Old school New York. A time where life was just a bit more fancy and tradition reigned supreme, and a style that is still sought after to this day. That style? It was redefined by this stunning soiree at The Essex House. Captured by the beyond talented Shawn Connell of Christian Oth Studio, every gorgeous detail now sits in a stunning set of frame-worthy images. And you can devour each one right here.

 

From Christian Oth Studio… Maggie and Matthew met in 2009 at the First Annual Kentucky Derby Party sponsored by Esquire Magazine and hosted at Eleven Madison Park. Matthew popped the question at the same restaurant where they met, two years later!

The couple opted for a traditional New York-themed wedding. They wanted to capture an old-New York feel and felt as though a fall wedding would really be the perfect time to capture the true essence of the city. Maggie and Matthew decided on The Essex House as the perfect venue, located across the street from Central Park. The Beauz Arts Grand Salon boasts hand painted murals and chandeliers, which were a highlight. White flowers with gold accents adorned the room. The paper details matched the decor, all white adorned with gold. To keep the New York theme, candy apples labeled “A candy apple from the Big Apple” were provided at the end of the night, along with a snack from a traditional Nathan’s hot dog truck that the couple had parked outside of the venue for guests to enjoy.

Wedding Photography: Shawn Connell of Christian Oth Studio | Venue: The Essex House | Event Coordination: Jason Kwintner of The Essex House | Floral Design: Chestnuts in the Tuileries | Lighting: L&M Sound and Lighting | Band- Hank Lane (The Kenny Ford Band) | Save the Date Invites: Ceci New York | Invitations, Place Cards, Paper Décor: Custom via Reed Cohen Papers & Events | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Monique Lhullier | Groom’s Tuxedo: Paul Smith | Groom’s Shirt: Prada | Groom’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo | Hair: Ruben Colon of Sally Hershberger Salon | Makeup: Audra DeGregorio | Bride’s Veil: Saks Fifth Avenue | Robe: Oscar de la Renta

Ceci New York and Christian Oth Studio are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

Ceci New York

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Christian Oth Studio

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I can remember the first time I stumbled on Caroline Yoon’s work. I can remember because I was mesmerized. I instantly fell in love with every.single.image her lens captured, and it started a full-blown love affair that will probably never end. So when she sent over this beyond gorgeous engagement session, with a Bride-to-be who’s style I want to steal, I stopped everything I was doing just so I could soak it all in. And boy was that time well spent. See why here.

 

From the Bride-to-be… Our story begins like any other; all love really does.  The meeting was unexpected and from the moment John and I first met, I knew he was special and worth getting to know better.  Our first date was at the Big Apple BBQ.  It was the perfect first date, as we share a passion for food and all the best in life.  Ever since that day when we shared a rack of ribs, we have grown to love each other more and more each day and cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

Photography: Caroline Yoon Fine Art Photography

Erik Ekroth is a genius.  A serious genius.  Because not only is he one super-awesome photog (he sooo is), he always, always manages to send us the sweetest of love stories, too.  Like these two cuties, who lived 1,700 miles apart (North Dakota to Oregon), met (briefly) on the city streets of Idaho and got to know each other over Facebook and long chats on the phone.  And when it came time to celebrate their nuptials, they picked a destination wedding in NYC, one of their favorite cities in the world and a place they could re-visit time and time again.  Are they adorable??  Yes, indeed.  See every last magical moment in the full gallery.

 

From the Bride… I grew up in North Dakota and Marcus in Oregon. Late one Friday night, in 2005,  at the corner of 6th & Main in downtown Boise, Idaho, we met briefly and then went back to our normal lives 1,400 miles apart. But we never stopped thinking about each other– and it didn’t take long for Marcus to find me on Facebook. We started slowly getting to know each other over Facebook, texting and leaving each other 30-minute long voicemails. Pretty soon we were falling asleep together over the phone after hours and hours of just talking and getting to know each other. The distance couldn’t keep us apart for long. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

New York City was one of the first vacations we took together and we just fell in love with the energy of the city. The history, fast pace, bright lights, music, food, entertainment. It was unlike any place either of us had been before and we immediately knew we wanted to come back as often as possible. When we were trying to decide between getting married in North Dakota and Oregon, New York ended up being the perfect compromise. Our families hadn’t spent very much time together and had never been to New York. So we thought how wonderful it would be for us all to meet there and spend a week exploring all the beautiful parts of the city together.

We always wanted to get married in a special location that we could come back to 10, 20 or 50 years later (a place even our children could visit some day and see the exact spot where we got married) and our little area in Central Park turned out to be so perfect. We will never forget it.

Our wedding style was classic, timeless. One of my favorite colors is purple, so we used this as our accent color, along with black and white, throughout the wedding shown in the invitations, favors, the bouquet ribbons, bridesmaid dresses, and decorations.

The day came together perfectly. Planning a wedding while living across the country could be impossible, but we had such a wonderful team pulling it all together! I kept thinking that I should have been more stressed, but the entire wedding week was instead full of fun, excitement, family, and love. It was absolutely perfect! My favorite moments included walking through Central Park with Marcus and overlooking the city from our rooftop reception while close friends and family were able to get to know each other more. This was really a time where our families were able to meet each other and share in our love!

From the Groom… After our ceremony, I’ll never forget walking through Central Park hand-in-hand with Michelle in her wedding dress. Not only was it the brightest, happiest day in my life, but it was amazing to see the joy it brought to every one around us as well. In a big busy city, even strangers walking by stopped to watch us with huge smiles on their faces, congratulating us. It seemed like everything in the world slowed down for a moment just for the two of us.

Wedding Photography: Erik Ekroth | Officiant: Jason Isbell | Floral Design: Lena Osorio-Gemisic | Ceremony Venue: Central Park, New York City, Cherry Hill | Reception Venue: Ink 48 Hotel – Heaven Over Hell’s Kitchen Suite | Event Design + Planning: Emily Lester | Invitations: Nicole Squires (Bride’s sister) | Cakes:  Ink 48 Hotel Print Restaurant | Musicians: Emsemble Champlain | Wedding Dress: Casablanca | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal | Groom’s Suit: Versace | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids’ Hair: Lawanda Pierre | Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Claudia Nitkin (mclaudia78@aol.com) | Rings: Tacori

Erik Ekroth is a member of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

Erik Ekroth

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