New York, New York: A Deco Inspired Bandstand Wedding in Manhattan’s Central Park

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It’s Annabel’s last day in New York today (have you been following her images on Instagram?), so we couldn’t resist sharing this gorgeous little wedding that took place in the Big Apple.  And anyway, what could be more romantic than getting married in New York City on New Years Day? With the sun drifting through the hazy New York skyline, Sarah and Dave started 2014 in style, marrying in a frost dusted Central Park, in a beautiful bandstand pavilion, with a big yellow taxi to transport them round the city, from the Brooklyn Bridge to their celebrations at the Buddakan.

Sarah works as a Graphic Designer; designing wedding invitations at Love My Wedding Invites and Dave is a Lithographic Printer, so unsurprisingly their own wedding stationery is utterly stunning! Taking their inspiration from the city’s deco era, they’ve also created a feel of the romantic movies the city is so famous for. Oh and throw in a near cliffhanger ending over the dress, but THAT dress is worth the drama! Sarah you looked every inch the movie star and I’m so pleased you were able to marry the man you love in the dress you love!

I was inspired by 1920/30sArt Deco New York, I love the linear style and geometric shapes of the era and tried to utilise that throughout my stationery and styling.  I wanted to use black, white and gold colours popular in this period, adding a bit of glitz with gold glitter I thought it would be perfect for a winter wedding.  I planned everything myself with a little help from my creative wedding industry friends;Victoria FarrRebecca Aspin and our photographer, Gabrielle Bower.”

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Gabrielle Bower

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We met eight years ago at a printing company where we both worked, we were together a long time before Dave proposed Im quite traditional so I was waiting for him! He proposed on the morning of my birthday a year before we got married, it was very intimate and romantic. We then celebrated with friends and family later that day before we left to go on holiday, it was very special.

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We decided to get married at the Ladies’ Pavilion, Central Park, New York City. We chose New York as wed spent time there for my 30th birthday and fell in love with it; its such a magical place. Were not particularly religious, so it made perfect sense to us to have a ceremony based on love, in the middle of the city we love!

We travelled out to NYC on 28 December 2013 Daves mum and I have the same birthday so we celebrated my 33rd and Daves mums 60th on 29 December, a year after Dave had proposed. We also got to spend New Years Eve in New York, the atmosphere was incredible and something Ill never forget!

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I also read some great posts on Art Deco weddings on Love My Dress when planning the day. I really love the new style of the site. I think the navigation across the top (season, era, colour) is such a useful source of inspiration for brides-to-be.”

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The dress was by Angelina Faccenda for Mori Lee, style 1248. I ordered the dress from a local store and twelve weeks before the wedding they called me to say they had to close the store. At first I thought I could transfer the order to another store but theyd not even placed the order with Mori Lee as they said they had, I was devastated Id not seen another dress that even came close.

As it happened the dress was actually designed and made in New York but despite trying, and with Christmas holidays etc., there wasnt enough time for another to be made before the wedding. After a lot of searching on the web and calling around we managed to find one in Manchester, in a lovely store called Ava Rose Hamilton Bridal Couture. Rebecca and the ladies there could not be more helpful, they saved the day for me and gave me my dream dress!

I loved the slight Art Deco style it had and I felt it would be the perfect dress for New York. I loved the intricate beading and the beautiful ruffled train, it was so different from anything else Id tried on, I felt the drop waist really suited my shape too.

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I absolutely adore Sarah’s dress, she teamed it with a beautiful Birdcage Veil and a Charleston Comb both from Lily Bella. Her timelessly classic and glamorous hair and make up look were created by her good friend the very talented Victoria Farr.

Sarah’s look was completed with a gorgeous vintage shrug, gold Lindy Hop Glitter Shoes by Red or Dead at Schuh, a necklace from Tiffany and Co and a dash of Dior Hypnotic Poison, which she chose for it’s lovely wintery scent.

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Sarah and Dave chose Gabrielle Bower Photography to capture their celebrations.

