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Sarah and Andy were married on a lovely, warm September day.

Sarah and Andy’s guests came from all over the world to celebrate with them. One guest mentioned to Sarah that she needed to get a cool black dress for their NYC wedding. Sarah decided she didn’t want people to think they needed to wear black so she asked everyone to wear bright colors. She also asked all the ladies to wear fascinators to honor her English roots and the men to wear colorful socks and ties.

Sarah’s friends gathered at a salon before the wedding to get their hair done and have their beautiful fascinators styled. One of my favorite moments from the day was just when Sarah’s makeup was finished and Aretha Franklin’s RESPECT came on over the radio. Sarah got up and had an impromptu performance in the salon with her friends. It was so much fun!

Sarah’s mom helped her get ready and then we all gathered in Washington Square Park for photos.

Gotta LOVE these shoes!

Sarah and Andy share, “We met in London in the Summer of 2009, while we were both working for the same law firm. Over a year later we started dating and the rest is history. It’s been a fun journey!”

The couple signed the Ketubah and then prepared for the ceremony at the Manhattan Penthouse.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour. The Manhattan Penthouse has a beautiful bar and amazing 360° view of the city.

Sarah adds, “We felt so fortunate that so many people made the effort to join us on our special day, and it was amazing to see the faces of so many people that mean so much to us as we said our vows.  We had so much fun, and the night flew by too quickly, but we cherish the memories we have from it. Andy and I were the last ones to leave the after-party as we were having so much fun. There were so many great moments – too many to recount.”

Congratulations Sarah and Andy!

For more photos check out the slideshow:

Special thanks to the vendors:
Officiant: Seth Cooper
Flowers: Ariston Florist
Dress Designer: Allure
Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo
Makeup: Barbara Stone, Hair: Bleu Sur Bleu Salon, West Village
Groom’s Suit Designer: John Varvatos
Engagement Ring: Karina Mattei of Brookline
Bracelet: Everistta
Dj/Band: Dj Gatsby
Cake: City Cakes

After Party Venue: Sel Rrose
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Christina and Chris were married on a warm summer day at The City Church in Washington, D.C.

Bright sunflowers were mixed with an elegant deep purple.

I love a beautiful bubble exit!

After the ceremony, Christina and Chris asked me to join them at the National Cathedral for some portraits. The Bishop’s Garden has a gorgeous arch entrance!

Christina and Chris met on a church hike three years ago.

Christina shares, “We started dating and within the first two weeks people began asking when we would get married. Eleven months later Chris asked my parents’ permission then proposed at the Smithsonian Castle gardens on a sunny, cloud free day with cherry blossoms and tulips in bloom. Our wedding was absolutely perfect. We chose to be married at The City Church DC where we met, served in ministry, and fell in love.”

The reception was held at the Waterford in Springfield, Virginia.

The guests danced the night away!

Congratulations Christina and Chris!

Special thanks to the vendors:
Wedding Coordinator:
Cynthia Donson, Something Blue Wedding
Church: The City Church DC
Reception Venue: The Waterford
Makeup: Radiant Makeup
Jewelry: Deiner Jewelry

Sneak peek! NYC chic, lemon yellow, rosemary, a beautiful couple in love, and an exceptional group of talented wedding pros: check out our styled shoot!

Yesterday, at the NY Historical Society on the Upper West Side, we gathered at the gorgeous Caffè Storico. Fabulous designer and planner, Roey Mizrahi, created a modern meets vintage, New York meets Italy style inspired by the venue.

I cannot wait to share more of the amazing work from the whole team including, flowers by Karma Flowers, stationery by And Here We Are, wedding cake by Madison Lees Cakes, marshmallows by Little Boo Boo Bakery, topper by The Pixelette, videography by NST Pictures, second photography by Brandi of Alexis June, hair and make-up by SB Beauty, and fashions from Winifred Bean, Hushed Commotion, and Jane Taylor Jewelry. Also, a big thanks to our models, real couple, Cleo and Dan who are engaged to be married. You guys are awesome!

I’m looking forward to sharing many more photos soon!

Jane and James were married at Stone Manor, a charming Bed and Breakfast, in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Jane shares, “James and I really wanted to elope. I’d never fantasized about my ‘dream’ wedding (aside from coveting the custom M&M’s that a friend had at her wedding almost 10 years prior), and the stress of planning had gotten pretty overwhelming early on. But, we weren’t sure if we would really feel married unless we made our promises to each other in front of our community. I was especially wary of getting married without my sister, Ann. I had been her maid of honor and I knew I wanted her by my side when I got married. James and I looked around at different options near and far and started seeing packages where, oddly, you could elope, but still have a small number of guests. That seemed like a nice compromise. We kept finding packages with larger and larger numbers of guests until it was no longer an ‘elopement’, but an ‘intimate’ wedding with 30 guests. My sister was my maid of honor and her three children were all in our ceremony, too.”

