Painted Tulip / Hair & Makeup: Lisa Borg, Tilton & Company Hair Salon / Table number & Pie signs: Green Apple Paperie / Wedding Dress & Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Rentals: Vermont Tent Company

The Painted Tulip Floral and Event Design is a member of our Little Black Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.
J.Crew is a member of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.

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Lauxmont Farms Wedding from SANDERSON IMAGES + All Things Beautiful

February 9th. 2012 by Mallory | 10 comments

An ice cream truck, a photobooth, banners adorned with exclamations, and the cutest couple in the world make for the most fantastically whimsical wedding. The joy, love, and laughter in this Pennsylvania wedding were captured by SANDERSON IMAGES and every single photo puts a smile on my face. From the beautiful flowers, courtesy of All Things Beautiful, to all the DIY and vintage elements – this wedding is perfect. So get your scorecards all set with a 10 and meet me in the gallery where there is even more!

My husband John and I found each other when we both moved to the Harrisburg area to pursue our careers. It started with a friendship between two adventure seeking teachers and blossomed into an unexpected romance. The journey of our wedding started 50 feet up in air, climbing on a ropes course element called The Catwalk, balancing on a telephone pole, when he got down on one knee and surprised me by asking me to marry him. The proposal was very much like the life we live, full of surprises and excitement.

I knew I wanted our wedding to represent us and be unique, fun, and entertaining for our guests. I wanted it to be an adventure like our relationship, our life, our engagement. We chose to have our wedding at the rolling acres and pristine views of Lauxmont Farm’s Japanese Gardens, because of my love for horses and our love for nature and the outdoors.

The day of our wedding the sun was shining with a slight breeze, complete with blue skies. It was a perfectly painted summer day. Our ceremony took place overlooking a field with horses running and in the distance the Susquehanna River. It truly was a stunning site. We tried to make our ceremony personal with our dear friend as our officiant and instead of a unity candle, since we both love wine, we did a wine ceremony to remember our relationship will only get better with time. Our ceremony was sincere, light hearted, and memorable, full of love and laughter. Cocktail hour was in the Japanese gardens where wine and cheese tasting took place. Here there were wooden fences from which photographs fluttered in the wind and guests mingled at tables adored with collections of vintage books, antique bottles, and delicate flowers. Signature drinks of lip smacking sangria and puckering pink lemonade were enjoyed along with the appetizers.

The reception tent was filled with personal touches. Through our wedding planning I was the designer with the inspirations and my husband was the builder and project manager. I’d venture to say it was all “do it yourself” because it was such a hands-on event, and I tried to put my heart into everything that was selected. We had a memory tent to celebrate our history together and our family’s history. We also had a kid’s tent, equipped with a lollipop centerpiece, homemade coloring books with our photographs, lots of toys, and things to do to keep our young guests entertained while enjoying themselves. John and I are very much kids at heart, so we knew the adults would enjoy this area too. The guests had a great time in our photo booth filled with silly and vintage props. Since I am from the Pittsburgh area, we had a large cookie table, a tradition in which many friends and family bake tons of delicious cookies for the wedding, and then they are displayed beautifully for everyone to enjoy. It was clear one of our guest’s favorite parts of the wedding was when the ice cream truck drove up to the reception tent to help everyone beat the July heat. Nothing brings out the child in someone like an ice cream truck.

Our wedding truly was a labor of love. My maid of honor designed our gorgeous invitations, our good friend officiated us, my husband’s sister painted signs, one of my bridesmaids, great friend, and an incredible stylist did my hair, and my friends and family helped me create numerous decorations, like hundreds of purple origami flowers that friends and family spent endless hours helping us make.. My husband and I had a blast rummaging through tons of antique stores finding the right pieces for our wedding, such as dishes, books, bird cages, bottles, you name it. Even though I was in the hospital for three days before our wedding, all of the little details fell into place perfectly. All our vendors were so wonderful and helpful with our wedding planning experience.

What I found most important about our big day was to step back, breathe, and take it all in. The kids playing with the toy horses, the laughter spilling out of the photo booth, my husband’s 91 year old grandfather in his dapper purple shirt overlooking the view, the ice cream filled smiles, the energy on the dance floor, the candle light glowing from the lanterns in trees. There were things that got broken, giggling when we forgot and stumbled over our vows’, I mean who needs to be taken as a lawfully wedded wife, when you could be a lover for life, as my husband mistakenly said. There was my torn bustle, and mother-son dance that almost didn’t happen, but thanks to all the love from my friends and family, and my wonderful husband, it was a day that in my eyes was perfect.