Texas couple Tracy and Clinton can’t get enough of NYC – and when it came time to plan their big day, they knew they wanted to share the unmatchable energy of their favorite city with all their loved ones.
They found the perfect venue in Manhattan’s Peak Hudson Yards, complete with breathtaking 360 city views and delectable food, and the perfect planning time in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor NYLUX Events.
In Tracy’s words,
We had one meeting with Andrea Adelstein and immediately knew this was the team for us. Andrea and her associate, Anastasia Caridi, were very attentive and detail-oriented and made us feel like guests at our wedding. They made planning both stress-free and fun! I highly recommend the NYLUX Events team to anyone who is planning their wedding!
As an interfaith couple – Tracy’s Jewish, while Clinton is Baptist – both partners wanted to incorporate traditions from their own backgrounds into the ceremony, and the duo worked with a pastor and a rabbi to design a personalized ceremony, including Psalms, a family tallit, a unity candle, and, of course, smashing the glass!
Speaking of Jewish traditions – we can’t get enough of Tracy and Clinton’s breathtaking baby’s breath chuppah, inspired by Sofia Richie’s. Don’t miss it in the gorgeous pics by Karlie Louise Photography!
Now over to Tracy…
How We Met
Tracy, the bride: Clinton and I were set up by mutual friends. We hit it off immediately, and we were together for 8 years before finally tying the knot.
NYC Energy
We both love the energy of NYC. Clinton has an apartment there, and we frequently visit. We wanted to bring our guests to New York to experience what we love about the city. Clinton and I were having lunch one day in the restaurant at Peak Hudson Yards, and we fell in love with the breathtaking 360 views and food. That was it! We had our wedding venue.
The Perfect Planner
Peak recommended NYLUX Events to us, as they work there quite often. We had one meeting with Andrea Adelstein and immediately knew this was the team for us. Andrea and her associate, Anastasia Caridi, were very attentive and detail-oriented and made us feel like guests at our wedding. They made planning both stress-free and fun! I highly recommend the NYLUX Events team to anyone who is planning their wedding!
We did not have a traditional bridal party and only had family walk down the aisle. Clinton was accompanied by his two daughters. My two nieces were our flower girls, throwing petals everywhere. My daughter was my Maid of Honor, and my son and father walked me down the aisle. As the wedding was black-tie, we went with a traditional theme, and everyone wore black. It was a standout amongst all the white florals.
Invitation
Clinton and I wanted a traditional invitation but with a very modern twist. Amy Glaser Designs designed our beautiful invitation suite, which used a combination of foil and letterpress.
The color palette was grey with silver foil and gunmetal letterpress. Guests all LOVED receiving their invitations, and we had dozens of compliments. Coeur Noir Specialty Printers was hired to do the printing. The weight of the paper and the printing processes really made our invites special.
Hair + Makeup
Tracy Hadden was in charge of makeup, and Vanessa Ocando did hair. Both women did a fabulous job making me feel beautiful throughout the entire night.
Dress
Finding a dress for your second wedding is a challenge! I tried a few options in New York City but found the perfect dress at home in Texas.
Shoes
While I started with a beautiful pair of white shoes for the ceremony and cocktail hour, I changed into bright red Christian Louboutin platform sandals! Everyone said that was so “me!”
Ceremony & Chuppah
Both Clinton and I feel our religions are important to us, and we wanted to incorporate special moments from each religious ceremony into our wedding. Clinton is Baptist, and I am Jewish. We had both a pastor and rabbi present and worked with them in tandem to design a ceremony that would be special to us and also make our guests feel a part of our nuptials.
Clinton had the pastor read a few meaningful Psalms to him, I wanted to have a talit wrapped around us and have Clinton break the glass at the end. We also lit a unity candle that signified bringing our two families together. It was very special to be able to have an interfaith wedding. Our chuppah was inspired by Sofia Richie’s chuppah and is very chic! It was full and lush and had a family tallit at the top. Everyone was in awe of it!
Our music choice
For the ceremony, we had classical music – Clinton and the bridal party walked down to a beautiful version of ‘Hallelujah’. I walked down to a dramatic version of the ‘Pachabel Cannon in D’.
At our cocktail hour; we had an incredible electric violinist perform. Clinton loves show tunes and movie themes, so of course, we had to incorporate that into the wedding! As guests entered dinner, they were greeted by familiar show tunes, and everyone had fun remembering what they were as they were mingling and finding their seats.
Nicholson Events provided a hybrid DJ. The percussionist, electric violinist, and saxophonist, along with the DJ, had guests dancing all night! We loved the interactive quality of the live musicians along with the DJ, and the guests were having so much fun that we extended the wedding an extra hour!
To make the cocktail hour even more interactive for our guests, we had a fantastic walk-around mentalist named Kevin Nichols. He had the crowd engaged and in awe of his talent!
Flowers
Our planner brought in the incredible Carlos Rivas. We wanted a very sophisticated, neutral, and white color palette. And Carlos Rivas definitely delivered! Sofia Richie got married earlier in the year, and we absolutely loved the simplicity of using only white flowers with touches of green. Her wedding is really where took inspiration for our Chuppah.
Our chuppah was made of Baby’s Breath, highlighted with white roses, and our tables were filled with white anemones and lots of candles. Guests at the wedding called for weeks after the wedding to congratulate us, and every single one of them mentioned how beautiful, elegant, and lush the florals were.
Photographer
Andrea and Anastasia highly recommended Karlie Louise Photography. Karlie and her team knew how to capture all the big and small moments throughout the night while remaining unobtrusive and out of sight. I will forever cherish my wedding photos because of Karlie’s impeccable work.
Food and cake
Peak has a fantastic in-house caterer who also operates Peak’s restaurant – Rhubarb Hospitality Collection. The food is exceptional, beautifully presented on the plate and also delicious. We had a blast choosing food at the tasting! My favorite part of the night was when we served pizza – right out of the pizza delivery boxes.
Everyone loved getting a slice of John’s of Bleecker Street at the end of the night! Our cake was baked by Cakes by Andrea Green, who designed a gorgeous three-tier cake with flowers. It was beautiful and exactly what we wanted—sleek and elegant.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Hire the right wedding planner and trust them! Andrea and Anastasia from NYLUX Events made all the difference in the world! The planning process was so seamless and stress-free. Make sure you get a good night’s rest the night before the wedding. While my friends all went out after the welcome drinks and dinner, I returned to my hotel suite, relaxed, and went to bed early. I am so happy I did! I woke up the morning of the wedding feeling relaxed, fresh, and excited for the day!
TRACY & CLINTON’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Karlie Louise Photography
Planner – NYLUX Events {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Peak Hudson Yards
Bride’s shoes – Christian Louboutin
Hair + Makeup – Tracy Hadden, Vanessa Ocando
Flowers – Carlos Rivas
DJ – Nicholson Events
Catering – Rhubarb Hospitality Collection
Pizza – John’s of Bleecker Street
Cake – Cakes by Andrea Green
Stationery/Invitation – Amy Glaser Designs
Mentalist – Kevin Nichols
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
