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From the Bride…Kelley and I met at his going away party in Manhattan, although I didn’t know it was his party at the time… or that he was going away!  My sister’s friend from college was studying physics at Columbia with Kelley, and my sister invited me.  Kelley and I started chatting at the party, but I thought he was uninterested because he kept chatting up everyone else as well.  I later found out that the party was his graduation party and he was saying goodbye to all of his friends.  He only had three more days in the city and then he was going on a month-long motorcycling trip to India.  He was then scheduled to move to West Point, which is about an hour north of Manhattan, to teach Physics (Kelley is a Major in the Army).  We spent the next few days together almost non-stop, and then Kelley left for India, and neither of us knew if we would see each other again.  He emailed me and we wrote back and forth, casually at first, and by the end of his trip we were writing each other almost every day and we knew we would see each other when he returned.  When Kelley got back we dated by traveling up and down the Hudson River.  I would take the train to visit him, which is why our save the date was a train ticket.  Eventually, we moved in together, and rented an apartment in Cold Spring, NY in the Hudson Valley.

When Kelley proposed, I had received a promotion at work (I worked in HR at a hedge fund in Connecticut), it was my 28th birthday, and our 2 year anniversary.  We had so much to celebrate, I didn’t think a proposal was coming even when Kelley surprised me with lunch at Per Se.  He knew I would want to have a say in the design of my engagement ring, so he gave me a simple gold ring on a necklace.  I didn’t figure out he was proposing until I read the engraving “Will you marry me” on the inside of the ring.  That ring is now my wedding band.

When we were planning the wedding, we wanted everything to be elegant but comfortable at the same time.  Where we could, we included our local favorites and sentimental details from our relationship.  The wedding and reception were at the country club attached to our favorite restaurant in the area, The Tavern at the Highlands Country Club.  The favors were burnt caramel and Hawaiian sea salt truffles from a chocolate shop in our town.  The invitations and all of the paper goods were custom made by my friend Misako, who owns the paper company, To You From Me.  Kelley and I share a love for wine, so both the invitations and the flowers included vines.

I studied photography at Cornell, so the other aspect that was really important was that we have good quality photos.  I came across our photographer, Karen Wise, through a friend.  I fell in love with her documentary style, which went with the relaxed feel of the wedding.  She also uses medium format film, which is impossible to find, and the photos made everything look that much better.  The wedding was not only gorgeous, but incredibly touching and great fun!

Wedding Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Floral Design: Engaging Floral Designs / Band: Miracle via IGMC / Venue: The Highlands Country Club / Coordinator: Adrienne Madama / Stationery: To You From Me, Misako Rothery / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Favors: Bittersweets

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Post tags: Bittersweet, Engaging Floral Designs, IGMC, Karen Wise Photography, Miracle, New York Weddings, Priscilla of Boston, The Highlands Country Club, To You From Me
Post categories: Casual Elegance, New York Weddings

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From the Bride… Grady and I knew from the start that our wedding didn’t need to be nor should it be perfect.  Life is messy and unpredictable, and only in the chaos of it all can you step back and gain some clarity about what the priorities are.  Like almost everything in our relationship, we knew we would have to do things a bit unconventionally for our wedding.  Our daughter, Eva, was 17 months old when we got married.  Because of this we wanted our wedding to be an intimate affair – an opportunity for everyone we love to be together, celebrate with one another and meet our daughter. We decided to have our wedding in New York, where we both had lived and where my family currently lives.  When we chose our venue, we were living in Chicago and in the process of moving to Portland, OR.  So, all wedding choices would need to be made from the gut with little time to mull things over.  Having a baby helps with that process!

We picked our venue after only one visit.  The Lillian Goldman Stone Mill at the New York Botanical Garden and the in-house caterers, Abigail Kirsch, were the perfect match for us.  The setting was spectacular – an old stone mill on the banks of the Bronx River in a lush and wooded area.  We had only heard rave reviews about the food and planning that Abigail Kirsch provided.  With the venue and caterer settled upon, we knew we were going to use the photographer (the lovely Karen Wise) and DJ (Small Change) that Grady’s brother and sister-in-law used for their wedding.  Because planning was no simple task living on the opposite coast, in a new home with a little baby, we hired Amanda Diamondstein-Cieplinska of Stellina Events to help find some of the vendors and orchestrate the day’s events.  It was a life saver having someone in NYC locating these vendors for us and making sure everything went seamlessly on the day of our wedding.

