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Emily and Josh were married at a very special and unique location in New York City: The Strand Book Store! The preparations began at the Nomad Hotel.

Such a clever idea! In keeping with the literature theme, their save the date was a bookmark and the wedding invitation was a library card.

Emily and Josh shared a first look in the hotel room.

The couple both agreed one of the best moments of the day was the first look.  Josh shares,”It was a moment that we could just share between the two of us–to be together, laugh, and take a few pictures.” Emily adds, “I wasn’t completely sold on doing the first look, but Josh really wanted to. In the end, I’m so glad we did. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment when he turned around and saw me in my dress for the first time. It was just a wonderful moment.”

When you get married in New York City sometimes you walk past a little graffiti on the way to your wedding!

We made our way to Madison Square Park for some pre-ceremony portraits.

Emily shares the story of how they met, “We met at a summer party at the home of mutual friends. We started as friends, but quickly realized that we had a lot in common. It became this ongoing joke every time we found one more random thing we both happen to love. After a couple months, Josh was looking for a new apartment and I just happened to know of a studio opening up in my building. A few weeks later he moved in and we’ve pretty much been together ever since.

Josh asked Emily to marry him while they were in Los Angeles for the wedding of their dear friends, Erik and Mike. Josh shares, “Emily loves data and research, so I spent weeks putting together a PowerPoint presentation filled with charts and graphs of our relationship and data points for why we are perfect for each other. I had grand plans of proposing to her on the beach, but by the time we got there the sun had set and the moment wasn’t right. We ended up grabbing a bottle of wine and going back to our room.”

Emily continues, “He gave me the presentation and I wasn’t completely sure what I was looking at. I got a few slides in before I realized what was happening and burst into tears. When I looked up he was on his knee. It was perfect.”

Emily explains why the Strand was the perfect place for their wedding, “About a week after we got engaged, we heard about the Strand, went to tour the space, and fell in love with it immediately. We didn’t even look at other options. Once that was decided, everything else just fell into place around the book theme. Within a week we had the save the dates, invitations, decorations, and guest book all figured out. It was meant to be.”

Surrounded by beautiful rare books, twinkling lights and their loved ones, Emily and Josh said, “I do.”

The Strand doesn’t need much added decoration, but the couple found ways to add extra touches to make the day feel personal and elegant. They used books, votives encircled with pages, small bouquets of flowers and wonderful framed quotes throughout tables in the space. This one includes a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald, “I love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything.”

Emily and Josh shared their first dance to Bright Eyes’ First Day of My Life.

This cake was amazing! Emily shares, “Josh was a pastry chef for many years, so choosing the right cake was very important to him. We got the cake from Momofuku Milk Bar because it’s one of Josh’s favorite bakeries in the city.  The three layers were strawberry lemon, German chocolate, and birthday cake.”

Congratulations Emily and Josh!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: The Strand Book Store, rare book room
Caterer: Pies ‘n’ Thighs
DJ: The Remixologists, Ben Coleman
Cake: Momofuku Milk Bar
Dress: Augusta Jones
Hotel: The Nomad
Hair/Makeup: Red Door
Officiant: Kevin Jennings
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Gramercy Park and Union Square are such classic, romantic spots in the city. Full of charm, beautiful spring blooms and an exceptional coffee spot, the streets we walked down were the perfect setting for Adriana and Dom’s engagement photos. Look out for a gorgeous canary yellow diamond ring, taxis whizzing by and Adriana’s adorable pup!

Adriana shares, “I met Domenick 3 months after returning home from 3 years living and working abroad in Shanghai China. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like committing to social plans or going out late at night but, somehow on that fateful Friday night in September, I was game to keep my promise to a girlfriend and join her to support her boyfriend at the time who was playing in his band on the lower east side.

I was tired from a long work week and remember telling my girlfriend that I wasn’t even going to  wash my hair. I had met this friend of mine when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I mention this because I believe that from every challenge life throws at you comes a great blessing and so, while I got a challenging disease to manage, its through this disease in a roundabout way that the stage was set to meet Domenick.

