I am insanely jealous that I was not a guest at this wedding. Held at the fabulous Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, this Bride and Groom celebrated with some of the best wedding food and drink I’ve ever heard of. We’re talking fried chicken and frozen margaritas… at the cocktail hour alone! Oh and that cocktail hour? It was held at the Brooklyn Bowl across the street from the Wythe. This wedding just keeps getting better and better with every new detail (designed by Lavender Grey Events)… and with every one of Adam Barnes’ photos. See more from the best party in town right this way!
From the Bride… When we decided to have our wedding on the east coast, close to our families, we knew that New York City was our ideal location. Our guests would be coming from all over – California to New Zealand – so a location with lodging and activities was the top of our list. We loved that Williamsburg and Wythe Hotel offered just that. Joe and I created an accommodations book of our favorite bars, restaurants, sights, hotels, and shopping that we included in our invitation designed by Sloane Harmony. We included things like my all-time favorite view of Manhattan (from the Staten Island Ferry at night), and Rough Trade (Joe’s favorite place to go digging for vinyl). We both just wanted our guests to have an unforgettable weekend in the city we love.
I spent the night before the wedding with my Maid of Honor and best friend of 10 years, Alexandria. In a beautiful room at the Wythe with a stunning view of Manhattan, we talked about my soon-to-be hubby and drank champagne… it was a good, old fashioned sleepover. When the morning arrived and my bridesmaids joined us, the fun and excitement continued. Joe spent the morning with his family – the men got straight razor shaves, followed by lunch at Reynard – and the afternoon with his groomsmen getting ready while we had bagels and mimosas two floors down. My old friend and fantastic makeup and hair stylist, Nicole Amaducci glammed my girls, while I was pampered by Michiko Boorberg and Clarissa Luna. Alexandria’s mom adorned the softest robes with gorgeous geometrical lace for myself and the bridesmaids, and I presented vintage handkerchiefs (I had a feeling it would be a tearful day). Joe gifted his groomsmen with his favorite book inscribed with a note to each. Joe and I decided not to do a first look because I always had this idea of catching the look on my groom’s face as I walked down the aisle towards him with all of our loved ones supporting us, so instead, our wonderful photographer Adam Barnes caught a first look for both my mom and my dad.
Guests were welcomed by a 3-piece jazz band and a pre-ceremony bar marked by a big wooden sign we created. Joe’s parents brought the wood and his great grandmother, artist Ilonka Karasz’s easels, and I (along with my favorite Cricut machine) created vinyl lettering and transfers of artwork done by my Maid of Honor – to create bar menus and signage to be used later. La Petite Gardenia dressed the space with decadent foliage garlands full with pods and berries for texture.
Walking down that aisle towards Joe was everything I imagined. As we both fought back tears (I was right about needing the handkerchiefs), all I could think about was that this is what every little girl dreams about. It really was the fairytale. We were married by Alexandria’s father, someone we greatly admire and who opened his heart to us both over the years. We read vows that made each other laugh and cry and we finished our walk back down the aisle with a toast of our favorite champagne. It was perfect.
We did something a bit different for our cocktail hour – we led all of our 115 guests across the street to Brooklyn Bowl. Here we used another of the signs we created to encourage guests to follow us into the bowling alley. At Brooklyn Bowl, they enjoyed Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, cocktails, and the Bowl’s famous frozen margaritas while showing off their skills at a few frames. After cocktail hour, the sign was flipped to “Let’s Eat” and guests were welcomed back to the Wythe for the reception.
The Outdoor Garden had transformed from our ceremony space to the soon-to-be dance floor, but first, guests were invited into the Main Hall for dinner after stopping to pick up their escort cards. Immediately after Joe and I got engaged at the United Artists Theatre DTLA, we went for a celebratory drink at The Ace Hotel. We came across their photo booth and took a few pictures to capture our excitement. Now every time we see a photo booth, we have to go in to add to our collection – but back to the escort cards. We had the two photo strips from our engagement reproduced and Ivory Plum Lettering wrote everyone’s names and table numbers on them for us. My dad and I built the wall they were attached to. The reception began with our first dance. My dad and I shared the second, followed by Joe and his mom. These are some of my favorite pictures of the whole night: Joe doing a merengue with his mother, my dad and I fighting back tears…
After dinner and four beautiful speeches, the doors to the Outdoor Garden opened and our beyond fantastic 90’s cover band, Jeff From Accounting, drew the crowd outside. I had created a big sign as a surprise for Joe (with the help of my dad and a long time family friend) with a piece of our story on it. After he saw, I snuck upstairs for a costume change. I also surprised him with a cigarette girl who passed cigarettes, cigars, and custom matches with Alexandria’s drawing of our dog, Dylan, that said “Congrats Mom and Dad”. Joe’s favorite movie is the Sound of Music, so there was even a little joke with the signage. We didn’t do the traditional bouquet or garter toss, but after an amazing dance / scream your face off to your favorite 90’s song (i.e. Say It Ain’t So, Hey Jealousy, etc.) set, we cut a small cake and bite sized desserts were brought out on concession trays I had created so that guests didn’t have to leave the dance floor. The band had ended and our wonderful DJ played an inspired mix of popular music from the 70’s through the early 2000’s, kicking it off with amazing disco. The night ended with our guests getting to take home a night cap. Rocks glasses, mini bottles of alcohol, and mixers were set up on two bookshelves and guests could grab their ingredients on the way out the door. For those that wanted to keep the party going, Schimanski Nightclub opened it’s doors to our guests.
It was everything I dreamed it would be. Our guests had an amazing time, we were surrounded by amazing friends and family, the food was delicious, the music was wonderful, we bowled, I got to marry my best friend… it was incredible. I’ll never forget standing in the middle of the dance floor, looking up at the glow of the string lights and the moon beyond, and thinking “this is what complete happiness feels like”. Thank you to all who shared in and made our day possible. We love you.
Photography: Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography | Coordination: Baskin Events | Event Design: Lavender Grey Events | Floral Design: La Petite Gardenia | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Invitations: Sloane Harmony Design | Bride's Shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BCBGMAXAZRIA | Calligraphy: Ivory Plum Lettering | DJ: Daniel Moose | Groom's Attire: Topman | Groomsmen's Attire: The Black Tux | Wedding Venue: Wythe Hotel | 90s Cover Band: Jeff From Accounting | Bride's Hair: Michiko Boorberg | Bride's Makeup: Clarissa Luna | Bride's Party Dress: Herve Leger | Bride's Party Earrings: Brittany Leslie | Bride's Party Shoes: Schutz | Bridesmaids' Hair + Makeup: Nicole Makeup And Hair | Cocktail Hour Venue: Brooklyn Bowl | Groom's Shoes: Common Projects | Rentals: Patina