Classic NYC Wedding With the Prettiest Pastel Palette

Stephanie Weers
June 22, 2017
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

The vision for this New York City affair? Classic. Chic. Current. In other words, the kind of wedding that feels stylish today and 50 years from now. To pull off all of the above, Blake and Jacqueline brought on a vendor A-team, including Kelsey Combe Photography, Rachel Cho Floral Design, Kate & Co. Events, and Silver Arrow Band, just to name a few. They visited their favorite spots in the city and treated their guests to a ballroom celebration designed with all-out elegance. Sneak a peek below and find even more of the big day here in the gallery.

From the bride… Blake and I met at a friend’s birthday party, where at the end of the night he asked me if I wanted to meet for a run the following weekend in Central Park. Luckily the planned run was replaced by drinks – but the park has been special to us both. Two years after we met, Blake got down on one knee in front of The Lake and asked me to marry him. We both knew we wanted to be married at the New York Athletic Club: it is such a classic New York venue and has the most amazing views of Central Park.

My vision for our wedding was classic and chic, but still current. I wanted our wedding to be simple and timeless so that when we look at the pictures in 50 years we will still be in love with how everything looked. This vision flowed from the simple monogrammed invitations, the tuxes, to the décor of the venue itself. I asked my bridesmaids to choose dresses in a neutral palette that they loved and would want to wear again. They all looked so beautiful on our wedding day and totally themselves, especially my sister/MOH in her beautiful boho dress with a baby’s breath flower crown, thanks to Rachel Cho.

I struggled to find a dress because I really wanted something that reflected my style: simple and practical. It was surprisingly hard to find something without lace or beading. I immediately loved the understated yet still elegant Willowby Watters dress. Jaclyn Jordan made me THE most amazing bolero to wear over it. The two fit together so perfectly; I loved how classic the long sleeves, pearl buttons, and fitted bodice looked over my more modern dress. My veil was borrowed from my bridesmaid and former roommate who I lived with for 5 years – it meant so much to me to have something of hers to wear on my special day. The giant all tulip bouquet completed the look; it was beautiful, simple and chic, I wish I could still carry it with me everywhere. I was initially wary of having my tattoo showing. It is in honor of my late grandmother, and having her favorite phrase “be always kind and true” on display, I felt like she was with me all day.

The city itself played a major part in our wedding. The boys took the subway from our apartment in their tuxes and bought Gatorade (which exploded on the groom) from a hot dog vendor on the street. My parents named me after Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and I grew up in Connecticut, often traveling into the city through Grand Central. My mom would always tell me how much she and my dad admired Jackie Kennedy, and that it was she who had taken the initiative to have the ceiling of this amazing terminal restored. One of my first requests for Kelsey was that we take pictures in Grand Central, and it was truly one of my favorite parts of the day. I will treasure those pictures for the rest of my life.

While the NYAC is incredibly beautiful and has amazing character, a lot of its atmosphere is very dark and masculine. I worked with Rachel and her team to create a floral look to soften the dark paneling in the rooms that we were in. For the ceremony, we had two amazing flowering branch arrangements which framed my aunt and uncle, who married us. The beautiful sign that my sister-in-law’s mother made us for the ceremony program carried our simple theme and is now hanging in our living room! For the centerpieces, low all white flowers with plenty of candles including floating votives showed off the reception room’s character while brightening the ancient carved wood ceiling. The head table had low lush arrangements with no space between them creating a runner look.

Two pieces of advice to brides!

1. Hire a day-of coordinator (or full-time planner) for your own peace of mind. Hiring Kate was one of the best decisions we made. Kate made the day seamless and was a dream to work with – we are forever grateful that we were fully able to enjoy our day because of her.

2. Get hair extensions – but seriously… I could not be happier with the way my hair looked on my wedding day. I have thin hair so the clip-in extensions from RPZL gave me body, length and most importantly held my style incredibly well. Also, a good spray tan is a girl’s best friend!