Tell us a little about yourselves!
Seoyoung is an events and pop-up designer at Chanel, Cory is an art director at PlayStation. We deeply appreciate good designs, cool architectures, music, and photography.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Seoyoung always loved TWA Hotel. We visited there a few times and it always felt magical and timeless. After we got engaged, we discussed wedding venues, and Seoyoung said it would be her dream to get married there. Cory said let’s make that dream come true!
How many guests did you have?
90.
What was your budget?
We spent a lot more than we budgeted for. We saved some money elsewhere though; our stationery, signage, invites/collateral were designed by Cory, and Seoyoung planned the wedding.
Tell us about your outfits.
Seoyoung: I didn’t want a dress from the dress shop, I wanted something that’s more editorial. When I found Aje’s pleated dress, I knew right away this is what I am going to wear for our wedding. It also suited the venue, the curves and unconventional look of it fitted perfect! I went for silver metallic Chanel Mary Jane shoes because the color is futuristic, yet the Mary Jane style brings a classic and vintage look.
Cory: I wanted a classic and clean look. I also wanted something that is timeless, a suit that I can wear not just for the wedding but for other occasions in the future. Paul Smith’s Soho Fit was perfect because it has sleek silhouette with bit of satin in the fabric. I matched the suit with a black bowtie.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Seoyoung: As an events amd pop-up designer, the experience of our guests was the most important aspect when I was planning for the wedding. I thought of what the guests would look at and read upon first entering the venue, what they would do, and what they would take with them after the wedding and designed the experience around that.
Space design is what I’m most passionate about, and I needed a vendor who shared that same passion. I designed and shared renders of the space with the vendors. Our florist Zoie of Efflorescent Studio and her team perfectly understood what I was looking for and made my vision come true. The TWA Hotel staff was also very accommodating.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Seoyoung: I wanted to make our wedding super personal. Cory and I worked so hard to have our wedding reflect our personality and tell a story about us. We incorporated both of our mothers artwork at the reception. At the phonebook area, I incorporated Cory’s mom’s quilt and my mom made 50 ceramics for the guests take with them. My best friend who is a candle maker also gifted me pear and carrot shaped candles as gifts for the guests, which I incorporated as part of the floral arrangement at the table.
The next important thing was to embrace my (Korean) culture during the ceremony, respecting the elders and the guests who came to celebrate us. We asked both of our fathers to read us a letter they wrote for us, and we bowed to our parents and guests during the ceremony.
Cory: I’m a graphic designer so naturally I wanted to design the invitations and other collateral for the wedding. We wanted to reference the venue’s legacy as an airport terminal, so I incorporated a vintage aviation motif throughout. I didn’t want it to seem like a “theme” wedding, so these aviation elements weren’t too loud or overt. Our invitations included a fun plane ticket insert inviting our guests to the afterparty on the Connie cocktail lounge (a 1958 Lockheed Constellation plane converted into mid-century modern-styled cocktail lounge, right outside the venue). Our seating chart looked like an airport arrivals board, with table names being cities we visited together, along with fictional flight numbers consisting of dates that are important to us. For the table number cards, I designed corresponding postcards for each city, with pictures of us from our travels. We even made our own fictional airline logo (S&C Air!)
Any tips for couples getting married?
Find vendors who share your values and understand your style. Interview a few different vendors until you find the one you want to work with. Don’t be afraid of adding color and personal touch to your wedding!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Seoyoung: Zoie of Efflorescent Studio and Parker Selman of Parkers Pictures were perfect creative partners to work with. I love both of their styles and personalities! They both are super-confident and passionate about their work. When you know they love what they do, you can give them your full trust.
Eyal Vilner, the jazz band leader, is also amazing. We didn’t want a dance floor at the reception, but Cory proposed to me at a jazz bar, so it made sense to provide our guests a nice jazz set during dinner. Eyal and his trio couldn’t have delivered a better performance. We didn’t give him a preferred song list; he performed in a true New York way. The trio consisted of Saxophone, Bass and piano keyboard.
Cory: Our officiant, Rev Annie, really captured our personality and the essence of our relationship and translated it beautifully into the ceremony script. It really felt tailored to us, and she made sure we felt comfortable and at ease. The ceremony was nicely-paced, and her oration created a warm and loving vibe.
We wanted to be able to enjoy ourselves on the big day and not have any worries, so we hired Jada, our day-of coordinator via GTHR. Jada worked with us for about a month to build a precise schedule and handle communications with all the vendors as the date drew near. She was always super-punctual and put our concerns at ease. On the wedding day, we couldn’t believe how smoothly it went! She really made everything run super-smooth.
We also wanted to shoutout our friends Ben and Justin, who handled the audio equipment and helped with the disposable cameras we left at the tables.
Photographer: Parker Selman @parkers.pictures | Second Shooter: Natasha Jahangir @natashajahangir for Parkers Pictures | Ceremony Location: The Sunken Lounge at TWA Hotel @twahotel | Reception Location: v1962 Ballroom at TWA Hotel @twahotel | Celebrant: Reverend Annie | Entertainment: Eyal Vilner (Jazz Trio) @eyal_vilner_big_band | Styling: By the couple | Flora:
Efflorescent Studio @ef.flor.escent | HMUA: Sarah Higgins @makeupby____sarah | Catering + Beverages: TWA Hotel @twahotel | Cake: Taste Crème @tastecreme | Stationery: Cory Schmitz
@coryschmitz | Day Of Co-Ordination: GTHR @letsgthr | Seoyoung’s Dress: Aje @ajeworld | Cory’s Suit: Paul Smith @paulsmith | Engagement + Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth @brilliantearth | Shoes:
Chanel @chanel (Seoyoung) + Paul Smith @paulsmith (Cory) | Seoyoung's Jewellery: Numbering