Real Beirut wedding: Taline + Raffi
This past July Chad and I traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to attend the wedding of my dear friend Taline. Having never been before (though my mom grew up there), I wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever it was, it exceeded anything I could have imagined. The reception was held at Domaine de Zekrit, a converted monastery that dates back to earlier than the 6th century AD, and nestled between the hills. Juxtaposed with the modern white and lucite furniture that was brought in , it was the perfect location for a wonderful evening spent outdoors. The photos can’t do it justice, but it was pretty spectacular in person!
This is what awaited us for the cocktail hour…
The layout of the dinner portion of the evening was pretty great….flanking the dancefloor were 2 long rectangular tables which had round tables on either side. Check out that view!
Not a bad entrance when you’ve got pyrotecnics!
Normally I’m not a fan of tall centerpieces, but these really worked because there no limit to how high they could go! It really filled the space nicely. These were found on all the round tables.
The long tables had lower centerpieces that cascaded down.
This had to be one of the more elaborate buffet spreads I’ve ever seen….all different stations for Lebanese, American, Asian, salads, BBQ and more, ripe for the picking!
Beirut’s known for its nightlife, and for this wedding, they really got the club atmosphere down…
Insane dessert buffet…
Cutting the wedding cake with a sword leading into a fireworks show!
The happy couple! Congrats Taline & Raffi!
[images by me & Chad]
Real wedding: Rachel + Giovanni
Here’s a lovely outdoor wedding to warm you up in this frigid weather! Its positively dreamy, and I love the fact that the bride and her bridesmaids did all the flowers themselves! Such pros!
Special congrats to their photographer, Scott Clark, who became a daddy yesterday!
Vendors:
Venue: Cole Hill Farm Estate, Kingston NY
Catering: Fresh Company, Garrison NY
Rentals: Events Unlimited, Saugerties NY
Music: Bride and Groom created playlist
Flowers: Purchased at River Garden (Union Square Market) and Chelsea Flower Market and assembled by bride and friends
Cakes: The Alternative Baker, Rosendale, NY
Boutonnières and corsages: Bonbon Oiseau
Bridal Gown: JCrew
Shoes: Coach
Grooms Tux: Jcrew
Stationary: Printed by Sesame Letterpress, designed by bride
Photography: Scott Clark Photo
[images from Scott Clark Photography]
Fresh Company is a sponsor of Brooklyn Bride
Real wedding: Sunray + Gene p.2
How spectacularly simple yet stylish those tables are laid out…they really fit in with the whole feel of the wedding, don’t you think?
Can you believe Sunray’s mom made that necklace?
Thanks Jesse for sharing this great wedding with us!
[images by Jesse Leake]
Real wedding: Clover + Trae
Hey everyone! I’m back from the west coast all nice and relaxed…it was MUCH needed! I owe Audrey a huge thank you for taking over the blog last week! I was definitely checking in on all the great stuff she was sharing, so thanks Audrey!! Lets jump right in with this fabulous wedding from Jenny Ebert, shall we?
When Jenny sent me this wedding, I truly fell in love with it. Its just so fun and personal…I especially love the group shot…every wedding should try to get one of those if possible! I’ll let the couple tell you the rest.
Though Trae and Clover had long ago rid themselves of careers in advertising, it was their roots on Madison Avenue in the late 90s that ultimately brought them together through mutual friends. And perhaps a little irony. Neither had ever planned on ad jobs. Both had come to Manhattan in 1995 – Clover with a degrees in art and biology, Trae a life-long theater actor – and quickly got caught up in the economic boom of the end of the century in marketing.
By the time they met in 2005, Clover had reinvented herself as a biology teacher in the NYC school system while Trae busied himself working in regional theater and with his NYC ensemble. A year later they bought a place together in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A year later they were engaged in the Moroccan Sahara. And the year after that, in 2008, they were married in the beautiful flower-filled gardens of Clover’s parent’s home in New Rochelle.
Their home was the perfect spot for a wedding. Occupying the site of an old Huguenot homestead, her folks live in what used to be the stable on an acre lot. Clover’s mother, Lake (a master gardener), has transformed the grounds to storybook beauty in a variety of different gardens. And it is breathtaking in July. Their vision for the wedding was down-home simplicity – an old-timey, Gatsby-esque garden party. Tables draped in white linen and were topped with orchid & succulent filled bell jars created by Lake. Small, individually potted succulents staked with the guests names served as seating cards and also take-home favors. Horseshoes were thrown in the Zen garden while an old black and white polaroid booth was set up for the guests to photograph themselves for the guest book. The theme was carried through with old wood type printed invitations created by a graphic artist friend of Clover’s.
Clover wore a beautiful Vera Wang dress with Faryl Robin shoes highlighted with flowers from the garden. A fiddle player played Appalachian gospel music as she walked down the aisle under a canopy of flowered branches held overhead by the members of the wedding party. Trae chose the classic summer simplicity of a Brooks Brothers Seersucker Suit with stripped bow tie, white saddle oxford shoes, and an Edwardian collared shirt from NY’s Lord Willies. The guests, all asked to dress in white and supplied with white Chinatown parasols, danced under the light filled weeping willows while a 20′s style speakeasy band played old standards.
Food and drink were an exercise in eclecticism brilliantly executed by Good Food Good Things Catering of Darien, CT. And they were challenged. Clover’s favorite Brazilian Churrascaria meats were coupled with iced oysters on the lawn and Trae’s favorite Austrian white wines. A simple red velvet wedding cake from Make My Cake in Harlem continued the old-timey garden party theme as did the antique ice cart filled with Mexican ice creams from La Flor de Michoacan in New Rochelle.
At once simple and theatrical, Clover and Trae’s wedding was an ode to each of their eclectically creative personalities. A evening not to be forgotten.
[images by Jenny Ebert Photography]
Real wedding: Diana + Adam
It might sound silly but after being together 10+ years it turned out that our wedding was really worth waiting for. We were married on May 30th at East Hampton Point. We worked with a talented and fun group of people across the board and all the parts came together beautifully.
Sesame Letterpress in Dumbo designed and printed our invitations. In sapphire and silver gray, they were sophisticated yet whimsical — the exact mood we wanted to set for the wedding. Robyn Wylde, who is also based in Brooklyn, was our fantastic calligrapher.
I wore Rosa Clara. I fell in love with the dress on the designer’s web site, serendipitously found it on a sample sale rack at my first dress appointment and brought it to Pinpoint Bridal for the alterations. Adam wore Ralph Lauren Black Label. Matthew Green did an amazing job with my hair based on my extremely unclear request for a perfectly imperfect style. I found the lovely hair flower — handmade from antique ribbon — at Tinsel Trading the weekend before we were married. Jennifer Nam is a true, true artist with makeup and gave me a perfectly natural and luminous look.
East Hampton Point had such romantic ambiance, absolutely delicious food and the sunset over the water was incredible! Amagansett Flowers by Beth made the gorgeous arrangements and the unique chuppah where Rabbi Zimmerman from the Jewish Center of the Hamptons married us. Jazz vocalist Tereasa Vinson’s singing graced the cocktails, which we did first (that was a wonderful way to start the evening) and Bud Maltin Music rocked the reception.
And the amazing Janet and Lisa of JL Photografia have given us the ultimate gift of capturing everything so sublimely.
[images from JL Photografia]
