I had just over four months to help Lara and David plan their intimate wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The first thing we had to work on quickly was their invitation suite with Bella Figura. We opted for a clean and modern design with a vellum decorated with oversized white flowers.
The welcome dinner the night before the wedding took place at Red Hat on the River. The two level venue has enormous windows and gorgeous views of the Hudson River. We used the mezzanine level for a smaller dinner and more guests joined later for passed hors d’oeuvres and dessert. Everyone really enjoyed being outdoors and watching the sunset.
Lara wore a Danielle Frankel gown with a raised cowl neck and bias cut silk wool long sleeves. She looked absolutely gorgeous with a fabulous glam team, Marissa Molnar and Sophia Vallejos, by her side all afternoon. She wore her hair in a chignon, which was so elegant with the backless gown. I do recommend having hair and makeup stay for touch ups during outdoor summer weddings or if you happen to cry a lot! We usually plan for portraits before the wedding, so the couple and their wedding parties can enjoy the actual wedding and not be caught up in portraits during cocktail hour. It is a nice bonus to have the glam team stay through portraits and a final touch up before or after the ceremony, so the bride can feel extra confident before walking down the aisle.
Lara and David wanted a really fun, upbeat and celebratory feel to their ceremony. The Band Method curated a gospel choir to help us achieve that! They performed for 30 minutes as guests were arriving and finding their seats. For the ceremony, they sang “No One” for the processional, “Latch” for the bride processional and “Simply the Best” for the recessional. Westerman Designs incorporated fun purple alliums into the ceremony aisle and urn arrangements.
Guests moved to the Dooryard Garden for cocktail hour with passed canapes:
Cucumber Gazpacho
Vegetables from the Farm
Corn Burgers
Widow's Hole Oyster
Whole Wheat Cracker, Smoked Sungold Tomatoes, Sarvecchio, Basil
Chickpea tart, Squash, Quail Egg
Polenta & Pastrami
Mushroom Donuts
Signature cocktails:
The First Straw: Peaches and sungold tomatoes, reposado tequila, madeira, lemon, tomato and peach salt
The Fashion: Cherry and chamomile bourbon, Cherry bordeaux syrup, charred cedar and chocolate bitters
We had an electric violin join the cocktail musicians, because Lara wanted a Bridgerton vibe to the cocktails in the lush vegetable and flower garden.
Lara and David stole away for a short time for some stunning sunset portraits with Molly McCauley before we started the dinner service.
For dinner, Lara and David had a 10 piece band The Miami Project perform. The flowers were in a palette of creamy white, pale lavender and deeper purples. With roses, ranunculus, dahlia, stock and sweetpea. Taper candles in varying neutral shades in gold metallic holders decorated the head table. For dinner:
I SUMMER VEGETABLE SALAD
strawberries, ginger-garbanzo hummus, crispy buckwheat
Domaine Trotereau ‘Château de Quincy’, Loire Valley, France 2022
II CANNELLONI
ricotta, smoked tomato
Presqu’ile Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California 2022
III GRASS-FED BEEF
eight row flint corn, squash pistou
Château Brane-Cantenac ‘Margaux de Brane’, Bordeaux, France 2019
IV BLUE HILL WEDDING CAKE
Chocolate einkorn, with layers of strawberries, chocolate mousse and Stone Barns Honey buttercream
After a good round of dancing, late night snacks were passed with Fried Chicken Sliders, Chicken Empanadas and Sausage Rolls. What a party! Thank you to Molly McCauley for capturing all the good times.
Planning: Ang Weddings and Events | Venue: Blue Hill at Stone Barns | Photography: Molly McCauley | Flowers: Westerman Design | Music: The Miami Project Band via The Band Method | Hair: Marissa Molnar | Makeup: Sophia Vallejos | Gown: Danielle Frankel | Jewelry: Kwiat Diamonds | Invite: Bella Figura | Calligraphy: Megan Fahy | Photobooth: Amazebooths | Transport: Red Oak | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Red Hat on the River