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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Post tags: After Hours Entertainment, Atlas Party Rentals, Brad Lee, City Sweets & Confections, Cloth Connection, Duchess Clothier, Ellan Artists, Express Bus Services, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Heather Waraksa, Lapis Luna, Mike Gross Photography, Monica McAlpin, New York Weddings, Nicole Miller, Parking Systems, Pennington Flowers, Rabbi Alan Sokobin, The Metropolitan Building, The Raging Skillet, Urban, Via Spiga
Post categories: The Blog, Vintage Chic

And just when you think you couldn’t possibly be happier with all this wedding goodness, Karen and Chandler’s New York City Civil Ceremony is going to just make your day and then some…and don’t forget, the full gallery is well…full…of both of these gorgeous events!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride, Karen Wise, on her Montreal Wedding…As a wedding photographer who has photographed over 300 weddings, I found making choices for my own wedding both simple and quite challenging. In the past few years, I had taken note of what I’d like to have at my wedding after seeing so many unique events. The most difficult part about wedding planning was choosing our location. Chandler and I knew we wanted our wedding to be outside of New York City. I’ve photographed weddings at MANY New York venues and Chandler, being a director/cinematographer had worked almost everywhere in NY too. We wanted to choose something new and unique to both of us. I grew up in Montreal and so looking there seemed like a good idea. My family still lives there and Chandler and I always enjoy visiting. At first we thought we’d want our wedding to take place amidst the pine trees and mountains north of Montreal in Tremblant where we ski every winter. However, since we knew we’d have guests coming from all over and as far away as Vancouver, LA and Barbados, we changed our minds and decided to keep it simple. Old Montreal seemed like the best option, as it is located in the most quaint and historic part of the city. We knew it would lend a picturesque backdrop to our pictures.

Thankfully we were able to bring our photographer (my colleague, the talented Heather Waraksa) from New York. She had photographed our civil ceremony in October, and we loved working with her! We hired Four Branches from Brooklyn to design our chuppah and Mr. Boddington’s Studio in NYC to design our invitations. The rest of our vendors we searched for locally, starting from scratch, researching Canadian vendors from afar. I found that it took a few months to seek out the best talent, as not every one of our vendors had a website or was well-advertised on blogs as they are here. I love beautiful design, so the style of our stationery, the fashion, colors and textures of the décor were fun for me to coordinate. We worked with very talented local Montreal vendors like Flore (floral design), Kostar (lighting design), Cocoa Locale (baker), Caroline Théoret (makeup/hair) and DJ Toddy Flores who rocked the party!

We danced our first dance to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and had all of our guests join in. Chandler and I had briefly choreographed it in our Brooklyn kitchen but only rehearsed it once in the elevator heading down from cocktail hour. Not a lot of time to perfect it, but supposedly it was a hit! Nick Drake and Cat Power were amongst our initial choices but in the end we decided that upbeat was the way to go. DJ Toddy Flores rocked the rest of the party mixing from a list we’d made of our favorite tracks (mostly 80’s and Hip Hop). Verses, Hotel Nelligan’s restaurant’s steak au poivre and Arctic char melted in your mouth. The chocolate chai and vanilla rose cupcakes from Cocoa Locale were perfection.

From the Bride, Karen Wise, about her NYC Civil Ceremony…Our civil ceremony took place in Manhattan, NY. It was photographed by Heather Waraksa, and Saipua provided the bouquet and boutonniere. I wore a light-colored Burberry coat, Louboutin nude patent leather shoes and a red dress with white gloves… I was inspired by Mad Men at the time that I created my outfit!

We knew we would be planning a bigger wedding in Montreal, Canada in the Spring, but we wanted to do this little ceremony first, partly to get my green card process under way. Although we had been dating for 3 years prior to the ceremony, our parents still hadn’t met, so we thought this would be a fun day to have both sides meet! My sister was also there, as well as Chandler’s brother and sister-in-law.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the Fall, it was windy and cool, but really pretty for the photos. We started the day at my home/studio with hair and makeup and then did a few portraits around Park Slope before jumping in a car service to drive to City Hall before the 3pm closing. Since we had a few hours before our reservation at del Posto restaurant in Manhattan, we had some tea, drinks and a snack at The Standard Hotel while we waited. Heather shot some photos after the ceremony in the newly designed City Hall. The light was beautiful as it poured in through their large windows. We also got the chance to shoot in the streets and in front of the Standard before saying goodbye to Heather.

