With the end of the year fast approaching, I wanted to share with you one of my all-time favorite weddings. Carol and Chris are from the United Kingdom, but they wanted to say their vows in the city they both love — New York. Their wedding was both a nod to tradition and a fabulous party that celebrated their individual tastes. And what a whirlwind day it was: it started with a ceremony at All Souls Unitarian Church, then followed with a Bergdorf Goodman wedding reception. How do you follow that? Why two after parties, of course! I’ve got all the details in today’s blog post.
Carol and Chris’s wedding day began in classic New York fashion at the Plaza Hotel where the couple got ready. After zipping into her dress, Carol attached her veil and we headed uptown. The ceremony was held at All Souls Unitarian Church on the upper east side, and was simply beautiful. With only 22 guests, the wedding party had the sanctuary all to themselves. But why hire the church choir when you can get David Letterman’s Late Show Gospel Choir? The choir was captivating, and their voices filled the space. It was a bit like having a theater performance during the ceremony.
A little rain couldn’t dampen the mood, and after the ceremony the party moved to BG Restaurant for the Bergdorf Goodman wedding luncheon. Carol and her mother simply adore Bergdorf Goodman, so why not have the celebration there? Lunch was great: the meal started with deviled eggs and finished with tiny sweets. The wedding party had the entire private room in Bergdorf Goodman’s upstairs restaurant all to themselves. During the luncheon, the guests received mini hangover kits with candy and aspirin, which would definitely come in handy for the two after parties.
Yes, you read that correctly: TWO after parties. The gang started off at Faces and Names in midtown, which is a homey pub. Here the couple cut their cake (after dueling). Their cake was the ever popular apple pie cake from Momofuku Milk Bar.
Next stop after a few pints was the Top of the Strand rooftop bar. The weather was not great, but with a glass enclosure no one noticed and it made for some uncanny views of the Empire State Building. Spontaneous dancing erupted, and a great time was had by all.
A few words of advice as an outside observer of this terrific event. First, definitely plan your wedding so that it reflects your taste. If you are not a big cake kind of girl, then go for pie, cupcakes, or whatever floats your boat. You can do traditional things in an non-traditional manner. Second, moving the party from place to place is a great way to keep the energy alive at your party. For the move from Bergdorf Goodman to the two after parties, Carol and Chris provided a party bus to get everyone from point A to point B. If you have older family members going with you or people from out of town who don’t know their way around, providing transportation is a must. Finally, keeping the party small enabled Carol and Chris to make their wedding dreams come true within budget. Having a guest list of 35 or more would have made this wedding impossible from both a financial and logistical point of view. Think small and mobile for the ultimate party.
Enjoy the pics!
Vendors
- Getting ready venue: The Plaza Hotel
- Ceremony venue: All Souls Unitarian Church
- Luncheon venue: BG Restaurant at Bergdorf Goodman
- After party venue #1: Faces and Names
- After party venue #2: Top of the Strand
- Cake: Apple pie cake by Momofuku Milk Bar
- Wedding dress: Vera Wang
Are you planning to tie the knot soon? Drop me a line and let’s talk about your photography needs.
If you would like to see more images from my portfolio, then please visit my website — KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com.
