New York City provided the perfect backdrop for this happy wedding, which included intimate gatherings, joyous parties and and amazing sense of style! A small Catholic service on Saturday night was followed by a larger ceremony and daytime reception on Sunday. If you’ve never considered a daytime reception, Andreea’s uber-chic celebration might have you rethinking your plans. Throughout the weekend the bride wore three stylish gowns…but her favorite (and mine too!) was the amazing Vera Wang gown she wore on Sunday. Simply stunning!
Andreea & Michael | July 16, 2011 | New York City
Our Catholic Ceremony was held on Saturday evening at St Ignatius on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The main ceremony & reception were held the next day on Sunday morning at Battery Gardens overlooking the New York City harbor in downtown Manhattan.
The ceremony
The Catholic Ceremony on Saturday evening was a small intimate gathering of about forty people. On Sunday morning we held our larger ceremony for all our family and friends. There were 150 attendees. The ceremony was held outside in Battery Park overlooking the New York City harbor with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. The color scheme was multiple shades of pink with white and grey. The decor was romantic and ethereal.
The reception
We had a daytime reception in the upstairs dining room of Battery Gardens. There were wall-to-wall windows with views of the harbor and Battery Park. The sundrenched reception room was so modern and breathtaking. We had alternating high and low centerpieces on the tables. The color scheme was pink, white and grey. We had a photo station for guest to take photos at which added a fun element to the wedding and was a unique favor our guests could take home with them. The photos were taken on a green screen and super imposed into a backdrop of their choice. For reception music we were very lucky to get the Alex Donner band. They played Frank Sinatra and Standards songs, which really gave the wedding a New York City feel. My favorite part of the reception was the heartfelt speeches of family and friends; they made me laugh and cry.
How Andreea found her dream wedding dress
Prior to being engaged I was doing a research project on wedding boutiques for work and ran across an ad in a magazine for the Vera Wang Diana wedding dress. It completely took my breath away! After my husband proposed and I actually had to start shopping for wedding dresses, I couldn’t get that dress out of my mind. I tried on about 15 dresses prior to putting on the Vera Wang Diana, but as soon as I tried on that dress I knew that it was the one for me. It absolutely took my breath away, and I didn’t try on any more dresses. It goes to show that first instincts are often right on.
Since there were multiple events over our wedding weekend, I ended up wearing 3 different wedding dresses: For the Saturday ceremony I wore an off the rack BCBG Max Azria strapless wedding dress made of lace and tulle. It was almost like an understated version of the Vera Wang Diana dress that I wore the next day. For the Sunday ceremony and reception, I wore the Vera Wang Diana which was an absolute dream to wear.
And, at the Sunday after party, I wore a Jim Hjelm Blush style that was a full tulle floor length ball gown that I had shortened to above the knee with a sweetheart neckline. I loved all three of my dresses.
How Andreea felt in her wedding dress
Beautiful, modern & dreamy
Why Andreea decided to sell her wedding dress
It made me sad to put such a beautiful dress in storage after only being worn once. I want this dress to make another bride as happy as it made me!