We were so glad we decided to work with Gabrielle on our big day. We couldn’t have asked for a more professional, creative and talented photographer. She travelled all the way to New York to capture our wedding, scouting out creative, imaginative spots ahead of the day, with such eye for detail. She was patient and caring and listened to our ideas on what we wanted, making suggestions along the way. She captured our day in a beautiful, natural way and we were so pleased when we received the images.

I would definitely recommend Gabrielle to any couple planning to get married, she made us feel at ease, is so passionate about photography and puts 100% into her work.

wpid315096 029 new york weddingMy necklace was bought for me by Dave for my 30th birthday last time we were in New York.

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We were torn about what to do for transport and then came across a company called Film Cars. We loved the idea of travelling around New York in a 1970s Checker Cab and the testimonials from other couples really sold it to us. We spoke with a lovely man called Peter, who couldnt do enough for us. The cab was used in films such as When Harry Met Sally, we were driven from the hotel to the LadiesPavilion and then all around Manhattan in it.

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We do love a man in a tux and bow tie! Dave’s style complimented Sarah look perfectly, they look they stepped out of a movie. Dave’s smart dark suit was by Giorgio Armani with shoes from Next;

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Joining Dave and I for the wedding were my parents, Daves mum and sister, my friend and make-up artist Vicky, my photographer and friend Gabs and her husband, and our good friends Becca and Sean. It was great being able to share our special day with the people we love. We didnt have a religious ceremony; it was more about our love for one another.

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Before the big day, on 30th December we went to the City Clerks Office to obtain a marriage licence. You need a licence and you need it at least 24 hours before you plan to get married in NYC. We also booked the LadiesPavilion online in advance via New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. You dont have to book a space in the park unless you have a party of 20 or more, but knowing it was a popular spot we wanted to ensure we could use it by ourselves for the ceremony.

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My creative friend Rebecca Aspin of Sell My Wedding designed my bouquet for me for the wedding day. She tied it with lace and added a little blue brooch that shed sourced to represent my something blue.

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Dave, the Reverend, our family and friends all waited at the LadiesPavilion while my Dad walked me down the pathway to meet them. It was a really special moment and so exhilarating to see everyone waiting for me.

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Our Reverend was from New York and we worked with her over email and Sykpe to tailor our vows. It wasnt a religious ceremony, more focussed on love, trust, loyalty and sharing our lives with one another. She made some suggestions and we chose the parts we thought best reflected us. It was a great way to do it and made us feel like we were reading vows very true to ourselves. She also added some little touches of her own as a surprise, it was a really special ceremony.

At the ceremony our Reverend read the following poem in memory of Daves dad who sadly passed away in 2007 and couldnt be there to see us get married.

‘The Life That I Have’ by Leo Marks

The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have is yours.

The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause

For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.

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I fell in love with The Tiffany Settingdiamond solitaire engagement ring when we were last in New York, it was a little out of our budget so we opted to have one designed to replicate it. We worked with a local company called Segal’s Jewellers who have been around since I was a girl.

They couldnt have been more helpful and I love the ring theyve designed, its beautiful. I had a wedding band fitted to sit beside the engagement ring and Dave decided to get a plain contemporary style wedding band.

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The best part of the day was the ceremony itself, saying those vows to one another in front of the people we love; it was a very special moment. The next best part has to be standing at the top of Brooklyn Bridge, in a temperature of 1 degree C, having our photograph taken with hundreds of people passing by either side we felt like movie stars! It was a bizarre but amazing experience.

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After our ceremony at the LadiesPavilion, we had some photographs taken in Central Park, our New York Checker Cab then picked us up and we went off with our photographer to get some shots around the sites of Manhattan. We had some shots taken in an original New York diner, The Skyline Diner, on the High Line (park) then on Brooklyn Bridge.

We ended the day with dinner at Buddakan in New Yorks Meat Packing District Its a flamboyant Asian restaurant with great atmosphere and décor and the food was delicious. We followed the meal with drinks in a little bar in Midtown.

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I designed the stationery myself. I wanted the design to reflect a 1920/30s Art Deco theme, with black and gold tones, but to also reflect the park where we got married. I took inspiration from the ironwork of the LadiesPavilion and pushed the boat out a little by getting the main invitations foil blocked. I loved the result. I designed RSVP and little info cards to go with them and followed the design through to artwork for our party when we got home.

