I Said Yes - via brit.co

Planning & Inspiration

Just said “yes?” How to Get Started Planning for Your Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! Take some time to enjoy the moment. But once the sparkling (that ring!) engagement clouds start to lift, you’ll have to take the first steps toward planning your wedding. Just thinking about choosing a venue, finding a dress, and deciding on types of flowers and decor can be overwhelming for any bride-to-be. But with strategy and organization, you’ll stay on course to making your wedding dreams a reality. Here’s how to get started.

 

I Said Yes - via brit.co

I Said Yes – via brit.co

 

Make A Checklist

The average engagement lasts 16 months. You won’t have an exact date set in stone until you confirm a venue, but it’s smart to have an idea of which month/season in which you want to get married. From there, you can work out a checklist with a timetable to make sure important things like making a guest list, choosing your bridal party, and securing vendors are taken care of. A quick Google search will uncover a bevy of wedding checklists – we like this detailed one from Perfect Wedding Guide.
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Christina & Derek Wedding - Bride and Groom First Kiss - The Foundry LIC - Kevin Markland Photography

Weddings

Christina + Derek: Urban Bliss at The Foundry

Christina and Derek were married on a lovely day in July at The Foundry in Long Island City.

 

Christina & Derek Wedding - Bride and Groom First Kiss - The Foundry LIC - Kevin Markland Photography

Christina & Derek Wedding – Bride and Groom First Kiss – The Foundry LIC – Kevin Markland Photography

 

You just never know when your soulmate is going to walk into your life. For Christina and Derek, all it took was a chance meeting through a mutual friend. Not long after, the couple realized that they had found what many spend years looking for – true love. Looking back at that moment ten years ago, Christina said, “We hit it off right away and have been together ever since.”
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Lauren and Jordan Wedding - Peony Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere - Blue Hill at Stone Barns NY - Photography by Craig Paulson

Weddings

Lauren & Jordan: Romantic Splendor at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Lauren and Jordan were married on a lovely day in June at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Lauren and Jordan Wedding - Peony Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere - Blue Hill at Stone Barns NY - Photography by Craig Paulson

Lauren and Jordan Wedding – Peony Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere – Blue Hill at Stone Barns NY – Photography by Craig Paulson

 

It’s not too often these days that we meet a bride who is marrying her high school sweetheart. Lauren and Jordan’s story goes back even further to when they met during childhood. Lauren recalls, “We ran in the same circles growing up but never really took an interest in each other until we were about 17. We never parted ways after that and the rest is history!”
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Lauren and Jordan Wedding - Bride and Groom Dancing - Blue Hill at Stone Barns NY - by Craig Paulson - 0463

Stunning Stone Barns Affair

We had the pleasure of designing Lauren and Jordan’s whimsical June wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

 

 

Lauren and Jordan have the picture perfect love story. The young couple had known each other as children, and their romantic relationship blossomed when they were sixteen years old. Their love for each other and family was solidified when Jordan pulled off a romantic surprise proposal in Lauren’s parents’ backyard. He conspired with her best friend to get her out of the house for the day, and decorated the garden path with candles and rose petals. Their families were hiding in the bushes when Jordan dropped on one knee and popped the question!

 

Lauren & Jordan selected a muted pastel palette of white, cream, blush and lavender for their ceremony, and incorporated fuschia, coral, pink and peach into their reception decor. The first venue they visited was Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a beautiful Hudson Valley farm that focuses on delicious and sustainable farm to table fare.

They immediately fell in love with the venue because of it’s gorgeous garden setting, critically acclaimed executive chef, and attentive staff. Foodies at heart, Blue Hill at Stone Barns provided a wedding menu to Lauren and Jordan that was unparalleled to any wedding food they had tasted elsewhere!

Lauren walked down a petal strewn aisle in a gorgeous Ersa Atelier gown and held a classic bouquet of white and blush peonies. Tears came to Jordan’s eyes as his beautiful bride approached him. We decorated the aisle with beautiful stone urns on pedestals featuring hydrangea, larkspur, limonium misty, amaranthus, stock, peonies, vendela, menta, quicksand roses and peach Juliet roses. We decorated the aisle chairs with sweet clusters of blush peonies and stock and lavender menta roses, while mixed lanterns with pillar candles lined the aisle.