The ceremony was beautiful and truly captured the essence of our relationship.  Our wonderful officiant, Cantor Micha’el Esformes, led a rich and meaningful experience that brought everyone into the moment through his words and music.  We stood underneath a chuppah, wedding canopy, that Rountree Florist helped us to envision and bring to life; standing there amongst our families and the pictures of our loved ones who couldn’t be there, Grady and I vowed our love for each other.  This was the most important detail of the whole wedding – to remember all our loved ones and to join our two lives and two families.

Wedding Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Wedding Planning, Design + Styling: Stellina Events / Floral Decor: Rountree Flowers / Venue: The New York Botanical Garden, Lillian and Amy Goldman Stone Mill / Catering: Abigail Kirsch / Wedding Invitations: Studio Olivine / Wedding Gown: Vera Wang / Hair Stylist: Renee Serra / Make-up Artist: Hiroko Takada / DJ: DJ Small Change / Transportation: Silver Star Limousine

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Post tags: Abigail Kirsch, DJ Small Change, Garden Wedding, Hiroko Takada, Karen Wise Photography, New York Wedding, Renee Serra, Rountree Flowers, Silver Star Limousine, Stellina Events, Studio Olivine, The New York Botanical Garden, Vera Wang
Post categories: New York City Weddings, New York Weddings

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From Karen Wise Photography…Lindsey and Brian were married at Smack Mellon Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn on June 11, 2011. Lindsey got ready at the Gaansevoort Hotel in downtown Manhattan. Since Lindsey and Brian run their own business together in Rockland County, a greenhouse/greenery, the flowers were very important to them. They didn’t want anything “generic” or “common” to NY. (Apparently Hydrangeas and Peonies fall in that category!) Lindsey requested more tropical arrangements. There were succulents and many other wild blooms in tropical colors in her bouquet and around the rustic venue. She was thrilled when she saw Blossom and Branch’s work.

Brooklyn was also very important to them, as they both lived here for a while. They fell in love with their venue as soon as they saw it, the rustic nature of the building, and the proximity to the cobblestone streets and bridges in the background. As Lindsey was particular about the flowers, Brian’s main request was to have burgers at the wedding, and so their caterer, specializing in BBQ, made mini burgers for them and their guests. One of our main focuses was the food so finding caterers who understood what we were about – no-frills, good food that our Italian families would be happy eating.  CaraLeo were exactly that!

Floral Design: Blossom and Branch / Wedding Cake: Nine Cakes / Wedding Dress: Marchesa / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Wedding Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Venue: Smack Mellon / DJ: Andy Anderson, Gotham DJ / Caterer: CaraLeo Catering / Planner: Elizabeth, Just About Married / Suit: Polo Ralph Lauren / Clutch: Moyna / Earrings: Vintage from Gabriella New York / Hair Accessories: Sara Gabriel /Makeup: Luis Rodriguez, Chanel (Saks 5th Ave. NYC) / Hair: Brittany, Bumble and Bumble (Downtown)

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Post tags: Blossom and Branch, Brooklyn, Christian Louboutin, Karen Wise Photography, Marchesa, New York Wedding, Nine Cakes, Smack Mellon
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Don’t fret, my pretties, if you don’t see your hometown in our local lineup yet! We’re working hard to cover each corner of the country, so stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled, because SMP is coming to a state near you really, really soon!

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Post tags: Karen Wise Photography, Local Blogs, Monique Lhuillier, New York City Weddings
Post categories: Contemporary

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From the bride... So I know that a lot of little girls dream about their wedding, some of my nearest and dearest friends included…that was definitely never me!  What can I say, I’ve never been the romantic.  So when Nick proposed (who definitely IS the romantic), I was super excited but as the questions from friends and relatives came pouring in- when is the wedding, where is the wedding,  did you pick your dress yet… There were so many decisions to be made and I began to regret not being that girl with the scrap book full of wedding dreams (a la Monica from Friends).   My first suggestion was just us two in City Hall. But, not surprisingly, Nick, who is so different from me in many ways- yet very much the same where it counts- insisted that he wanted to share this moment  with everyone who was important in our lives, especially those who helped shape the people we had become and who had shared so many other wonderful moments with us as couple.  There turned out to be a lot more people than we thought who fit that bill.  So I threw caution to the wind and decided we would have the  wedding (I thought) I never wanted.

