Sweet Ceremonies (Part 2)

Since it was so hard to choose only a few ceremony settings to share in my last post, I thought I'd keep it going with even more sweet wedding ceremonies!

Over 1000 flowers were woven in with green garlands, curly willow and pink cherry blossoms to create this dramatic chuppah.  Strands of crystals across the roof added extra glam for this focal point at the Highline Hotel. Amazing rose gold glitter runner from The Original Runner Company.

Photo: Christian Oth Studio

The bride said she'd been dreaming of a clear lucite chuppah... so that is what we created! Flowers across the top and at the base softened the look at Tribeca Rooftop. 

Photo: Gustavo Campos

All cherry blossom all the time at this Cipriani 42nd Street wedding ceremony.

Photo: Douglass Benedict

Not a flower in sight for this modern, yet delicate lavender fabric chuppah at Trump Soho. Another custom runner from The Original Runner Company.

Photo: Gustavo Campos

With so many gorgeous arches in the New York Public Library, we had to mimic that beautiful shape with a curly willow and white dendrobium orchid construction. 

Photo: Allan Zepeda

This bold, asymmetric chuppah has become a favorite because it was at once simple and funky, soft and bright.  Since the view from Sixty Five at the Rainbow Room is such a wow, we wanted to make sure guests could appreciate both the setting and the scene.

Photo: Brian Dorsey Studios

As wedding season is soon upon us, I am excited for the new ceremony designs in the works!

:-) Lindsay

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 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!

Sara and Scott: Dramatic and Classic New York City Wedding

I have been dying to post these amazing pictures from Sara and Scott's beautiful March wedding at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, but the time just kept getting away from me! Every one of the photos from superstar photographer Douglas Benedict was so gorgeous that it was hard to choose... I only hope that these selections can adequately convey the warm, glowing and romantic atmosphere in this landmark venue.

There was an exceptionally joyful vibe in the room that evening, which made producing this flawless wedding even more gratifying. Every once in a while I get a warm, fuzzy feeling from a wedding that I just can't shake, and on this cold and rainy night in Manhattan I was overwhelmed by it. My thanks to a beautiful couple and special family for inviting me to be a part of this day.

Enjoy!


This Oscar de la Renta dress is one of my favorites of all time. I love this moment in which Sara was nervously awaiting Scott's arrival.


This is a view of the ceremony in progress when standing at the entry. The chuppah was made entirely of cherry blossoms and created a cozy arch above the couple's heads. Unfortunately because Scott, his best man/brother and dad are all well over 6 feet tall, it was a bit of a squeeze in there!


A snapshot of the ballroom before guests entered for dinner. The centerpieces are made of yellow forsythia and purple vanda orchids with the tall pieces elevated on custom made acrylic stands. Hundreds of purple candles created an amazing glow in the room. Many thanks to my partners in crime.... and design... at City Blossoms for creating these magnificent arrangements.



Douglas Benedict works with light masterfully. I love how he captured the Old New York essence of the space in this shot.



Chocolate Blossom Cakes created this sweet and delicious masterpiece that coordinated perfectly with the decor. Inside, the cake included the couple's two favorite flavors - red velvet and carrot.



The escort table was transformed into the favor table at the end of the evening. My team created lovely favor boxes filled with French macarons - one in purple (violet flavored) and one in yellow (almond flavored) for a sweet finish.

Until next time,