Friday, June 22, 2012

Planning a NYC wedding

With only a little over two months to go, I thought I'd share with you my experience in planning our NYC wedding! Having been on the other side of the fence and contributing to the special day of many, I must admit it's been a very joyful and happy experience planning my own. It's given me a new found appreciation and perspective on life as a bride-to-be; the myriad of choices, the excitement, anticipation and the sense of the unknown. We can't wait to say our vows in front of our nearest and dearest in a way that reflects 'us' - small, intimate and classic.
Even from many thousands of miles away, our amazingly-awesome wedding vendors (many found via trawling through various wedding blogs) have gone above and beyond to make the planning process relatively easy, stress-free and a heap of fun.. who would have thought?! We honestly couldn't have done all the ground work without them.

I'd love to share a little bit about a couple of them and show you some of their fabulous work. We love being a part of this industry and it's inspiring to see other vendors who are so passionate, talented and devoted to their work. We feel so lucky to have these guys contributing to our vision and our special day... we look forward to meeting you in person!


Choosing our photographer was the first and one of the easiest choices we made. As soon as we saw Maggie Harkov's work, we were sold. Maggie captures such beauty and raw emotion in her images and she truly LOVES her job. Maggie is completely in love with love (her husband affectionately refers to her as Mrs. Hallmark... adorable) and this is clearly portrayed in her work. She makes a point of getting to know her clients on a personal level and remains friends with them long after the wedding. Amazing!


Maggie pointed us in the direction of a florist based near her home in Brooklyn that I instantly fell in love with...  Saipua create such unique and beautiful arrangements that really pay homage to the changing of the seasons. I really like their unstructured yet somehow polished arrangements that really steal the show. Since we are getting married in Autumn (Fall), our arrangements will most likely feature some gorgeous dahlias, heirloom roses, persimmons, crabapple, Asian pears, lace cap hydrangea, snowberry, sedum, amaranth and wild grasses. 


I found this featured interview on my hairstylist for the day, Stacy Pitt of Styles on B, that gives a glimpse in to her awesome hair studio in the East Village. Stacy has a background in art and applies principles learnt to hair - painting inspires her use of colour application and clay sculpting inspires her knack for 'moulding' hair in to a beautiful up-do. Love!


I won't reveal too much about the other details of the day (including the all-important CAKE)... I'll be sure to share them with you upon our return! I will however share some sneak peeks of the beautiful custom stationery that Samone has created for Stu and I... the images don't do them justice - they're simply perfect in every way and I can't thank you enough, Sammy.

For those of you who are in the throes of planning your wedding, I hope you're enjoying the journey as much as I am!

Janelle xo


Wedding photography: Maggie Harkov Photography
Flowers: Saipua in Brooklyn, NY
Hair: Styles on B, East Village, NY
Wedding stationery: Cake Ink.