Dom was there because he had gone to college with my friend’s boyfriend’s cousin. Confused yet? It doesn’t matter. Basically, all anyone needs to know is we met unplanned, randomly and could not have been more removed from the social groups pulling us into that room. Can you say FATE??? Dom introduced himself to me and we ended up talking the whole night. He called me using the phone (a real man’s power move) the next day, and took a chance I might want to go out with him again. I said “yes” and the rest is history.

I grew up just up the block from Union Square, around the corner from Gramercy Park, and was living at home again for a little while as I got used to life back in New York. This was the backdrop for our courtship–the parks, the restaurants, the coffee shops, even the benches for late night chats and strolls with my puppy, Shera Connie. One of our favorite spots to meet was the lobby bar at the  W Hotel where we will be getting married this fall.”

Adriana continues, “Dom and I are both very sentimental and want a wedding that falls in line with the examples of sacrifice, patience and true love that have been modeled before us in the unions of our parents and grandparents. In keeping things timeless but with a personal touch it was important to me to have my best friend’s mother help design a ring that would be perfect for me. I went with a yellow diamond because I wanted something different but elegant.

I want your blog readers to know that this post could be called, with humor, ” I bagged a younger man” or “My ring sings just like a canary” but the truth is it should be called “I am marrying the best person I know.” So much of the engagement and wedding is about the bride but every opportunity I get I want to make sure everyone knows how blessed and lucky I feel to be marrying Dom across the street from where I was raised and shown love everyday. It is the perfect union in Union Square.”

Congratulations Adriana and Dom!

Allison and Brady were married on a beautiful October day in Union Square.

Allison and Brady shared a first look in the hotel suite.

The rain subsided and we went outside to Union Square for some photos.

Allison, you look gorgeous!

The ceremony was held in the grand ballroom of the W Hotel.

Allison shares, “I chose the W Union Square because it has the perfect blend of old and new. It being the old Guardian Life building, constructed in 1910, it has much of the original marble and the beautiful ceiling lights. This classic New York ballroom, combined with the modern eclectic style of the W Hotel, was the perfect mix for Brady and me. Since the majority of the guests were coming from out of town (I am from Florida and Brady is from Colorado), I tried to include fun NYC elements such as taxi escort card holders and tables named after our favorite NYC neighborhoods.

Congratulations Allison and Brady!

Also, check out their Greenwich Village and Central Park engagement photos!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: W Union Square
Coordinator: Emily Lester – EM Event Management
Officiant: Rev. Jesse Hendrich
Cake: Butterfly Bakeshop
DJ/Band: Bud Maltin Band
Florist: Ariston Flowers
Makeup and Hair: Michelle Elise Artistry
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz

From views of the park through a towering hotel room window to an evening overlooking the Planetarium–this wedding is full of gorgeous moments. Jena and Rahul were married on a lovely summer day in New York City. The day began with bridal preparations at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle.

The ceremony took place in the beautiful church, St. Paul the Apostle.

Rahul shares, “We had a lot of fun planning this wedding. Jena was the coolest bride! I kept waiting for us to crack under the pressure of wedding planning, but it turned out to just be lots of laughter! We wanted it to be a fun party! I cant speak for the rest of our guests, but we certainly had fun.

We loved that St. Paul’s and the Mandarin hotel are on the same block as our apartment, a daily reminder of the most beautiful day in our lives (also helpful when we forgot things the day of).

Seeing Jena for the first time walking down the aisle was amazing and very emotional and is definitely a memory I will treasure forever.”

After the ceremony the wedding party set off for portraits in Central Park before heading into the Museum of Natural History.

Jena’s favorite moments include a wonderful surprise toast Rahul gave in Chinese during the reception and she also says, “I loved taking pictures in the dinosaur exhibit. A fact about me that probably only Rahul knows is that I was obsessed with dinosaurs as a child.”