Montreal Wedding – Wedding Photography: Heather Waraksa / Floral Design: Flore / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier via Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier / Make-up + Hair: Studio Caroline Théoret / Cupcakes + Wedding Cake: Cocoa Locale / Stationery: Mr. Boddington Studio / Calligraphy: Primele / Signs: Baumbirdy / Vintage Hair Piece: Sara Gabriel via Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Earrings: Clay Pot / Bride’s Rings: Jessica Fields via Clay Pot / Bridesmaid Dresses: Ann Taylor / Groom’s Suit: Custom Men / Groom’s Shoes: Bruno Magli / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Flower Girl’s Dress: April Cornell via La Cache / Lighting: Kostar Lighting

NYC Civil Ceremony – Wedding Photography: Heather Waraksa / Flowers: Saipua / Coat: Burberry / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Suit + Tie: Banana Republic / Earrings: Alexis Bittar / Red Dress: Diane von Furstenberg / Hair Piece: Renee Rivera via Bergdorf Goodman / White Gloves: Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Negligee: La Perla / Hair: Martha Ellen Mabry / Make-up: Sally Duvall / Hand Bag: Moyna

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Post tags: Alexis Bittar, Ann Taylor, April Cornell, Banana Republic, Baumbirdy, Bergdorf Goodman, Bruno Magli, burberry, Canada Weddings, Christian Louboutin, Clay Pot, Cocoa Locale, Custom Men, Diane von Furstenberg, Flore, Gabriella New York Bridal Salon, Heather Waraksa, Jessica Fields, Kate Spade, Kostar Lighting, La Cache, La Perla, Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier, Martha Ellen Mabry, Monique Lhuillier, montreal, Moyna, Mr. Boddington's Studio, New York Weddings, Primele, Renee Rivera, Saipua, Sally Duvall, Sara Gabriel, Studio Caroline Theoret
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

Oh, it gets better.  Check out this lovely video by Timeless Films New York!

From the Bride… Jeff and I met a few days before Christmas in 2006 at Heathrow airport in London. Completely randomly, about 3 times and by sheer coincidence. Fate? Luck? Destiny? (We don’t like to give it a name.) It was the fog – actually. Heavy, thick, blinding fog that caused disruptions (which contributed to us bumping into each other outside the terminal for the first time), delays (which gave us the time to chat at the bar whilst waiting) and cancellations (which meant that we could go on a date the next day because our respective flights were cancelled). They say “you know when you know” and so when Jeff proposed at Heathrow (where we first met) on April 1st, 2010, I knew: this is our fairy tale. Jeff is from New Jersey, I am from Germany, both of us live together in London, and we decided to get married in New York. It makes total sense. Right? Up to the moment when you realise you have to organise the whole thing from London. Neither of us wanted a wedding planner (we like taking lead), so the challenge to put on the best party in Manhattan was on!

Finding true love at Terminal 2 is one thing, finding someone that loved organizing the wedding, and was in total control of the whole event planning is just like… well, winning the jackpot. Jeff, who referred to himself as Groomzilla, armed with spreadsheets, timelines and budgets, was going to run the planning “like a deal”. A timeline was drawn up and conference calls with all suppliers were set. Yes, without his impeccable, mind-blowing attention to detail and huge passion for the big day, our day wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was.

I was responsible for the design and style of the event. The venue was first on my list: I wanted New York skyline views. I saw pictures online of the Tribeca Rooftop and  fell in love with this super cool, stylish venue. Its huge roof terrace, high ceilings and wonderful skylight gives this venue the jaw dropping ‘wow effect’ I was looking for. In addition to that the Tribeca Rooftop’s own caterers earned us an avalanche of compliments on the quality, presentation and amount!  They also made the cake, which mimicked the vintage lace pattern of my dress.  Simply gorgeous. I wanted flowers that played with the harmony of the venue’s look and feel. My brief was to create height and drama without the traditional grand flower arrangement. I wanted playfulness and creativity. I designed the invitations and the logo, which aimed to reflect love at the airport. The invitations came as two die-cut J and A letters. Recipients had to put these letters together in order to read the invitation, forming a mini paper sculpture. In fact personal touches were key to us, and so the order of services were all personalised and wax sealed with our logo stamp. Inside, we both wrote a message to each of our guests. It was a big task but made such a huge impact and showed our guests how much we appreciated them coming to celebrate with us. We felt that our friend David, who was there when Jeff and I first met, needed a significant task at the wedding. So we asked him to marry us. After registering as officiant and receiving is certificate from the state of NYC, he did.

