Megan and Brad wanted their wedding to be a blend of natural, industrial and vintage, with a nod to the wabi-sabi aesthetic; the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection. They were inspired mostly by modern industrial and moody botanical styles. They also knew they wanted to get married in New York City, where they met and have lived for some time.
“When we began researching venues we discovered the beautiful Greenpoint Loft only a few blocks from our apartment and knew that it was perfect for us,” said Megan. “We fell in love with the warm industrial aesthetic and the fact that we could totally create the wedding we’d envisioned in the open space. Plus, there was a perfect view of the NYC skyline from the windows and deck!”
Megan wore a pale dusty rose coloured dress from BHLDN, rather than a traditional white one. “I always knew that I wouldn’t be a puffy white dress bride, and I also didn’t like the idea of buying something I would never wear again”, she explained. “I wanted something unique and classy with a vintage feel and my search led me to BHLDN. I loved so many of their dresses but ultimately chose the Adona. It was the first one I obsessed over when looking for dresses, so I think it was meant to be! I loved how it sparkled and was perfectly unconventional.”
“I then worked with magical Tara of The Williamsburg Seamster to make some small alterations. These tweaks made the dress feel even more personalised and special. I don’t wear leather, so for my shoes I had pretty limited options to choose from but I eventually happened upon some shimmery champagne wedges from BC Footwear. The colour was perfect and they were so comfortable!”
The couple decided to have a friend officiate their ceremony, and they wrote their own vows. “Our officiant was our close friend, Eric. He did a great job, as this was his first time marrying anyone! I walked down the aisle to I Found A Reason by Cat Power (a beautiful take on a Velvet Underground song that made everyone cry!) and our recessional song was Ceremony by New Order. We decided to write our own vows because we wanted something personal. We kept them quite simple and focused on what we loved about each other.”
The couple did a lot of DIY projects, including making all of the boutonnieres and bouquets, backdrops, wedding flowers, favours and décor. They had lots of help from family, friends and staff on the day. “Some amazing friends joined my sister and I to help with set-up on the wedding day, creating the arrangements for the tables and adding flowers to our wreaths and garlands. The wonderful catering staff helped with decorating the tables and they also used all the extra greens and flowers all around the venue in really creative ways that tied the whole look together!”
“For décor we created two backdrops, one for the bar and one for our ceremony, which were made of white yarn and then topped with eucalyptus garlands we had made the night before. We rented beautiful barn wood tables and decorated those with eucalyptus and small arrangements in brown bottles, along with lots of candles and vintage maths flashcards for table numbers. We love old motel key tags, so we had custom ones created in black and gold which we used in place of escort cards and they were a fun keepsake for our guests. We also brought in some vintage furniture to create a small lounge area, which was appreciated by our grandparents!”
“It was so hard to choose what to give as favours. We wanted it to be something we love, so we went with treats! We ordered mini s’mores from Sweet & Sara and salted coconut milk caramels from JJ Sweets. We then dipped dyed muslin bags to a dark grey ombre and used those to package the favours in. We were really proud of those bags!”
It was really important to the couple to have only vegan food at their wedding. “We worked with Jay Astafa Catering for our all vegan and mostly gluten-free menu. We started with a cocktail hour, serving eight different types of hors d’oeuvres, including buffalo cauliflower, mini jackfruit tacos and fig crostini. For dinner, we served a buffet that featured some classics such as eggplant rollatini, as well as some seasonal dishes with fall flavors like stuffed acorn squash and butternut sage ravioli. For our desserts, we were so lucky to work with Emily Aumiller of Lael Cakes. They were all vegan and gluten-free, tasted amazing and were absolutely stunning. We had a naked tiered cake with sugar-sculpted branches and pears on it, an array of mini cupcakes and mini caramel apple pies.”
“The one thing we wish we’d known before we began planning our wedding is that it is almost impossible to stay within budget”, Megan laughed. “Also, that a lot of the amazing wedding photos on Pinterest are often styled shoots, not real weddings! Our advice to future brides and grooms is to make your wedding your own. Prioritise what’s most important and let that be the basis for the rest of your choices.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: UNIQUE LAPIN Photography
- Venue: The Greenpoint Loft, Brooklyn
- Bride's Dress: BHLDN
- Dress Alterations: The Williamsburg Seamster
- Bride's Shoes: BC Footwear
- Bride's Headpiece: Emma Katzka Bridal
- Groom's Attire: Proper Suit
- Catering: Jay Astafa Catering
- Cake: Lael Cakes
- Flowers: FiftyFlowers
- Stationery: Moontree Letterpress
- Photo Booth: We Love Photobooths
- Sound Equipment Hire: Soapbox AV
- Table Hire: Weir Event Rentals
- Vintage Decor Hire: Patina Rentals
- Lighting Hire: Universal Light and Sound
- Favours: Sweet & Sara
- Favours: JJ Sweets