Brooklyn NY Wedding - Fine Art Film — Bridal Gowns, Wedding Shoes, Jewelry

Brooklyn NY Wedding - Fine Art Film.

If I’ve learned anything from the hundreds of wedding magazines I browsed while I was engaged, it’s that almost every bride thinks her day was the #BestDayEver. In this respect, I suppose I’m not much different.

Even today, as I mill through wedding photos and plead with my nervous system to play nice, I am humbled by the outpouring of love in our lives. Many will not understand the miracle of #NVinceable (a hashtag months in the making) because I often “look” or “seem” “fine.” But those who know us well, know what a journey these past two years have been. They know how desperately I wished to still have the wedding of our dreams— to walk down the aisle sans cane or wheelchair, to dance the night away surrounded by our loved ones, to share our favorite things with our favorite people. I wanted “magic.” And, my God, did the weekend deliver.

Our favorite details: With Vince originally being from London, and our friends and family being scattered across multiple states and countries, our wedding would be the first time in our nearly eleven years of dating that we'd have all of our loved ones together in one place. We wanted to take the opportunity to make sure the wedding was truly a reflection of us--as individuals and as a couple--and that we got to share our favorite things with all of our favorite people. So many people pitched in to make the weekend perfect. From Andrea and Nelson, the owners of a beautiful historic B&B, graciously taking over and setting up our rehearsal dinner on the patio, overlooking the Hudson, to the cakes that my grandmother and Vince's mom made for the wedding and farewell brunch, every bit of the wedding spoke of love. My pastor from my church in Boston officiated the ceremony, incorporating personal touches and setting a tone that was perfectly us. Not a single detail escaped us about that weekend. Our friend had painted two watercolors of our venue which I then used to design the invitations and welcome bags for our guests. Since Vince and I both like to cook, we designed recipe cards as part of our invitation suite so that we could incorporate each guest's speciality into a family cookbook. The front of each menu contained one of our photos of a place we had been or traveled with a brief story about the place. And because we love desserts (perhaps as much as our cocktails), we had all of our favorite desserts and cakes at the wedding--from traditional Jamaican Black Cake (as a nod to Vince's Jamaican heritage), to my grandmother's Puerto Rican rum cake, and cakes from the bakery Vince's uncle used to order from before he passed away. We made sure to have a percussionist play along with the DJ as homage to my late grandfather, whose house was always the site of impromptu parties where everyone would grab an instrument and play, and sing, and dance. And Whimsy Weddings made sure the hallway leading to wedding space was filled with greenery and photos of our loved ones (both passed and present). It truly felt like every bit of our histories was represented and celebrated that weekend. It was pure magic. I only wish we could do it again.

Photography: Mariel Hannah Photography

Planners/Florals: Whimsy Weddings

Venue: Garner Arts Center

Catering and Drinks: Clover Club

Hair & Makeup: JoAnn Soloman + Courtney McGuire

Pastor: Emmett G. Price III

Ceremony Music: Evan Lewis and Sasha Aleksandra George

Food: Ryan Brown Catering New York

DJ: Beyond Events

Maintenance staff of Garner Arts Center + Frank Ahn Studio

Hotel: Casa Hudson

Golf Carts: Rockland Golf Cart s