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Words of Wedded Wisdom

If I could give any advice to brides-to-be I would say follow your heart and be true to yourself. Dont plan a wedding to please someone else; youll only regret it. I would also advise to invest in a good photographer, youll always have your memories but you do forget the little things so its a great reminder of all the details especially as the day goes so quickly.

A month after we returned home we held a wedding reception to celebrate with friends and family who couldnt be there in New York. It was great to have something else to look forward to and we were able to carry on the Art Deco theme through to the party. We also had a projector screen streaming photographs from the wedding so everyone could share our day. It was amazing to get to wear my dress for a second time too.

It was cold that week, and we knew it would be, so it was a risk deciding to get married outside in the park. The day after the ceremony New York (and most of the East coast) had a horrendous snowstorm so we were incredibly lucky with the weather on our day, it could have easily spoiled our plans. Perhaps in hindsight we might have planned it during warmer months but I dont think it would have been as atmospheric.

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Huge thanks to Sarah and Dave for letting us in on a glimpse of their amazing wedding day and the after show party back home too! Thanks to, also go to Gabrielle for her divine images of the big day, they are so atmospheric and iconic.

Have you ever been to New York? I’ve not yet though I’ve been enjoying taking it in via Annabel’s recent Instagram adventures in the Big Apple and Sarah and Dave’s amazing day has made me fall in love with the idea of visiting even more!

Much Love, Hotdogs and Peanut Butter Bagels!

Rebecca x

 

 

Photographer –Gabrielle Bower Photography
Venue –  The Lady’s Pavillion, Central Park, NYC + Buddakan
Brides Dress –Angelina Faccenda for Mori Lee, style 1248 from Ava Rose Hamilton Bridal Couture
Brides Birdcage Veil + Hair Accessories – Lily Bella
Brides Shoes –Red or Dead at Schuh
Brides Necklace – Tiffany & Co.
Hair and Make Up – Victoria Farr
Perfume – Dior Hypnotic Poison
Grooms suit- Giorgio Armani + Shoes – Next
Flowers – Rebecca Aspin
Rings –Segal’s Jewellers
Transport – Yellow Taxi Cab from Film Cars
Stationery – Love My Wedding Invites
Catering – Buddakan

 

11 thoughts on “New York, New York: A Deco Inspired Bandstand Wedding in Manhattan’s Central Park

  1. Omg I simply had to leave a comment on this gorgeous wedding! Just a few short days after my fiancé and I got engaged we jetted off to NYC for New Year’s Eve, we had decided to not talk about actually getting married for a while and enjoy being engaged, when we saw a beautiful bride and groom in the Meat Parking District, I would recognise that fur coat & gorgeous dress anywhere, this glimpse of someone else’s special day totally inspired us to start our planning almost immediately, so thank you Sarah and Dave for unbeknowinly inspiring our wedding, you both looked breathtaking 🙂 xxx

    1. WOW Rea! So sorry it’s taken me to now to reply – I was actually in New York until 16th myself and am only just getting back in to my usual routine. How absolutely fantastic that you would actually see this wedding and now see it on Love My Dress! Even more fantastic that it would inspire you to start planning your own special day, I am SO made up by that!!

      What a gorgeous, gorgeous comment- thank you so very much xXx

    1. Aren’t they sweet? Fabulous actually, I mean, if you were going to get married in New York at this time of year, you couldn’t imagine a more perfect pair of sparkly heels! 🙂

      Thanks Abbie xXx

  2. Thank you so much for sharing on your beautiful blog. Loved every minute of their wedding! Will definitely never forget being out their with such an awesome couple/creative friends xxx

    1. Oh Gabrielle, you are so very welcome, I just hope the bride and groom get to see some of the comments that have been left, but especially Rea’s – how wonderful!

      Lovely to have featured your work xXx

  3. A year ago (almost to the day) this wedding took place! It was intimate and so so special with a beautiful couple who I am honoured to call my friends. Thank you for featuring this amazing wedding, I just wish we could all go back and celebrate it all over again…..please? x

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