Elegant Midsummer Nights Dream in New York

We’re so excited to share this sweet wedding from New York captured by Amanda. Usually when you think of New York you think of the city. Not this wedding. Jennifer and Joseph, high school sweethearts, wanted a wedding that reminded the bride of a beautiful garden party in the 40’s. They wanted it to be elegant and outdoorsy. An elegant midsummer nights dream with a rustic twist.

Q. So tell us! How did you two meet?
A. We’ve known each other since we were ten. We both went to same private school and I guess you can say we just started noticing each other when we were fifteen. He asked me out on March 26th, 2004, and we’ve been together ever since. A true high school sweetheart story.

Q. Tell us about your proposal.
A. He actually didn’t have a set plan as to how he was going to do it, he just knew the day. So on December 10, 2011 he came to visit me in Queens. I had moved away from Long Island and hadn’t seen him in two months, so needless to say we missed each other. When he came to visit, we took a quick subway ride to the city. He took me to Central Park and kept asking me if I wanted to go on a horse and buggy ride, but I said no. I found it strange because he would never normally ask me to do that.

Then we went to my favorite place, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which he later told me this is where he was going to do it, but he told me he just felt like it wasn’t the right moment. The whole day he was nervous and overly nice so I knew something was up. I thought to myself, “Is going to propose today?.”

After the museum we did some ice skating in Bryant Park. At this time, I was really curious to see if he had a hidden ring box on him, so I’d hug him and felt nothing. It was so silly, but I really thought he had a ring on him.

Once all the activities were done, we were famished, we walked over to the Bryant Park Grill. They had a beautiful outdoor heated holiday tent. There were strung lights everywhere and even a big christmas tree inside. We ate and had a great meal, but before the bill came I said to Joe, “You know what’s funny?” and he says, “Don’t say it.” He knows me so well he actually knew what I was going to ask. I said, “Well, I thought you were gonna…” He said, “STOP! You’re so funny, is the day over yet?”

By this point I’m nervous, cause I knew what that meant. Then the bill comes, he looks at it, puts it down. He looked so nervous and kept smiling at me. My heart was pounding and I didn’t know what to do with myself. He picks up the bill again and looks at it, so I say, “Is the bill too much?” He says, “No! but before I pay, I just wanted to tell you…”

He then says this beautiful speech about how much he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me and begins to get up from his seat.

He proposes, the people in the restaurant clapped, and the manager brought over champagne.

We left the restaurant really excited and in celebration we went to our favorite dessert cart in Bryant Park, “Wafels & Dinges” and shared a waffle as a newly engaged happy couple.

That’s why it was only fitting to have them at our wedding serving waffles for dessert!

Q. What do you like to spend time doing together?
A. We really enjoy cuddling up watching movies together, that’s what we do mostly. One of my favorite things to do with him is go to the Brooklyn Flea on Sundays. It’s the best place to be on a Sunday, after brunch of course! They have amazing vintage finds and food vendors.

Q. Tell us about finding your wedding dress.
A. I was actually obsessing over Anthropologie’s wedding line BHLDN since they started it. I would check it weekly for new things and loved practically everything on the sight. One day I was on it and the Elysium gown caught my eye. It was love at first sight. That dress looked absolutely breathtaking! I’d never seen a wedding dress like it. This was all before he even proposed.

Once I was finally engaged, I was on the search online for styles that I might want to try on before going to the bridal salons, but all the while in the back of my mind, I only wanted to try on the Elysium gown. Unfortunately there wasn’t a way for me to try on the gown before purchasing it. After weeks of doing gown research I realized that I didn’t really love anything like I loved that gown when I saw it. I didn’t even want to enter any bridal salons, I just wanted to order my Elysium gown.

When it came in the mail, I was the happiest human. I had told my bridesmaids that I wanted them to come over and watch me try it on for the first time and we’d make a girls day out of it. When I put the dress on it fit perfectly. I felt so beautiful and elegant. All my bridesmaids, my mom, and future mother in law loved it.

