Anna + Cy | Jim Hjelm Wedding from Ray Tomaro Photography

Pops of pink, crisp white table linens, exposed brick and lots of natural light made Anna + Cy’s Brooklyn wedding simple, sweet and full of thoughtful details. I love how this loft space truly lets Anna and her Jim Hjelm lace gown take center stage. Not only did today’s featured couple write their entire ceremony, they also had a good friend officiate. Other meaningful DIY’s included, milestone anniversary wine bottles signed with well wishes from wedding guests and fun framed photos of the couple holding big numbered signs – such a simple and playful way to decorate and number tables for the sit-down dinner.  Cheers to the happy couple!

Anna + Cy | June 15, 2013 | Brooklyn NY | Dress Listing: Jim Hjelm 8663

The Ceremony
Our ceremony started at noon, Cy and I wrote the entire ceremony ourselves and had Cy’s good friend from college get registered with New York State and he performed our ceremony. We each had some friends do readings. Our Christian faith is important to us, so our ceremony centered around that and our love for biking. We both love to ride bikes around NYC and are known to cycle just about everywhere all year long.

We took our pictures before the ceremony. Our Photographer coordinated a “reveal”. We took pictures at the Brooklyn Promenade Park, which has amazing views of the Manhattan Skyline. This is also the spot where we got engaged!

The Reception
After our ceremony we had a cocktail hour and then a seated meal. We did not have dancing, but for entertainment had a slide show/movie and had some other fun activities like wedding MadLibs and a few guest book options.

Anna’s Dress Search
We had a relatively short engagement period, less than 7 months, so I started my dress search right away. I work for a British Bank and needed to work over Thanksgiving (a week after we got engaged) so because I was in NYC and all of my fiends and family were away for the holiday, I decided to spend the weekend alone dress shopping.  I didn’t know exactly what I wanted but knew I didn’t want strapless or anything poofy. I really like lace and wanted something timeless, but still contemporary.  I did end up buying what I set out to find!

How Anna Felt in Her Wedding Dress
The three words that best describe how I felt in my dress are graceful, alluring and striking.

Why Anna Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I decided to sell my dress for a few reasons. In no particular order… I am selling it to gain additional storage space in my closet. I live in NYC with limited closet space, so every bit of space is important. We hope to live abroad in the near future so I don’t want to move the dress overseas. Also, I figured the chances are very slim that I will have a daughter who wants to wear it…styles will change and we may not be the same size. I also figured it made good economical and environmental sense to regain some of the money I spent on the dress, save someone else the full cost and save the environment from producing another dress.

Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm 8663 | Photography: Ray Tomaro | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Deity | Cakes: Settepani Bakery