Wedding Photography: Heather Waraksa / Wedding Cinematography: Timeless Films New York / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Tribeca Rooftop / Wedding Invitations: The Bride / Bride’s Shoes: Pierre Hardy / Wedding Dress: Alba Eloisa / Bride’s Hair + Make-up: Prive / Floral Design: Rekemeier’s Flower Shop

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Post tags: Alba Eloisa, Blue, Contemporary Wedding, Heather Waraksa, New York Wedding, Pierre Hardy, Prive', Rekemeier's, Timeless Films New York, Tribeca Rooftop
Post categories: Contemporary, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings

From the bride … As many modern day love stories begin, Ally met Brian online.  She had been living in Connecticut for a few years and was interested in meeting new people.   After chatting for a while on the phone,  she invited Brian over to carve some Halloween pumpkins.  As soon as she let Brian into her apartment, they just started talking.  They talked so much that before they knew it it was after midnight and the pumpkins didn’t have a single dent in them. Four years later, they decided to get married.

The second Ally and Brian drove up the dirt path to Tyrone Farm, in Pomfret, Connecticut, they knew this was where we they were meant to be married.  A little bit vintage, a little bit countryside, with a whole lot of New England Charm.  With Brian’s sense of whimsy and Ally’s nod to vintage detailing, their wedding captured  a Connecticut Countryside dream come true.

Tyrone Farm was established in 1742.  The estate  is tucked quietly away in one of the most beautiful hidden treasures of New England — Connecticut’s Quiet Corner.  It was the perfect setting for Ally and Brian’s nuptials.  The simple Aspen tree huppa draped with Ally’s grandmother’s tablecloth, framed the couple as they said their vows.

The estate’s acres of manicured lawns, lovely English gardens, breathtaking views, and hundreds of wild flowers surrounded guests during cocktail hour. As the sun began to set, guests were escorted into a renovated Chestnut Barn.   With its  hand-hewn beams, wide plank floors and rustic charm, the Barn provided a striking setting for the reception.

Guests were surrounded with handcrafted details throughout the evening.  Using the vintage aesthetic of Amy Butler’s Nigella collection of fabrics, Ally created herb pot fabric covered table numbers, custom cocktail stirrers, ring pillows, customized match books and program pockets to adorn the back of the ceremony chairs.  Inspired by burlap table runners she had seen in a previous wedding, Ally set out to find something similar.  She was thrilled to find the bride from the inspiring wedding selling hers on Etsy and was able to repurpose them for her reception – making what’s old new again – a perfect analogy for her wedding at Tyrone Farm.

Venue: Tyrone Farm / Caterer: Peppers / Florist: Studio 539 Flowers / Hair & Makeup: Jennie Fresa Beauty Library / Invitations: HeatherJeany / Photography: Heather Waraksa / Wedding Gown Designer: Melissa Sweet Reverie, Style Antigua / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Tadashi, J. Crew, Ann Taylor

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Post tags: Ann Taylor, Barn Wedding, Color Palette Green Blue White, Connecticut, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Handmade, Heather Waraksa, HeatherJeany, J. Crew, Jennie Fresa Beauty Library, Melissa Sweet Reverie, Outdoor Ceremony, Peppers, Studio 539 Flowers, Tadashi, Tyrone Farm, Vintage Chic, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

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A promise is a promise – Hello Super 8 take it from here!

From the Bride… My whole intention was to let the beauty of Blue Hill stand out. We used the tree that was behind the chuppah as the inspiration for our invitations and everything sort of came from that. That’s why we picked the color scheme of greens, whites and some greys- to blend in with what was already there.

The circular chuppah was made for us, as I originally wanted the seating to be set up in a circle, but the space didn’t allow it. I liked the idea of being surrounded, so we did it with the chuppah. Our cake was by Ron Ben-Israel and we were totally into the tilty-ness and imbalance. Everything we chose we aimed to have just a little less traditional and more fun for our guests.

We were banking on the weather being clear and we totally lucked out that day. Chris’ mom had passed away a few months before and we had put her on”weather duty” so we like to think she came through.

Wedding Photography: Heather Waraksa / Wedding Cinematography: Hello Super 8 / Floral Design: Jeff Conti of Pinewood Farm / Event Design: Jeff Conti of Pinewood Farm + The Bride / Event Planning: Exquisite Affairs Productions / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Blue Hill at Stone Barns / Wedding Invitations: Spark via The Wedding Library / Bride’s Shoes: Guiseppe Zanotti / Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham / Feather Bolero: Cassin / Hair: Stacy Pitt of StylesOnB / Makeup: Sally Duvall / Wedding Cake: Ron Ben-Israel

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Post tags: Blue, Blue Hill At Stone Barns, Cassin, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Green, Grey, Guiseppe Zanotti, Heather Waraksa, Hello Super 8, Jenny Packham, New York, NY, Pinewood Farm, Pocantico Hills, Ron Ben Israel, Sally Duvall, Spark, StylesOnB, The Wedding Library
Post categories: Hudson Valley Weddings, New York Weddings, Traditional Elegance

click here to see even more gorgeousness!