There was of course, one condition, Nick had to be involved and helpful- I wasn’t going to let him check out.  And lucky for me he never did (he’ll probably kill me for writing all that as he likes to think of himself as very much the man’s man…).  We didn’t have a planner and our parents largely stayed out of the process, so we had a lot on our plate.  We also had t bring our two different styles together. Nick likes things very modern, I like things with a more romantic vintage- but not traditional- feel.  I think our wedding was a very good combination of the two. Absolutely, the most important part of the whole process was finding the right vendors.  We found the most amazing people to work with and I was lucky enough to feel comfortable leaving it all in their hands on the wedding day- because at the end of the day that’s all you can do (if you don’t want to drive yourself INSANE…)  We really found the most incredible group of people, especially Jessy, our floral designer, who was so inspiring in our first meeting and who became our pseudo-wedding planner throughout the process.  After all the hard work and planning, it was beautiful but most importantly it was a blast.

At the end, I have to say it was SO worth it.  Poor Nick on the other hand… I think he’s just relieved he doesn’t have to answer another question about chargers or draping…

Wedding Photographer: Karen Wise Photography / Floral Design: Fleurs / Wedding Videography: Hart Pictures / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Band: Play by Play at Faze 4 Orchestras / Ceremony Musicians: Steven Cohen at Penguin Music / Make-up: Sally Duvall Makeup / Hair: Once Upon a Bride / Wedding Dress, Belt, + Veil: Monique Lhuillier / Wedding Cake: Made in Heaven Cakes / Calligraphy: Esta Cohen Calligraphy / Groom’s Attire: Ralph Lauren / Venue: Trump Soho Hotel

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Post tags: Classic Party Rentals, Esta Cohen Calligraphy, Faze 4 Orchestras, Fleurs, Hart Pictures, Karen Wise Photography, Made in Heaven Cakes, Monique Lhuillier, New York Weddings, Once Upon a Bride, Peguin Music, Ralph Lauren, Sally Duvall Makeup, Traditional Elegance, Trump Soho Hotel
Post categories: New York City Weddings, New York Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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Uli and I are true New Yorkers at heart. I’m originally from Nebraska and he is from Mexico. We met at happy hour in the meat packing district. Uli charmed me for two years while, as most New York girls do, I played “hard-to-get.” He finally popped the question in an unforgettable evening in Baltimore alongside our new family member, our beloved French Bulldog, Oliver.

We wanted our wedding to be elegant, romantic and a reflection of our New York roots. We conducted the ceremony in our usual Sunday mass church on Park Avenue. The ceremony had an unmistakable touch of ourselves as readers shared wonderful scriptures in “Spanish-accent” English and we were joined by a diverse group of friends from multiple countries and parts of the US. In total, we had over 10 countries represented and a number of major and small towns across the US.

Our reception was small and intimate at a nontraditional space, the River Café. It sits at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and hosts one of the most amazing views of Manhattan. Our colors were silver, black, and ivory which merged well with the city lights.

We were fortunate that our day went off without a hitch. Our wedding planner Anna from Just About Married was top notch and Luke at River Café proved to be a God sent. After a wonderful night we departed back to where it all started – New York City. Our photographer, Karen Wise, provided us with the most wonderful wedding gift, several thousand pictures of this unforgettable night.

Wedding Planning: Anna Leath of Just About Married / Flowers: United Floral / Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Band: Hank Lane / Reception Location, Cake & Catering: The River Café / Hair & Makeup: Face Time Beauty / Stationery: Lion in the Sun / Limo: Tran-Star Executive / Ceremony Venue: St. Ignatius Loyola / Linens & Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Groom’s Tuxedo: Hugo Boss /  Bride’s Dress: Pnina Tornai from Kleinfeld / Bride’s Jewelry: Michael F and Co. Jewelers / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo

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Post tags: Brooklyn, Classic Party Rentals, Cupcakes, Face Time Beauty, Hank Lane, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Just About Married, Karen Wise Photography, Kleinfeld, Lion in the Sun, Michael F and Co. Jewelers, New York City, Nine Cakes, Pnina Tornai, St. Ignatius Loyola, The River Cafe, Traditional Elegance, Tran-Star Executive, United Floral, Wedding Beauty, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

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From the Bride… Joe and I met through match.com in August 2007.  Turns out, we had lived less than one block apart for almost six years.  In fact, our apartment buildings almost backed up to one another. But our paths never crossed – at least not that we were aware of – until the internet brought us together.

