Today’s Real Wedding comes to us from Brooklyn, New York complete with a rustic-modern aesthetic. I am in love with Shana + John’s charming “Fall Foresty” theme…Little white pumpkins, terrariums and painted black vintage bottles with a matte finish. Other thoughtful details for their special day included, a dear friend to perform the ceremony, an authentic NY water-taxi cocktail cruise and woodsy table decor supplied from the father of the bride’s property. Don’t miss Shana’s fit’n flare separate bodice by Monqiue Lhuillier…or the bride’s subtle switch from an up-do for the I Do’s to lengthy locks for her reception and night of dancing. Enjoy!
Shana + John | October 29th, 2011 Brooklyn, NY
The Ceremony
On the day of our wedding, we woke up to quite a surprise. The weather forecast wasn’t promising all week but we never expected snow! John and I got married at the Green Building in Brooklyn, NY on October 29th, 2011, also known as “Snowtober”.
Neither of us really cared about the weather because we were about to have an amazing day with our closest friends and family. Our best friend, who got ordained for our wedding, performed our ceremony. Having her up there with us made our ceremony extra special due to the fact that she has known us as a couple for over 6 years. We wanted to create a “Fall Woodsy” feeling here in Brooklyn but also wanted to keep our modern aesthetic…so we called it Rustic/Modern! Our florist, Greenery NYC, created a whimsical alter out of tree stumps, tall skinny glass vases, wonderfully long branches with leaves and plenty of candles. It created such a beautiful look for our ceremony. After the tearful I-Do’s, we took our guests on a NY Water Taxi cocktail cruise. The absurd weather made things extra rocky and interesting but the foggy views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan were breathtaking and everyone loved seeing the sites!
The Reception
The cruise was followed by the reception back at the Green Building and we had such a magical time. Walking in, John and I were blown away with what our florists did. We worked with Greenery NYC to create a Fall/foresty scene complete with little white pumpkins, terrariums and modern looking floral arrangements. I collected vintage bottles for months leading up to the wedding and spray painted many of them matte black and the effect was very cool! My dad made our table numbers, cake platters and trivets out of wood from his property, which we placed throughout the venue to give it an added special touch.
The food, provided by Naturally Delicious, was perfect and our choice of the first course could not have been more perfect for a snowy/rainy day – tomato soup with grilled cheese wedges. The cakes were created by the very talented Betsy at Nine Cakes and John’s groom cake blew everyone away with Dunnies all over it! Our DJ was amazing! Rainy Ortega, from PopShop kept our dance floor packed all night. We had dance-offs, conga lines and my Aunt, who has a terrible hip, was even up there spinning her cane around in the air. We could not have been more pleased with her skills on the tables.
Despite the terrible weather, everyone had a wonderful time, especially John and I…having all of your friends and family with you on your wedding day is so special. Even though not every guest knew each other in the beginning of the day, everyone went home as friends.
How Shana Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Beautiful, elegant and so happy!
Shana’s Dress Search
I was pretty certain that I wanted some sort of fit n flare or trumpet shape. To be honest, I tried on many dresses and was starting to get frustrated. I found dresses I really liked but nothing was giving me that certain feeling that a bride anticipates. I was never expecting to have that crying moment when I tried on the perfect dress, but I certainly did. I put it on, looked in the mirror and cried. It’s amazing what some silk satin and appliqués can do to a girl! The dress I ended up picking was ultimately a fit n flare with a separate bodice by Monique Lhuilllier. This dress still blows me away to this day! I only wore the skirt for the ceremony and the cocktail cruise. One of my good friends is a dressmaker so he made me a shorter skirt that I wore for the reception. It was ivory, pebbled silk satin with a giant bow at the waist! A gal’s gotta be able to dance!
Why Shana Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
It was actually a difficult decision because the dress means so much to me. However, it’s such a shame to have it sit in the preservation box collecting dust when it could be cherished again. I want to make another woman as happy as I was, so the right decision was to sell it.
