I’m just slightly obsessed with the Gramercy Park Hotel, so when this gorgeous wedding photographed by Maggie Harkov found its way to my inbox, I may have squealed out loud a little bit. Okay, maybe a lot. But how can you blame me? It’s pretty much the coolest place for a wedding. Brilliant Event Planning helped the couple infuse so many thoughtful details to honor their family members that could not make the long flights from overseas and paid special tribute to them through color and music. What a fabulous idea! Click here for more!
See this beyond gorgeous wedding come to life in this film by First Day Films:
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… Having a wedding in New York City was our dream, after I moved here in the name of love from London! Although far more important to us was incorporating a real feeling of family, as we are both from overseas. We wanted an intimate and creative city wedding with an NY theme that would resonate with our out of town guests (as the majority had traveled from Asia and Europe). I had wanted to incorporate some unique touches into the day, and when I saw Bryn at Paperfinger’s hand-drawn, personalized designs for wedding stationery, I knew they would be the perfect fit for our day. We also wanted a pop of color on the black and white invitations (featuring Calvary Church and the Gramercy Park Hotel), so we had our names in purple and ordered save-the-dates featuring Lady Liberty from Wedding Paper Divas. Our dearest grandparents were unable to be there due to my husband being from Australia and me being from England, so I used a violet color scheme in honor of my Gran, Dulcie Violet, and also roses for Grandma Joscelyn Rose in the bouquets.”You are my sunshine” was played by the pianist and cellist, a childhood favourite song (Dulcie used to sing to me as a child) as my bridesmaids walked down the aisle.
The day was just amazing from start to finish for me, having hair and makeup done in our suite at the Gramercy with my bridesmaids, while wearing my bride t-shirt, is a favorite memory. They also thoughtfully put together a collage of funny photos of me, which calmed my nerves before walking down the aisle! One of the things I will never forget about the day was being presented with a huge book of photos and hand-written messages during my maid of honor’s speech about what I meant to each of my close friends. It was incredibly touching and something I will cherish forever.
We also had some amazing vendors that truly made our day go off without a hitch. We desperately needed a photographer who would capture the NY theme of our wedding and listen to our needs, so we were incredibly lucky to find Maggie Harkov, who captured the mood and energy of the day perfectly. For that dose of the unexpected, we hired a vintage NYC taxi cab from Film Cars. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day. The ’50s car was waiting outside the church as the guests flowed out, with a “Just Married” written on the back window and the Australian and English flags on either side. The twenty minutes we had on our own in the car driving around the city with people beeping and shouting congratulations to us was an experience I will never forget! It was also a part of the day that the two of us shared alone, which allowed us to really take in the fact that we were now married.
The celebration followed and to fully incorporate our New York theme, the DJ played famous NY songs (we also had a party hamper of purple and white boas and beads that we pulled out on the dance floor later), and our table names were all NYC landmarks that were special places to us. The chocolate favors were from Vosges because of the vibrant purple box, as well as this being our favorite neighborhood chocolate shop in SoHo. They even allowed us to put a special greeting note on each box also in violet! I also incorporated violet parasols for the bridesmaids and a white one for myself. For a creative touch, I ordered fun straws online from the paper diva, and I also designed match boxes and napkins with sayings I loved for the wedding embossed on these from “For Your Party.” It was a magical day we will never forget, celebrated with family and friends in our beloved New York City.
Wedding Photography: Maggie Harkov / Ceremony: Calvary Episcopal Church in New York, New York / Reception + Catering: Gramercy Park Hotel in New York, New York / Wedding Planning: Brilliant Event Planning / Floral Design: Designs by Ahn / Wedding Cinematography: First Day Films / Wedding Stationery: Paperfinger / DJ: Scott Melker / Favors: Vosges Haut-Chocolat / Wedding Car: Peter Yannello of Film Cars / Parasols + Streamers: Luna Bazaar / Wedding Dress: Elie by Elie Saab for Pronovias / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Earrings: Tous / Blue Stone & Diamond Ring: From the Bride’s Family / Hair Clips: Pronovias / Hair: Jeff Chastain Parlor / Makeup: Nam Vo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale via The Wedding Library / Groom’s Suit + Tie: Paul Stuart / Groom’s Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo / Groom’s Socks: Paul Smith / Groomsmen’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse / Wedding Rings: Yuval Braverman