The rooms were filled with wonderful antique treasures.

Guests received handmade lavender sachets. Jane shares, “There were so many projects for the wedding that James and I collaborated on – the monogram that we used throughout, the invitations and programs (that were also fans!) that we designed, printed, and assembled, the favors, the playlists. It was fun being crafty together and good practice working together as a team.”

The intimate ceremony took place in the garden in the early evening. It was performed by Matthew Hunt, a friend of James from their Peace Corps days.

There was some rain in the afternoon, but Jane says, “We were lucky and it was sunny and clear for the ceremony.”

Jane and James met in 2005. The beginning of their love story had its twists and turns, and a very happy ending with a beautiful wedding. I had the pleasure of taking Jane and James’ engagement photos in Washington, D.C. in June.

After the ceremony everyone headed inside Stone Manor for a delicious dinner.

Cheers!

After dinner, Jane changed into a beautiful party dress by BHLDN. So pretty!

James shares some of this favorite moments from the day, “I really liked our first dance – not too formal at all or even announced. We just went for it and had our own fun. It was basically the same with the cake cutting. Oh, and one word: mini-pies. After that it was nice to be able to wander around from table to table, catching up and just chatting with folks.”

James continues, “The s’mores-makin’ in the fire box on the back patio was also a really nice way to wrap up the evening; even after the kids had gone to bed. Turns out that s’mores go great with a nice tempranillo.”

“And that wasn’t the end of the celebration – we hopped a plane a couple of days later for Minnesota to party again with a corn feed, skeet shooting, volleyball, hayrides, and a bonfire.
When we started the planning for the wedding, we said that we wanted something fun, irreverent, simple, meaningful, laid-back, and elegant but rustic, and I think we really pulled off a wedding that fit that.”

Congratulations Jane and James!

Check out more photos in the slideshow:

Special thanks to all the vendors:

Venue and Catering: Stone Manor Bed & Breakfast

Coordinator: Simplicity Events by Johanna

Florist: Buttercups Floral Design

Cake: Pastries by Randolph

Pies: Grassroots Gourmet

Invitations and programs: Paper Source and Jane and James

Ring bearer pillow: Made by the bride’s mother

Hair & Makeup: Christine Hunter from Makeup Artistry by Tracie

Rings: Jane’s wedding ring from Quest Jewelers

Bride’s Dress Designer /Shop:  Tiffany’s Bridal in Richmond, Bride’s Reception Dress: BHLDN

Veil: Made by the bride’s mother

Bride’s Shoes: Cole Haan, Jewelry: Swarovski

Bridesmaid Dress: Anthropologie

Groom’s Tie: J Crew

Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Rachel and David had a beautiful Jewish Orthodox wedding in New Rochelle.

The Tisch (Hebrew for table) is the first large ceremony of the day. The bride and groom each have a separate Tisch where they sit at a table with family and friends and sing, pray, sign various official forms, and make a siyum, a celebration of completion.

After the Tisch, the bride is led into a room where she sits on a chair surrounded by loved ones and waits for the groom to enter for the celebration of the Bedeken.

Bedeken, which translates as “veiling,” is when the groom puts the veil over his bride before the ceremony. The custom is based upon a Biblical story in which Jacob, intending to marry Rachel, accidentally marries her older sister Leah, who wore a veil.

This moment is also really special because it is the first time the bride and groom see each other. Rachel shares, “David and I didn’t see each other for the week before the wedding so all the excitement leading up to the wedding culminated in this one moment where I sat surrounded by my mother, mother-in-law, sisters and grandmothers, and David was brought in by my father, his father and our grandfathers. All our friends surrounded us singing traditional Jewish wedding songs. It was an incredibly emotional moment.”

Rachel and David both agreed their favorite part of the day was the Chuppah. Although it was raining, it made for a very memorable wedding ceremony.

David shares, “We had originally counted on the weather being clear and sunny, and so were obviously disappointed when it started raining. The circumstance was made funnier by my mom and Rachel’s grandmothers, who did a brief rendition of Singing in the Rain before proceeding to walk down. But we worked to capitalize on the inclement weather (since it would have taken over an hour to move the ceremony inside). All of our friends and family not only made the best of the situation, but really made it into something unique and fun and beautiful. We never would have counted on our friends applauding Rachel as she walked down the aisle in a white dress and poncho, or dancing with us while providing shelter with a cabana umbrella. We couldn’t have been happier.”

David continues, “The love, support and humor of our friends and family was what really made the ceremony beautiful, no matter the weather.”

The evening was full of joyful and exuberant dancing!