Okay, we’re still picking our jaws up off the floor from this INCREDIBLE chuppah. I mean… wow. Bride Rebecca says she felt like she was in a magical forest, and we can’t really think of a better way to put it than that. You don’t want to miss the exquisite photos by Cristina Calvi and Hy Goldberg.
Rebecca and Eric, who both work in finance, wanted to bring the outdoors in to their big day – despite getting married smack dab in the center of Manhattan – and did they ever. The fairytale trees and flowers surrounding the couple under their chuppah, amidst an uber-romantic background of flickering candles, was just beyond.
The flowers for the rest of the wedding were totally outstanding, too – the arches of hanging ombre wisteria that formed the backdrop of the badeken, the luxe tablecenters, even the flowers adorning the couple’s gorgeous wedding cake.
Now over to the bride…
How we met
Rebecca, the bride: We grew up only a few blocks from each other and were one grade apart, but we “officially” met and starting dating in high school (Rebecca’s junior year, Eric’s senior year) and we have been together ever since. We only figured out years after we started dating that we had been on the same bus in elementary school!
Timeless Elegance
We wanted for our day to have an elegant, classic, timeless feel while also bringing the outdoors in. We wanted their guests to be covered in romance.
The wedding planning process was fun! Having just graduated college, I was really able to enjoy all of the milestones that come with planning a wedding – visiting venues, picking my dress, and meeting with vendors. And it definitely helped that Eric was the most supportive and very easygoing groom! We had worked with some of our vendors in the past, while others were recommended to us.
Our wedding day was truly incredible – of course it got busy at times, but we could not have asked for a better wedding celebration. Everything came out even better than we had envisioned. After 6 years of dating, we were so happy to finally be married and celebrating together with our family and friends.
Our wedding felt like we were in a magical forest, and we owe all of that to Birch Event Design. I told them that I wanted to be surrounded by flowers, and they used a combination of purple and white flowers, vines, and trees to create what truly felt like a fairytale.
The first look
It is too hard to choose just one moment, so we’ll just name one of our many favorite moments of the day: the first look. I came down from the bridal suite dressed in my gown to see Eric waiting for me dressed in his tuxedo. It was very special and emotional, especially since we had not seen each other for the entire week before our wedding!
A Romantic Chuppah
We decided on the design of our chuppah with the help of the amazing team at Birch Event Design. I had described to Josh from Birch that I wanted a chuppah that surrounded us completely with flowers, and that’s exactly what he created. We wanted something whimsical, romantic, and airy, something that looked naturally beautiful. It was exactly what we hoped for.
A Fairytale Ceremony
Our ceremony was held in what we felt was the most beautiful room in the venue and that in itself made the ceremony special. The room combined with the design of our chuppah made us feel like we were in an fairytale. My two favorite parts of the ceremony were, of course, walking down the aisle to find my husband waiting for me, and also the conclusion of the ceremony when our friends danced us out of the room. We felt everyone’s happiness and energy so clearly and were surrounded with love.
Our ketubah designer was Enya Keshet and it was actually a new design for her – ours was the first one made in that pattern.
Park Flowers
Birch Event Design used roses, peonies, ranunculus, hydrangeas, spray roses, and lots of foliage like camellia and mount laurel to reflect back on our color goals of soft and muted colors, whites, dusty lavender, and greens. There were arches of hanging wisteria in various shades for the badeken. The ceremony set up was flanked by four gorgeous trees with the backdrop of a smokescreen with flickering candles behind it to create a mystical ambience. We wanted the ballroom to feel like a beautiful walk in the park.
The proposal
I (Rebecca) was spending the day in the city with my mom doing some errands. We were rushing to complete everything we needed to do and my mom convinced me that in the midst of our rush we had to go to Saks Fifth Avenue to make a return.
When we arrived on the shoe floor, a saleswoman (who I later learned was in on the whole plan), escorted us to the other side of the floor where Eric had set up a proposal with flowers and pictures next to the display that had been set up for Saks’ celebration of the shoe department’s anniversary.
A song written by my dad
One of the biggest surprises of the day was that my father had a song written and composed especially for me to be sung as I walked down the aisle. He worked with the singer, composer, and songwriter to create a song that would be sung for the first time at my wedding. Until the day of the wedding I was planning on walking down to a completely different song – it wasn’t until I was getting ready that morning that my father told me what he had done. It was so special and truly was something I will never forget.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Enjoy every minute and do not let little things get to you! Wedding planning can sometimes be stressful but it shouldn’t be – it should be fun and exciting.
Rebecca & Eric’s little white book
Photography – Cristina Calvi and Hy Goldberg
Venue – Hilton Midtown Hotel
Bride’s dress – Vera Wang
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Flowers and design – Birch Event Design
DJ – Ricky Esses
Catering – RAM Caterers
Photo booth – Pop Box NYC
Rental – Luxe Event Rentals
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