After we got engaged, we really had no clear idea of exactly what we wanted for our wedding – other than a fun party that wasn’t too formal – or even where we wanted to get married.  Eventually, we settled on Montauk, where we had spent the last two summers, and it couldn’t have worked out better. It became a destination wedding, of sorts, and we were able to enjoy the full weekend with our family and friends.  Best of all, Mother Nature cooperated completely, giving us a string of perfect 80 degree days in the middle of one of the hottest, most humid summers on record in the northeast.

We were fortunate to work with some fantastic vendors who were able to implement our idea of casual but elegant with very little direction from us.  In fact, they often got little more than a list of what we didn’t want.  And throughout the planning process, I was always amazed by the patience and generosity of our friends and family, who pitched in to help in so many ways.

When we got the pictures back, we were absolutely thrilled.  Karen Wise and her assistant, Joan Cuenco, did an amazing job capturing the emotions and details of the day beautifully.  In particular, I think they got at least one picture of every one of our guests, which is something I hadn’t really thought about beforehand, but now I’m so glad to have all those shots.

Wedding Photography: Karen Wise Photography / Flowers: Karen Lenahan Design / Event Planning & Design: Anderson Green Events / Wedding DJ: PopShop DJs / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: East by Northeast / Wedding Invitations: Lion in the Sun / Bride’s Dress: Christina Kara of Blue / Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Navy Beach Restaurant

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Post tags: Anderson Green Events, Casual Elegance, Christina Kara of Blue, Destination Wedding, East by Northeast, Karen Lenahan Design, Karen Wise Photography, Lion in the Sun, Montauk, New York Weddings, Ocean Wedding, Outdoor Ceremony, Parasols, PopShop DJs
Post categories: Casual Elegance

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From the Bride…It was a year ago this month that Matt proposed.  One would think that after dating for five years that I would know exactly what I wanted. There was no question that I wanted something smaller than the traditional Indian wedding and that we needed to incorporate parts of both of our cultures. We realized quickly, that if were going to have people make the trek to New York (I am from California and Matt is from Illinois), we better have a fantastic venue, great food, and lots of dancing.

Once we walked into The Foundry, everything fell into place. The venue is beautiful, an industrial oasis just outside Manhattan.  Its architecture and ambiance speaks for itself. We used their suggested vendor list and quickly recruited the dream team that would help make our wedding the most memorable day of our lives.  We needed to find a DJ that could easily transition between the horah, bhangra, and west coast rap.  The answer—DJ Gaza. As a good friend said months later “the best wedding DJ ever.”  My feet still hurt from dancing the night away.

Our caterer, Yen Ngo with Real Food Catering, not only designed a wedding menu that met all of our needs, she was, for all intents and purposes, our wedding planner. She helped our ever-evolving vision come to fruition (including indulging us in our hot sauce station).  She also introduced us to our florist, Melarosa, who knew exactly what I meant when I said I wanted flowers that I could not buy at the corner store and a focus on texture.   The bouquet could not have been more perfect.

Finally, Karen Wise, the amazing photographer. I wanted someone who still worked with film and knew that The Foundry was not an easy venue to shoot and shoot well.  She made it look easy and made everything look beautiful. We look through our pictures and still cannot believe how she captured our special day.  We did not have a videographer, but I can feel the moment we were pronounced husband and wife and the emotion in my father’s speech just from looking through the hundreds of amazing photographs. Thank you, Karen! Wedding planning is far from easy in a place like New York City. With a patient groom and fabulous vendors (and the internet) you can have and do anything you want and truly make your wedding your own.

Photography: Karen Wise / Flowers: Melarosa / Event Design/Planning and Catering: Yen Ngo, Real Food Catering (Indian Food-Chola) / Ceremony and Reception: The Foundry / Invitations: Bride and Groom / Bride Shoes: Butter / Grooms Shoes: Allen Edmonds / Bride Dress: Melissa Sweet / Groom Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna / DJ: DJ Gaza

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Post tags: Allen Edmonds, Butter, Ermenegildo Zegna, Karen Wise Photography, Melarosa, Melissa Sweet, New York City, Real Food Catering, The Foundry
Post categories: Contemporary, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings, The Blog