An Isabelle Armstrong Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Killer Manhattan Views and an Orchid Chuppah at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York, New York, USA

There are no words for how obsessed we are with epic orchid chuppah. With lucite columns draped in strands of gorgeous flowers, it’s just SO dreamy. And don’t even get us started on the backdrop of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

It doesn’t get much more quintessentially NYC than the Jewish wedding of Vlada, who works in corporate banking, and Joshua, a corporate and bankruptcy litigation attorney (#2beepst). Between their venue — high atop the landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel — their magnificent New York skyline cake by none other than Ron Ben Israel, and the bride’s Isabelle Armstrong dress purchased from Kleinfeld.The couple even had a wedding announcement in the New York Times!

It wouldn’t be the ultimate NYC wedding without a touch of celebrity, and Kevin Osborne Band from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hank Lane provided that and then some — Kevin is a backup singer for Billy Joel, in addition to being an awesome band leader in his own right.

Felix from Fred Marcus captured all the glam details and jawdropping views with aplomb, and Frank Ahn from Frank Ahn Films recorded the emotion of the day so well.

Okay, now over to the bride…

How We Met

Vlada, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual family rabbi named Joseph Potasnik.

  
A Manhattan Wedding

We got married at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York. We live seven blocks away from the hotel and always go there for drinks. We love the view; it is second to none in Manhattan.

Planning by the Bride

I did not use a wedding planner, I was the planner 🙂 . I grew up in New York and knew most of the vendors I wanted to use. I used Instagram as an inspiration for the rest of the details.

Elegant Invitations

I wanted the wedding invitation to be chic yet elegant. I believe that is the feel and look that I achieved.

An Isabelle Armstrong Dress

I got my dress at Kleinfeld; the designer was Isabelle Armstrong. One of my bridesmaids and close friends actually found my dress. It was very different than what I had envisioned; however, I got the feeling of it being “the one” as soon as I tried it on.

Hair Accessories

I had a side clip from Bridal Styles Boutique, a hair accessories place in Brooklyn.

Valentino Shoes

I got beautiful crystal Valentino sandals with a clear heel, very Cinderella.

Hair + Makeup

I used Brushed with Honey, Stephanie Duell for hair and Sophia Beskkasnova for makeup. I wanted a very natural, elegant look.

The handsome groom

He wore a custom Zegna tuxedo, Ferragamo shoes, and Tom Ford bow tie.

Bridesmaids in Pink

I had 5 of my closest friends as my bridesmaids/maid of honor. However, my maid of honor actually went into labor two weeks early on the day of my wedding so my cousin stepped in to walk down the aisle. The bridesmaids wore a pale pink which matched the theme and flowers.

A Lucite Chuppah with Orchids

I knew I wanted to use orchids, and I wanted the chuppah to appear to be floating over NYC. I browsed through a bunch on Instagram that’s where I found my lucite chuppah. I reached out to the person who created it for the picture I found on Instagram, and they ended up recreating it for me – it ended up being my favorite part of the ceremony!

I wanted the ketubah to be simple yet elegant. The designer was Melanie Dankowicz.

Fly Me to the Moon

I chose to walk down the aisle to Christina Perri A Thousand Years. The words in the song really resonated with me. The bridal party walked down the aisle to Hebrew music my mother-in-law picked out; she and my husband also walked down to Hebrew music.

Our first dance was Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra – we both love that song.

Orchids and Peonies

I used two florists, Alex Florist for the reception/cocktail hour and Aramat for the chuppah. I chose orchids and peonies mostly for the flowers: peonies make the room smell incredible and orchids are beautiful. 

Photographer and videographer

I used Felix from Fred Marcus and Frank Ahn from Frank Ahn Films. They did a friend of mine’s wedding which was also held at the Mandarin and I loved their work.

A Ron Ben Israel Cake

I used Ron Ben Israel to create my cake. I designed the cake myself; I wanted a skyline of New York to go with the NYC theme. 

A Live Band

I used Kevin Osborne Band from Hank Lane. Kevin is a lead backup singer for Billy Joel and my husband loves Billy Joel, so it was a very easy decision.

A Memory Book

My mother-in-law created a book which told the histories of my husband’s family and my family and the start of our lives together. It also contains prayers for the Jewish holidays and Shabbat; it is a lovely favor and memory.

Maid of honor in Labor

My maid of honor went into labor on the morning of the wedding day, which made it a little hectic (to put it mildly)! It was also the Israel Day parade and her hospital was on the east side so she had to get a police escort to be able to cross town to get to the hospital. The police officer that ended up randomly escorting her to the hospital ended up being someone she hasn’t seen in 20 years and had gone to high school with.

A Honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast

We went to the Amalfi Coast, started in Milan, Santa Margherita, Portofino, Naples, Pompei, Positano, and Capri. We both love Italy and have not gone to the Amalfi Coast before.

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

Get a bridal dresser!!! She was the best decision I made. I used Edna Parker who came highly recommended to me by two different people. I was very happy I hired her.

Vlada & Joshua’s little white book

Photography – Fred Marcus
Videography – Frank Ahn Films
Band – Kevin Osborne Band from Hank Lane
Venue – Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Bride’s dress – Isabelle Armstrong purchased at Kleinfeld
Bride’s shoes – Valentino
Bride’s accessories – Bridal Styles Boutique
Groom’s attire – Zegna, Ferragamo and Tom Ford
Hair + Makeup – Brushed with Honey
Flowers – Alex Florist and Aramat
Cake – Ron Ben Israel
Ketubah – Melanie Dankowicz
Invitations – Fancy That