Ingrid and Martin’s luxury New York City wedding was one of the most memorable weddings I've ever planned. Not only was I the wedding planner, but I was also the maid of honor because Ingrid’s my sister. I was hesitant to be her wedding planner at first because I knew I would already be busy taking care of my children at the wedding. After all, they were the ring bearer and flower girl!  However, and this I’m sure is not a surprise, I also didn’t trust anyone else with my sister’s wedding!

Because of our close relationship, I was able to anticipate the bride's needs even more than normal. As a Finger Lakes wedding planner, one of my jobs is to be able to understand what my clients’ needs are. Even it’s hard for them to articulate themselves! I was also able to design a truly spectacular wedding that celebrated their backgrounds and plan it in only 7 months! If you are hoping for a 2021 fall wedding, I hope this shows you what we can accomplish on a tight timeline. Don't wait any longer though – get in touch here to talk about your 2021 or 2022 wedding.

Do you love meaningful and unique wedding inspiration as much as I do? Make sure to pin this for later.

Unique New York City Wedding Design Inspiration

Ingrid and Martin met in their church’s young adult group and became close while planning a mission trip together in Jamaica. They wanted their wedding to focus on their union and providing a memorable and special experience for all their guests. While they wanted everyone to have an amazing time, it was important to them that all their friends and family get to know each other, as well. 

One of the main things we wanted to highlight at their wedding was their cultural heritage. Ingrid was born in the Philippines and Martin was born in Peru, although they’ve both lived and worked in New York City for many years. 

Both the Philippines and Peru are known for their textiles, so we pulled inspiration from their native dress. The bride and groom also love blue, which is also an important color in their faith, so we wanted to include that too. Finally, we included natural elements such as capiz shells from the Philippines and fall colors like mauve and tan. 

Wondering how to design your wedding day? Check out this post on how to design your wedding in 4 steps.

The Stationery, Menu, and Placecards

The fine art stationery was both sophisticated and ethereal, with a watercolor background, monogram, and a details card with a map of Little Italy. All completely custom. The letterpress invitation suite was printed on cotton paper with matching envelopes and finished with a silk ribbon.

This refinement and ingenuity carried to their escort cards and combination menu place cards. Decorative and functional, Louelle Studio hand-painted and hand tore the escort cards, which hung by the entrance. Held together with a gold brad, the vellum place card rested atop the custom-designed menu. This added an interactive piece to what is traditionally an easily overlooked element on the dinner table.

 

The Table Decor and Flowers

The cultural significance extended to florals, which contained spray garden roses, ranunculus, dahlias, anemone, chrysanthemum, foliage, lisianthus, Lunaria, and privet berries. The bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets, corsages, and reception centerpieces contained café au lait dahlia, anemones, Jasmine vine, garden roses, and Lunaria – some of which are grown in the Philippines and are very special to Ingrid’s family. The cream, mauve, and soft honey tones matched the season and the elegance of the day.

Custom capiz shell votives alternated with romantic high and low candlesticks. The votives were then gathered at the end of the evening and given to guests as wedding favors. The capiz votives were even more special because the bride’s aunt sourced them and the mother of the bride transported all 150 of them from the Philippines.

Want to know which wedding floral trends you need to avoid? Here's some Inspiration from New York’s Top Florists 

Attire and Wedding Party

The bride wore a romantic dress from Watters with lace sleeves, which was perfect for the chilly November day. While outside, she wore a blue fur wrap by Oscar de la Renta. My favorite accessory was her blue velvet Manolo Blahnik heels, which were a stunning contrast to her ivory wedding dress. The groom wore a tuxedo from The Black Tux, Jimmy Choo shoes, and a tie from the Tie Bar. 

Instead of having a larger wedding party, the bride and groom chose only to have a matron of honor and a best man. Although they chose to have a small wedding party, they kept the Filipino tradition of having sponsors for the wedding candle, wedding lazo (lasso), arras (coins), and veil during the Catholic ceremony.  

For attire, Ingrid asked her sponsors to choose a floor-length dress within the color palette, instructing them to pick something “that made them feel beautiful.” While some of the girls wore beautiful dresses from BHLDN, some were custom-made, like her friend  that was also a fashion designer at Oscar De La Renta. (Don't we all wish we had a friend like that!?)

Different Wedding Venue Locations throughout the Day

The bride and groom and international guests stayed at The Ludlow Hotel in the Lower East Side. The bride visited several hotels before picking this hotel for its beautiful interior design (with lots of natural light for getting ready!) and its proximity to the church and reception venue. We started the day here, and it's where they chose to have their first look.

The couple’s wedding mass took place at Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in SoHo. They had done much of their volunteer work there, so it had sentimental value, not to mention it was gorgeous.

When looking for a New York City wedding reception venue, they wanted to re-create an upscale but casual large family gathering. It was also important to keep it near the church so it was easier for their guests to get to. No one loves dealing with New York City traffic! They loved the modern, industrial vibe of Gelso & Grand, an Italian restaurant several blocks away, so it made the perfect setting for an upscale family-style meal.

Looking for a wedding venue? Here are the Top 7 Finger Lakes Wedding Venues with a View.

Planning Your New York Wedding

Although I tend to work in stunning Upstate New York locations – like the Finger Lakes – this New York City wedding was worth the trip. For more photos of Ingrid and Martin's wedding day, check out this post here. It was also featured on Spoken Bride, a Catholic lifestyle/wedding blog that you can check out here. It's always exciting to be published, so if that's something YOU would love to see for your wedding. make sure to communicate it with your planner. We can definitely help you there.

For more luxury Upstate New York wedding inspiration, you can browse real weddings here. Although you can try to DIY your wedding decor, a true wedding designer will help you create something truly unique to you as a couple. Your wedding really shouldn't look like something you copied from Pinterest. I love helping all of my couples elevate their design ideas and personalize their wedding day to them. It's so rewarding! If you are looking for a wedding planner as passionate about good design as you are, contact me here.

Living in the Moment at Your Wedding

When all's said and done, how do you want to remember your wedding? Looking back on the day, Ingrid said,

“Desiree put together an experience beyond what we could have imagined. She gave us the peace of mind to be fully present on the day, to revel in the beauty and joy of our wedding, and to us that's priceless.”

If this sounds like what you want your wedding experience to feel like, contact me here.

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