Okay, how adorable is Carly and Seth’s antique chuppah?! So unique, and such a perfect fit for their country venue. And we also love that they went on an antiquing trip — a tradition in Carly’s family — with the intention of finding their wedding canopy — aww! The one they chose needed a little extra TLC, but you’d never know to look at it in their beautiful photos by Kathy Thomas.
Carly, who runs HR at a private equity firm in NYC, and Seth, a retail operations consultant, opted for just some light floral accents — in the form of roses, natch — so as not to detract from the vintage structure, and we think they got it just right.
Between the gorgeous rustic-chic aesthetic and the fab party, courtesy of Reggie Woods from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hank Lane — who led an 11-piece band in funk and oldies all night long— this is one wedding we seriously wish we could’ve attended.
Now over to Carly, who looked so effortlessly elegant in her Theia dress…
Jersey Chateau
Carly and Seth, the bride and the groom: We got married at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, NJ. We were trying to find a place in between where our families were (New York > Southern New Jersey). Carly’s father had a friend who had attended a wedding at this location which prompted a visit.
We really wanted an easy outdoor feel. The Pleasantdale Chateau offered the structure of a well organized wedding venue with the ease of an outdoor ceremony and cocktail reception. They also have an amazing solarium. When we (Seth and Carly) saw that room in our initial visit, we decided that we would have the first look in that room.
A Theia Dress
My dress was a Theia. Initially, I wanted a custom dress that was very simple and comfortable – I was hyper-focused on comfort. My mother and I went to Lovely Bride in NYC and it was the second dress I tried on. I wouldn’t take it off!
Family Diamonds
My (Carly’s) parents made a bracelet out of family diamonds to wear on the day. My sister-in-law bought my veil for me, which added significance as well.
Rene Caovilla Shoes
My shoes were Rene Caovilla. I felt strongly about not having typical white wedding shoes and loved the detail on the back. I also fell in love with the glitter sole of the shoes!!
The handsome groom
Seth wore all custom Peter Millar. We did not want a black tie theme, so Seth set the tone with a light taupe suit with a grey and white striped shirt topped with a taupe tie with small white polka dots. He found “S” cufflinks from an antique store one weekend and wore those as well! He also had his grandfather’s gold toothpick in his pocket, which was a nice addition just for his knowledge only!
Newlywed Bridesmaids
My bridesmaids were my sisters-in-law, who were both married within months of our wedding, so it made it even more exciting. We were all in each other’s weddings. I gave them a color and barely saw anything until the day they hung their dresses up in the bridal suite. They did an amazing job coordinating!
An Antique Chuppah
Carly’s family has visited Brimfield Antique Market for the last few years. That is actually the first time they met Seth. We went the year of our wedding with the intention of finding a chuppah!
We saw one that we liked but there was kind of a broken down one in the background that caught our eye. We decided on the one that needed a bit of work! We had it on top and inside of the car for a very long ride home! We almost thought we were going to lose it during the ride, but it stayed put!
We wanted the chuppah to be very natural and rustic, so our floral designer added minimal accents, but just enough to make it beautiful.
You Are the Best Thing
We had a quartet during the ceremony and cocktail hour. They played classical and more recent tunes, which got all of our guests involved. We had an 11-piece band that was instructed to solely play funk and oldies, which was fun too!
Our first dance was to You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontangne. Carly’s friend had recommended it and said “this should be your wedding song” and we decided she was right!
Last-Minute Flowers
We had a rocky story with our flowers. Our original florist ditched us at the last minute. It was a blessing in disguise because Carly’s mom found Debbie’s Designs (who work closely with Pleasantdale as well). They did such a gorgeous job and truly provided exactly what Carly’s vision was.
Photographer
Our photographer is Kathy Thomas. She was Seth’s friend for years (long before meeting Carly)! When Carly came along, she was introduced to Kathy and a year or so in – Kathy even took “practice” engagement photos of us. Carly thought FOR SURE Seth was going to propose, but he didn’t!
A few years later, he did propose and it was no question that we would work with Kathy for our engagement and wedding photos (and hopefully family photos one day soon!). She made us so comfortable and we felt like we had an opportunity to be able to enjoy the process with a true friend!
A Local Honeymoon
We went to Long Beach Island, NJ. Seth had been going there since childhood and introduced it to Carly pretty early on in our relationship. We went there for a week and our friends/family came to visit throughout that time.
Carly & Seth’s little white book
Photography – Kathy Thomas
Venue – Pleasantdale Chateau
Bride’s dress – Theia found and fitted at Lovely Bride
Bride’s shoes – Rene Caovilla
Groom’s attire – Peter Millar
Flowers – Debbie’s Designs
Band – Reggie Woods from Hank Lane
Chuppah – Brimfield Antique Market
