Okay, HOW incredible is this tree chuppah dreamed up by Julia and Max for their New York Jewish wedding? Despite getting married smack dab in the heart of Manhattan, the couple, both of whom work in finance, love autumn in New York (who doesn’t?) and wanted to bring the feel of the city’s most beautiful season to their decidedly indoor affair.
And they really, really did, through the creative use of lots and lots of gorgeous indoor trees decked out with those signature autumn leaves. That’s where the chuppah comes in – and is it ever a stunner! – but the autumn tree effect extended to the couple’s wonderful centerpieces as well. The overall feel was totally magical – almost like an indoor walk through Central Park on a beautiful October day. Don’t miss Andrew Henderson’s beautiful photos of the day.
And as if that weren’t enough NYC fabulousness for one wedding, we’re also smitten with Julia and Max’s adorable invitations by Bella Figura, featuring whimsical sketches of classic NYC icons – like a subway train pulling away with a “Just Married” sign! Too cute!
There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked ravishing in Monique Lhuillier – to fill you in on the details…
How we met
Julia, the bride: Max and I met over a summer internship at Morgan Stanley while still in college. The two of us were alphabetically seated next to each other during a week of training in Manhattan, and immediately thought the other was special. Even though we had planned to work on different coasts post-graduation, we made our relationship work long distance. A few years later, Max joined me in California where we’ve now been living together for 4 years.
A New York Wedding
Max and I got married at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. We are both born and raised New Yorkers, but now live on the West Coast. We wanted a venue that was iconic and with lots of city energy.
Whimsy and Warmth
The theme of the wedding really didn’t come together until a couple months before our date. We wanted to create a whimsical, fun, and outdoor feel to the space and decided against the traditional delicate, wedding flowers. The one word we kept using to describe how we wanted the night to feel was “warm”.
Autumn in New York is our favorite time of year, so we brought those warm, Autumn trees inside. We also transformed the Cipriani vaulted ceilings to display dancing stars. It felt magical. We didn’t use a wedding planner. Our florist, Matthew Kolins, at Atlas and Cipriani made the whole evening run perfectly.
Invitation
Our invitation by Bella Figura was playful. We used sketches of NYC and our venue to get people excited for the weekend. On the invite, we had an NYC subway train pulling away with a “Just Married” sign. I had to rein myself in from adding a bagel to our wax seal, but I think we were able to strike a good balance between different, yet sophisticated.
A Monique Lhuillier Dress
My dress was from Monique Lhuillier. After-party dress was from Pamela Roland.
Accessories
Eric Harris at Niletti. He decked me out with gorgeous necklaces and bracelets and of course our wedding rings!
Shoes
Ceremony shoes were sparkly heels from Louboutin, but I immediately changed into chunky platforms so I could dance.
Hair + Makeup
I decided how I wanted to wear my hair the day of the wedding. I knew I wanted a wave, but I didn’t know how I wanted to part it or if I should wear it half up, half down. We went with an old school, dramatic Hollywood wave in the end. Kerry-Lou and Pro Style Crew made us feel glamorous!
Bridesmaids
I wanted my bridesmaids to look and feel their best. They all wore shades of navy in whatever style they wanted. They all looked great.
Ceremony
We were so blessed to have Max’s great grandmother with us for our wedding. She was 101 at the time, and she’s now 102! She flew in from Florida and opened the ceremony by walking down the aisle. She is a sight to be seen. Completely radiant. We’re so lucky to have that memory forever.
Max and I read our own vows. This was a really emotional and happy experience for us.
We weren’t sure if we would be nervous, but under our chuppah, made of trees, it felt like it was only us there. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was being wrapped in the tallis while our cantor sang the seven blessings. Her voice was so beautiful; it felt like we were wrapped in her song. It was a special, intimate moment.
Our music choice
We’re big John Mayer fans. I walked down the aisle to a string version of ‘You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me’, and we returned from the aisle walking to ‘Your Smiling Face’ by James Taylor. We kept it modern.
Flowers
We kept with the fall theme the whole evening. The centerpieces were big autumn trees with hanging candles. Cipriani flipped the room during the cocktail hour. The reception was in the same main room that we just had the ceremony in, but it was a completely different feel. We wanted the reception to be one, big party.
Our band was front and center. Atlas separated our chuppah and placed the four trees at the corners of the dance floor. They even hung disco balls from their branches to liven up the room. The best part was the starry night lights that dotted the ceiling. The room was full of energy.
Photographer
We used Andrew Henderson as our photographer. He and his partner were great at action shots but didn’t get in the way or change the moment. They just blended into the evening and captured the day as it unfolded.
Food and cake
Cipriani was also our caterer. Our cake was from Janet Ben Ami Cake. We thought it would be unique if our cake was a painting of how the the room looked. It was a navy cake with butter cream fall trees and stars. For the after party, we passed around our favorite NYC sandwich the H17 from Milano’s.
We stuck toothpicks in them that said “If you know, you know”. That was a fun surprise for our guests who went to school together at Columbia. Milano’s was a staple for them back in college.
Entertainment
We went with The Dylan Matthew Band from Hank Lane, and they killed it. They had a big horn section and powerful voices. The lead singer was rocking an afro and a kippah; he knew how to cater to his crowd. We actually found our afterparty DJ one night when we were at a friend’s birthday at the Jane in Manhattan.
We were having the best night and loving his music, so I asked him for a business card to see if he would play at our wedding, and he agreed. We tried to bring downtown vibes to Cipriani for the last hour of the night.
Max’s surprise
The absolute highlight of the wedding was when Max pulled off a big surprise. We were seated at our sweetheart table for two about to start the main course, when he turns to me and says “I have to go!” and then bolts off. I was a little upset because I didn’t want to be alone. A minute later I see him appear, on stage, seated at the piano.
He begins to serenade me with Billy Joel’s “She’s Got A Way”. Max comes from a musical family, and this was the ultimate display of affection. I felt so loved. Everyone cheered him on and even gave him a standing ovation. Still smiling thinking about it.
JULIE & MAX’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Andrew Henderson
Band – The Dylan Matthew Band from Hank Lane
Invitation – Bella Figura
Venue – Cipriani
Bride’s dress – Monique Lhuillier. After-party dress was from Pamela Roland
Bride’s shoes – Louboutin
Bride’s accessories – Eric Harris at Niletti
Hair + Makeup – Kerry Lou and the Pro Style Crew
Flowers – Matthew Kolins at AtlasCatering – Cipriani
Cake – Janet Ben Ami Cake
Ketubah – Ruth Becker
Lighting – Star Group Pro
After party sandwiches – Milano
String Quartet – Jen Herman Strings
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Gorgeous photos and what a great wedding! Love that first bridal party shot, beautiful!