 

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a delectable cocktail hour and then a modern and whimsical reception in the HayLoft. With long wooden barn tables and stone walls, we brought in bright florals, mixed mercury candles and large lanterns to bring a contemporary vibe to the rustic reception room. Lauren originally did not want any greenery in her arrangements, but decided later in the planning process to add them in to create whimsy and natural movement in her wedding centerpieces.

 

We gave the room movement, texture and dimensions with four different style centerpieces featuring beautiful pops of color. Some tables were decorated with a tablescape of low arrangements featuring astilbe, hydrangea, ranunculus, peonies, roses, stock and eucalyptus in mercury vases interspersed between lanterns, pillar candles and votives. Other tables were decorated with the same gorgeous blooms in larger low centerpieces in trendy mercury pedestal vases and lit with mixed metal mercury glass votives. The third style and family head table were decorated with identical small and low arrangements mixed with mixed metal mercury votives and mesh metal lanterns. By keeping the arrangements low but varying their designs throughout the room, we brought texture and dimension to the room while still keeping the space very intimate. Lauren and Jordan’s family and friends didn’t leave the dance floor empty for a minute!

 

With such a beautiful natural landscape as a background, a full embrace of a spectrum of pastels and bright colors and a lush and garden like selection of several varieties of blooms, Lauren and Jordan’s wedding was an absolute joy to design!

 

Wedding Film

 

 

Vendors

 

Venue, Catering and Cake: Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Photographer: Craig Paulson
Planner: Paula Clemente Woods
Videographer: Cord 3 Films
Dress: Ersa Atelier
Tux: My Suit
Bride’s Shoes: Rene Caovilla
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Miss Hayley Paige
Hair & Makeup: Stephanie Duelle
Music: DJ Martin D’Arce
Invitations & Paper: Momental

Stephanie & Mike Wedding - Bride and Groom - Field - Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Photography by Golden Hour Studio

Weddings

Stephanie & Mike: Late Summer Romance at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Stephanie and Mike were married on a beautiful day in August at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

 

Stephanie & Mike Wedding - Bride and Groom - Field - Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Photography by Golden Hour Studio

Stephanie & Mike Wedding – Bride and Groom – Field – Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Photography by Golden Hour Studio

 

When Stephanie asked Mike to see Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers play at World Café Live, she thought of it as nothing more than two friends getting together. They lived in Philadelphia at the time, where she was working as a nurse and he was going to school. “We were introduced on a night out with friends, got along really well, and texted back and forth a bit. I had an extra ticket to a concert one evening, but all my friends had plans.” Stephanie recalls. “Mike had mentioned his studies were getting tough. I asked him to join me thinking he could use a fun distraction. In the back of my mind though, I thought he wouldn’t be able to go on such short notice. But he said ‘yes’.”
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Jacqueline & Gary - Bride & Groom - Ceremony - Trump Soho - Casey Fatchett Photography

Weddings

Jacqueline & Gary: Modern Enchantment at Trump SoHo

Jacqueline and Gary were married in June in a beautiful ceremony and reception at Trump SoHo in Manhattan.

Jacqueline & Gary - Bride & Groom - Ceremony - Trump Soho - Casey Fatchett Photography

Jacqueline & Gary – Bride & Groom – Ceremony – Trump Soho – Casey Fatchett Photography

 

Running doesn’t top Gary’s list of favorite physical activities. So when he asked Jacqueline to put in a couple of miles after work in Central Park, she thought something was up. Her suspicion grew even more when Gary greeted her with a smile, like he was actually looking forward to their evening run. Taken by excitement, Jacqueline patted him down while his back was turned, looking for a ring box. She found nothing and felt a little silly. “I can’t believe you patted me down!” Gary joked the entire cab ride to the park.
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