Sweet Ceremonies (Part 1)

There are so many beautiful ways to frame a couple as they say their "I Do's" and I find, time and again, that it is the decor element that couples have the strongest and clearest thoughts on when we are planning their wedding design. I personally like to create ceremony spaces that provide a strong visual focal point, but that are not so huge and overwhelming that the structure or design itself overpowers the couple. I suppose it all ties back to connectivity... I love seeing the couple enveloped in a design element like this, giving them connectivity to each other and to the environment around them. 

 This series of curly willow arches detailed with cherry blossoms and white denrobium orchids led the bridal party down the aisle to a fuller version of the arch under which they were married at Capitale in NYC.

Photo: CAVA Weddings

 This delicate arch was supported by lush flower bases and was well scaled to a smaller wedding in an intimate space - 620 Loft and Garden. 

 

A traditional fabric chuppah was detailed with bunches of orchids on the back wall that appeared to be floating in mid air.

Photo: Sofia Negron

 With such a stunning natural setting at Belle Mer in Newport, RI, this couple wanted a simple arch covered in lush greens so that it would frame their ceremony while simultaneously blending in with the environment. 

Photo: Fred Marcus Studio

 For a traditional Hindu wedding at Gustavinos, we built a mandap that was anything but traditional.  A teal fabric canopy was detailed with bright orange floral garlands and full floral bouquets on each corner. 

 Twisted grapevine provided the structure for this chuppah covered in green garlands and full white floral bouquets featuring hydrangea, roses, stock and orchids.

Photo: Gustavo Campos

 Another simple fabric structure at The Altman Building in NYC featured soft, cascading floral bouquets with white orchids seemingly floating down the side posts.

Photo: Gustavo Campos

 Blue, green and white hydrangea provided a garden vibe, while the simple, tailored structure made this chuppah at home within the New York Historical Society Reading Room.

Photo: Roey Yohai Photography

Stay tuned for more favorites in Part 2 coming soon!

:-) Lindsay

Sandy and Michael: A City Chic Celebration (Part 2)

Ready for more from this super-chic City couple? Let's take it from after the kiss...

Sandy was sure from the outset that she wanted color, but didn't want the wedding to be defined by a color (like "Hey, I want my wedding to be hot pink like Sandy's!"). For that reason, we gradually worked our way up to color, starting with warm neutral tones for the ceremony, followed by the addition of amethyst linens for cocktails and then a complete envelopment of color for the reception with rich amethyst and raspberry flowers and lighting. We maintained a neutral balance with silvery-champagne linens and chairs which created color consistency that started months before with their gorgeous mixed media invitations (letterpress AND engraving!) and continued through to the final element of the reception... the beautiful wedding cake.


Photo by Gustavo Campos


Photo by Gustavo Campos

The flowers were simple, but voluminous. The design was more in the pattern and color than in the arrangements themselves allowing for a very fresh, seasonal display featuring spring's best bloom - the tulip. The ballroom featured two types of tables and three total centerpiece designs: long rectangular tables featured a landscape of multiple small vases; many of the round tables had a collection of three high pieces, one of tulips, one of hydrangea and one of mixed orchids; the remaining round tables had a collection of six lower pieces, three larger mimicking the tall centerpieces and three miniature satellite pieces containing orchids and roses. Silver and gold wire accented many of the flower groupings and paired perfectly with the champagne and gold flecked silver table linens and runners.


Photo by Gustavo Campos


Photo by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios


Photo by Gustavo Campos

Mark Joseph Cakes created this classically beautiful five-tiered cake reflecting some of the modern vintage elements of Sandy's dress. The soft and sweet outside was hardly a match, however, for the soft and sweet inside: a custom-designed Oreo flavored cake made just for this couple!


Photo by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios


Photo by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios

To send guests off with a sweet finish, we distributed Black and White cookies, a New York signature treat and Michael's very favorite cookie, as the wedding favor. My favorite part? The eleventh-hour inclusion of lyrics from the couple's first dance song on the back of the custom printed favor tag:

And when you kiss me
On that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet
("This Years Love," David Gray)

What more is there to say?


Photo by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios

Happy Royal Wedding Week! :-)

Sandy and Michael: A City Chic Celebration (Part 1)

Every once in a while, I meet a couple, and in the first moment, just on instinct, I know just what their wedding will look like. In the case of Sandy and Michael, from our first meeting, I knew just what their wedding would feel like. It took us a while to meander our way to all of the perfect visual elements, but from day one, I sensed that my collaboration with this couple would result in an environment brimming with energy, excitement and that certain New York City je ne sais quoi. And, indeed it did.

It was exactly one year before that I had the pleasure of working with Michael's sister and her groom to create an amazing wedding at Cipriani 42nd Street, so I already had met Sandy and Michael before they were engaged. Then, I had barely packed away my files from Sara and Scott's wedding when Michael's mom called to let me know that the next family wedding was on.

After touring just about every NYC venue that could accommodate their nearly 300 guests, Sandy and Michael settled on The Altman Building, not far from their own Chelsea apartment. That set the scene for a wedding that was truly about who this couple is and how they live. Urban, but warm. Modern, but classically New York.

At one of our first meetings, Sandy searched for the words to capture her overall vision for the wedding. With exasperation, she finally blurted "I don't know... glowy" and that became the word to live by! Strangely enough, it was just the perfect amount of direction and now Sandy's word is a natural part of my design vocabulary. It is actually unusually descriptive of both a mood and a look... I love it!

The embodiment of "glowy" was manifested in the candle wall which I designed as a backdrop to the escort card display. The glass ghost table gave an impression that the cards were floating in mid-air and added to the allure of the glowing wall. This was probably my favorite detail of the whole day.


Photo by Gustavo Campos


Photo by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios

The chuppah was composed of soft, sheer ivory fabric and accented with ivory and peach flowers and flanked with huge explosions of white cherry blossoms. (Insider scoop: those cherry blossoms were actually supposed to be at the entrance of the room, but during setup, my production team put them near the chuppah so they wouldn't get knocked over during load in. They looked so good, we left them there and added more cherry blossoms to the front. Thankfully we had just enough left over to make it happen!)


Photo by Gustavo Campos


Photo by Gustavo Campos


Photos by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios

Sandy's bouquet was designed as an accessory to her Christos lace dress (as I believe all bouquets should be) which has a modern vintage feel. We used ranunculus, garden roses and sweet pea wrapped with lace from her mom's veil in perfect proportion to her petite frame and it looked like the flowers were sold with the gown! Of course, Michael's ranunculus boutonniere coordinated with Sandy's flowers. The bridesmaids carried peach tulips, ranunculus and roses which were a stunning contrast to their steel gray dresses (I'm working on a pic!).


Photos by Spencer Lum, 5 West Studios

Tomorrow... the reception and more fun details!