From Heather Waraksa…When Xochitl, from Always a Bridesmaid, and I met, we knew that the venue was key. We thought 632 on Hudson would be the perfect backdrop to the story. We imagined our couple were worldly, long distance lovers who kept in touch with lengthy love letters. We just loved this sense of longing. We also liked the idea of them being “serendipidous and a little sentimental”. For the shoot, we wanted to capture several model scenes… A boudoir look (which I love shooting before the bride gets into her dress), wedding look (feminine but not princessy) and an after party look. We imagined an intimate gathering for the wedding with a late lunch following and a dessert table.

Other ideas that we infused included classic literature with personalized book plates for favors, personalized “Love Postion” cocktails and the fabulous guest bags with the ” To Have and To Hold” icon by Melangerie NYC. For entertainment, we imagined shadow puppets (click thru the gallery to see) that would tell their love story as guests were waiting for the ceremony to begin and a music box that would play as the bride walked down the aisle. Very fairytale chic.

Photography: Heather Waraksa / Flowers: Saipua / Event Design/Planning: Always a Bridesmaid / Venue: 632 on Hudson / Stationery Design: Regas New York / Cakes and Desserts: Nine Cakes / Props, Linens and Unique Rentals: Props for Today / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Guest Bags: To Have and to Hold Tote: Melangerie NYC / Model: Giulia at MC2 Model Management / Hair: Stacy Pitt / Make-up: Sally Duvall / Boudoir: Pants from Doucette Duvall, Accessories and Vintage Jacket from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Wedding Look: Dress and Hairpiece by Alisa Benay, Veil by Malis-Henderson, Handbag by Amanda Pearl, Shoes by Aruna Seth from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Party: Dress by Anne Bowen , Accessories from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon

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Post tags: 632 hudson, Alisa Benay, Always a Bridesmaid, Amanda Pearl, Anne Bowen, Aruna Seth, Classic Party Rentals, Doucette Duvall, Gabriella New York Bridal Salon, Heather Waraksa, Inspiration Board, Malis Henderson, Melangerie, Nine Cakes, Props for Today, Regas New York, Saipua, Sally Duvall, Stacy Pitt
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Photo Shoot, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Fashion

I mean…insanely beautiful right?? The vintage perfume bottles (which would be so amazing re-used with a single stem for the actual wedding), the lingerie pants by Doucette Duvall that are so freaking cute I would wear them to a party. Dying over this. And what an amazing gift for your hubby on your first anniversary. Boudoir photography is becoming huge these day and with this shoot…I am officially a fan!

Photography: Heather Waraksa / Flowers: Saipua / Event Design/Planning: Always a Bridesmaid / Venue: 632 on Hudson / Stationery Design: Regas New York / Cakes and Desserts: Nine Cakes / Props, Linens and Unique Rentals: Props for Today / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Guest Bags: To Have and to Hold Tote: Melangerie NYC / Model: Giulia at MC2 Model Management / Hair: Stacy Pitt / Make-up: Sally Duvall / Boudoir: Pants from Doucette Duvall, Accessories and Vintage Jacket from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Wedding Look: Dress by Alisa Benay, Veil by Malis-Henderson, Handbag by Amanda Pearl, Shoes by Aruna Seth from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Party: Dress by Anne Bowen , Accessories from Gabriella New York Bridal Salon

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Post tags: 632 hudson, Alisa Benay, Always a Bridesmaid, Amanda Pearl, Anne Bowen, Aruna Seth, Classic Party Rentals, Doucette Duvall, Gabriella New York Bridal Salon, Heather Waraksa, Inspiration Board, Malis Henderson, Melangerie, Nine Cakes, Props for Today, Regas New York, Saipua, Sally Duvall, Stacy Pitt
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Photo Shoot, Wedding Fashion

From Heather and Xochitl: We fell in love with the inspiration board immediately. It seemed feminine, dreamy, magical, airy, romantic and had a lovely fairytale quality to it. In a way, it had the mood of classic wedding but with a modern twist. This gave us a lot of creative freedom and a lot to play off of.

Coming up in just a few…the gorgeous shoot!

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Post tags: 632 hudson, Alisa Benay, Always a Bridesmaid, Amanda Pearl, Anne Bowen, Aruna Seth, Classic Party Rentals, Doucette Duvall, Gabriella New York Bridal Salon, Heather Waraksa, Inspiration Board, Malis Henderson, Melangerie, Nine Cakes, Props for Today, Regas New York, Saipua, Sally Duvall, Stacy Pitt
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality, Inspiration Boards