Duane Park Wedding by Lilian Haidar

When I first laid my eyes on the simple black and white invite and read the words “live jazz and burlesque,” I knew this was going to be one fabulous fete. And then I saw the gorgeous images from Lilian Haidar, and I was immediately in awe and totally jealous of every single person that was invited to this intimate, rooftop celebration. The dress, the flowers, and the jazz all add up to one stylish and romantic day. Click here for even more.

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From the Bride…Dominic and Anjanette attended grammar school together; Dominic was in 7th grade and Anjanette was in 8th! We lost touch for years after that until we ran into each other while attending Parsons School of Design in New York. We had no idea the other was there! We lost touch again after we graduated and ran into each other six years ago just walking on the street in NYC, exchanged numbers, made plans and had dinner…and of course lost touch again!! Note of course that all these times we were both in other relationships and just considered each other friends. And then we reconnected in February 2011 when “out of nowhere” Dominic e-mailed Anjanette an invite to attend his album release party – she wasn’t going to be in town, so we planned dinner to catch up! In our email exchange we found out that both of us were single this time (because funny enough, we ended up making plans on February 14th and we didn’t even realize it) and the rest is history – he proposed in March! The universe kept bringing us together and we believe it’s always been our destiny since 7th grade -and now just happened to be the perfect timing for us. We’ve waited 40 years for our love and we tell you it is worth the wait -when you find this you realize why all those poems were written and all those song have been sung – we truly wish the whole world this kind of love!!

Anjanette wore a custom gown designed by her friend, Carmen Marc Valvo. It was a silver micro-pleated silk ribbon gown from his couture collection featuring cascading pleated ribbons each individually embroidered onto the gown; not at all a traditional bridal gown. She paired it with sexy, silver strappy heels from Jimmy Choo and a purple ribbon sash.

Since Anjanette is the President & Creative Director of luxury jewelry brand Diamond in the Rough, jewelry was a very important part of her big day. Dominic designed her rough diamond engagement ring and “FPO” bracelet (“For Position Only” in the design world). As you can imagine, designing an engagement ring for a jewelry designer (who has an engagement ring collection herself) can be a daunting task which required time and proper planning. That being said, when Dominic (who is a designer and co-owner of the branding agency OFFICELAB) proposed, he had a henna tattoo with the letters “FPO” as a placeholder. Once the actual ring arrived, we had a commemorative bracelet made which Anjanette wore to the wedding. Since Anjanette’s dress was so intricate, she wanted to keep her other jewelry simple. She chose small champagne bubbles drop earrings from Diamond in the Rough to complete her look and not detract from her dress or glowing face.

We were married by a friend (who was recently ordained especially for this event) at 620 Loft & Garden on a beautiful Saturday afternoon amongst our closest friends and family. The space was so beautiful in its own right so we wanted to only add simply touches like a circle of chairs joined by a garland made of white orchids. St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue both acted as amazing backdrops for our ceremony.  We also incorporated fabric parasols which we laced with special purple ribbon of varying shades from M&J trimming matching Anjanette’s sash.

Our intimate reception was held at Duane Park, a burlesque jazz club and restaurant in Tribeca with a 1920’s vibe. We had visited the restaurant on a date prior to getting engaged so it had special significance. When we thought about an interesting New York restaurant to have our reception at, which was really an intimate dinner party, this felt just right. Dominic being a musician, we had a Jazz trio play during both our cocktail hour and during our celebration. Fabulous burlesque dancers entertained guests, keeping to our theme of “Sexy Beautiful.”

In between the two, we took a respite and had lunch at Beauty & Essex where we recently returned to celebrate my birthday. The venue is unassuming; it appears to onlookers to merely be a pawn shop, but as you enter, you are swept away through a secret door and into a magnificent multi-level restaurant with a real old-world feel….the perfect mid-day escape! Long story short…it was a perfect day and the perfect way to start our lives together!

Wedding Photography: Lilian Haidar / Floral Design: Jodie Zimmerman Designs, Inc. / Ceremony Location: 620 Loft & Garden / Reception Location: Duane Park / Invitations: Paperless Post / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Wedding Dress: Carmen Marc Valvo / Bride’s Jewelry (engagement ring, wedding band, bracelet + earrings): Diamond in the Rough / Groom’s Wedding Band: Anne Sportun / Hair: Patrick Melville / Make-up: DEX New York