So I decided to keep the dress and I altered it a year later at the amazing Williamsburg Seamster in Brooklyn, who is the best!
I’m the girl that loved only one dress, tried on only one dress, and never looked back.

Q. What was the inspiration/vision for your wedding day?
A. I wanted our wedding day to feel like you stepped back in time to a beautiful garden party in the 40’s. I wanted it to be elegant and outdoorsy. It was very whimsical and that’s exactly what I wanted. A elegant midsummer nights dream with a rustic twist.

Q. How did you choose your venue?
A. I was researching online for outdoor rustic venues. I found the Hallockville Museum Farm and fell in love. I liked it because it had a lot of history and I was given the freedom to decorate it however I wanted. It was a project that I was so excited to take on.

Q. Any DIY elements?
A. Almost everything was a DIY project. I came up with the concept for the all the decorations that were at our wedding. The centerpiece was my favorite. I kind of have a thing for terrariums. I basically wanted a mini garden enclosed in a glass bell jar on top of a tree trunk slab. It came out beautifully and my florist Amanda from Lake Grove Village Florist did and amazing job doing all the floral arrangements for our wedding.

The escort card table I actually sketched out on a piece of paper exactly how I wanted it to look and it came out better than I imagined. Me and my wonderful Maid of Honor, hand made all the escort cards, each individual letter was sticked onto the card by a pair of tweezers! I ordered these vintage stained cards from Etsy and got these amazing stickers that looked like typewriter font.

It was so fitting because I wanted my vintage typewriter to be in the middle. All the bottles on the table I had been collecting for two years. Most of those bottles were from the 30’s and 40s and I love each unique one!

Then there were the jam favors! I actually bought tons of burgundy fabric and hand cut circles into them so that I could wrap them on top of each jam jar with some twine to add a cute touch; We did 150 of them, if I could go back, I would have just paid to get them done, it was so much work! They came out great though.

My carpenter brother made my wooden card holder from scratch and me and my niece made the little flag banner that said “cards”.

Q. What was your favorite detail of the day?
A. My favorite detail was doing the first look shoot with Joe. I was so nervous and anxious seeing him for the first time. Seeing his reaction to me was so emotional and I’ll never forget the feeling I felt and the look on his face.

Q. What advice would you give another couple planning their wedding?
A. If you’re doing a DIY project for your wedding don’t be afraid to ask friends for help. Planning a wedding can be very stressful and time consuming. I never realized all the details and planning that goes into it. Me and my now husband had split up tasks. He was in charge of communication between vendors and I was in charge of all the planning and the DIY projects. All the other aspects we worked on together.

Try not to bite off more than you can chew. I ended up doing too many projects that were very time consuming because I had so many guests. If your guest count is very high its hard to do a lot of little details all on your own. Just try to enjoy yourself during the process, it all goes by so fast, just relax and soak it all in.

Q. Most memorable moment?
A. Hands down, it was our wedding vows to each other. I could barely say them I was so emotional and hearing Joe’s vows made me feel like I was the luckiest girl alive. There was not a dry eye in the venue! I have it on tape and I cry every time I see it.

Q. Any special traditions that help tell the story of your day?
A. I wouldn’t say this is a tradition but we read our vows from our iPhones because Joe works for Apple as a Genuis and we love their products, so it was only fitting that we read them from our iPhones.

His grooms cake was also an iPhone!

Q. Three words that sum up your day:
A. Fairy Tale Wedding!

CREDITS Photographer: Amanda K Photography // Dress Designer: Catherine Deane // Dress Store: BHLDN // Caterer: Elegant Affairs Caterers // Reception Venue: Hallockville Museum Farm // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: J. Crew // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Johnston and Murphy // Floral Designer: Lake Grove Village // Makeup Artist: Metamorphosis You Only Better // Favors and Gifts: The Country Canner // DJ: Tommy’s Tunes // Dress Designer: Vera Wang White Collection // Cake Designer: Wafels and Dinges // Hair Stylist: Y Gallery Solon