Let me just start by saying, I love this wedding. Every single inch of it is fabulous. But there is one shot from Raw Photo Design that stopped me in my tracks and I knew right away I was seeing something special. You’ll have to scroll almost to the bottom of the post to see the bride and groom dancing in each others’ arms among their loved ones. This image evokes such an elated happiness, like we are lucky enough to be let into a very, very special and private moment – which of course, is exactly what is going on. A very, very special gallery awaits you!
I have always had a love for New York and the in the beginning stages of our planning process I was adamant on having a city wedding. After researching venues I came across the Liberty House, set on the Hudson River overlooking the Manhattan skyline. This got me thinking wouldn’t the city skyline be more impactful as a backdrop to our wedding then being in the midst of it? One thing we knew for sure, we wanted a loft style space that was open but intimate. The Liberty House was perfect. From the minute we stepped into the space, we had could already envision our family and friends filling the dance floor and basking in the breathtaking view.
The moment we were engaged I had begun designing my wedding. Working in the fashion industry in New York, I always have a vision for everything I merchandise and design. My wedding was no different. This was the most important job I would take on and my passion for detail was going to be tested. Our theme was “vintage elegance.” We wanted a tasteful evening that was filled with romance, laughter and unforgettable memories. Having carefully mapped out with my extremely creative mother every detail and aspect of the wedding, my fiancé was on board with everything and anything I wanted. I have a passion for anything vintage. I could spend hours at vintage boutiques, flea markets and estate sales. I wanted to incorporate and eclectic mix of new and old in our décor.
I had chosen my dress before even trying it on. After purveying the internet I came across a dress that I knew was perfect. Upon trying it on, I was right. It was modern with a vintage touch, a satin mermaid silhouette with a bodice encrusted in vintage beading and jewels. I had a vision for my overall look and I was lucky enough to have my best friend/matron of honor as my extremely talented make-up artist and my gifted hairdresser Liz Curry style my hair. I wanted to look like myself but a more glamorous version. I knew I wanted my hair mostly down and I wanted to feel comfortable and not confined to a stiff up do.
Our ceremony was intimate and moving. We wanted a neo-traditional ceremony and hoped our guest would walk away feeling the love we shared with each other. I walked down the aisle to Ben Harper’s “Forever” with my father, this song couldn’t have been more fitting. We had the honor of Pastor Vincent Rife officiate. The Pastor has been a family friend and working very closely with us on what we wanted our vow exchange to encompass. He has us write letters to each other on why we wanted to marry, he then took the letters without us knowing what each had wrote and incorporated them into our ceremony. This made for an unforgettable and very personal exchange. The ceremony concluded with a procession to “hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley and our guests made their way into the cocktail hour with the exquisite Jason Leibman.
Upon walking into our reception we wanted the Manhattan skyline to be the focus of our guests evening. Having Jason and I spent so many amazing nights in the city, looking out into its landscape couldn’t have been more perfect. This is the city where we fell in love and being able to incorporate such an important aspect of our relationship into our wedding in such an impactful way was amazing. The loft was strictly candlelit with the city lights the only “artificial” lighting of the evening. The guests’ tables were an intricate mix of ivory flowers arranged into 3 different size vases filled with crystals to enhance the variety of textured florals. Twisted branches were entangled on the table brining an element of outside in. Our table was filled with dripping candle sticks and a enhanced version of our guests arrangements. A cigar bar entertained our male guests as the marveled at the backdrop as they smoked their imported cigars. Raw Photo design provided an overly entertaining photo booth that had our guests posing for the camera all night long. Our night was perfect and having our amazing pictures from Raw Photo and our incredibly moving video from Moho Creative we are able to relive it over and over again.
Photography: Raw Photo Design / Cinematography: Moho Creative / Flowers: Rita’s Floral Touch / Ceremony + Reception Location: Liberty House / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Dress: Vineyard Collection from Priscilla of Boston / Makeup: Stacey Palancia of Blush Couture / Hair: Liz Curry of Chop Chop Bang Bang / DJ: Kris Abramson of Elite Entertainment / Guitarist: Jason Leibman