Rahul shares, “We loved how beautiful the venue was, with the outdoor cocktail space and view of the Planetarium. But it was pointed out to us (thank you, Krit!) that the Powerhouse was the perfect venue for us to celebrate our wedding since we met working together financing power plants – so we sealed our union on the site of the power plant that used to power the Museum.”

Specialty cocktails with Mexcal, grapefruit juice and jalapeño were served during the lovely outdoor cocktail hour.

The reception was filled with gorgeous bunches of white and purple roses, peonies and unique geometric vases.

Jena shares, “It sounds cliche but it was definitely the best day of our lives. A perfect day – much love and laughter. We are so grateful to all our family and friends, many of whom traveled great distances, for joining us to celebrate our special day.”

Congratulations Jena and Rahul!

Check out their engagement session here.

Special thanks to the whole team:
Hotel Venue: Mandarin Oriental 
Church: St. Paul the Apostle
Reception Venue: Powerhouse at American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Catering: CxRA – Catering by Restaurant Associates
Planner: ever swoon
Hair: Pinned & Proper
Makeup: Jennifer Margaret
Florist: L’Atelier Rouge
Cake: Slyvia Weinstock
Cocktail Music: Justin Vance, Flutist
DJ: Beat Train Productions
Photo Booth: We Love Photo Booths
Rentals: Taylor Creative
Lighting: Levy Lighting
Transportation: Luxor Limo Inc. and M&V Limo
Videographer: Love in Progress 
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz

Vanessa and Thierry were married on a gorgeous spring day that began at the New York Palace Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

The ceremony took place at the St. Vincent Ferrer Church.

Thierry’s son and best man, Christopher, held the rings as they were blessed by the priest.

After the ceremony, we stopped at Grand Central for a few photos.

Vanessa shares her favorite moments from the day, “Pinpointing one exact moment that was my favorite is nearly impossible as the whole day was exquisite. Starting from the beginning, that first glance from Thierry as he was waiting for me by the altar was perfect. My next most vivid memory is my father’s speech. It moved us to tears hearing how proud and happy he was. Thierry’s best man and son, Christopher, delivered an equally touching and heartfelt speech and his daughter Vicky brought pure joy, comfort, and laughter to us all through the day. Our mass was extremely meaningful to us. My dear friend Rachelle’s readings during the ceremony were incredibly powerful. My maid of honor Tara provided us with so much love and support and an immense amount of laughter for which we were very grateful. I’m also thankful to Jennifer, my bridesmaid. Father Wagner made a beautiful connection between how our work serving and protecting others translates to how we will do the same for one another. His words touched our hearts. Also, The New York Palace and its staff went above and beyond for us in every way. Their kindness and attentiveness was unparalleled.

Most of all we were extremely blessed to have our families and friends by our side. Seeing all of the people we love and hold dear, gathered together, was amazing. We know we will never walk alone in life and are so grateful to everyone for standing by us.

Little French details added a personal touch to the reception, including Eiffel Tower place cards, Ladurée macaron favors for the ladies and Grand Marnier favors for the men.

The evening ended with a beautiful celebration with sparklers.

Congratulations Vanessa and Thierry!

Check out more photos in the slideshow:

Special thanks to the whole team:
Church: St. Vincent Ferrer Church
Reception Venue: The Villard Mansion, The New York Palace Hotel
Floral Design: Floralies
Beauty: Hair Styles On B Weddings
Make-up: Stacie Ford Weddings
Bridal Gown: Mariah By Christos, Spring 2014 Collection
Bridesmaid Gowns: Bill Levkoff, Rk Bridals
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Cake: Ron Ben-Israel Cakes
Cocktail Hour String Trio: Venus Ensembles
DJ: Aria Melody, Joe Dunn
Favors: Laduree Macarons and Grand Marnier
Transportation: Reliance Group Inc.
Invitations: Lavishly Elegant From Wedding Paper Divas
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz