Wedding | Christina & Paul

Tell us a little about yourselves!  

We’re both artists and creatives! Christina runs her own business as an illustrator, designer, muralist, and hand-lettering artist and Paul is an art director in advertising. We love living in Brooklyn and taking advantage of everything that  NYC has to offer.

We’re both active and adventurous — Christina is a former ballerina and Paul an avid runner. We’ve been together for 10 years so our approach to our wedding felt like a true creative culmination of our relationship and celebration of the life we’ve created together in New York.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?  

We knew we wanted to do a really intimate brownstone ceremony that felt like a reflection of our love story and neighborhood in Brooklyn, and wanted to find a reception venue that felt unique, warm, and full of life.

When we visited Brooklyn Grange (the first and only wedding venue we visited!), we completely fell in love with the rooftop farm, the perfect combo of city and nature, the amazing views of the skyline and the casual but chic vibe that it effortlessly created. We were so lucky to get a beautiful, sunny day to really let the rooftop at the Grange shine and enjoy the views and sunset with all of our guests. And Frank’s House was the perfect complement that had a gorgeous stoop and beautifully restored parlor area for us to enjoy with our family and friends.

How many guests did you have?  

We had 20 guests (immediate family and our wedding party) for our brownstone ceremony, and 70 guests (more friends and extended family) for our reception.

Tell us about your outfits.  

Christina loves Liz Martinez’s bridal style and how everything she makes feels so light and feminine, and specifically fell in love with this dress as soon as she saw it. She wanted something a little non-traditional and editorial that still felt glam and would be easy to move through all parts of the day in. The neck scarf, beaded floral appliqué bodice and detachable cathedral overskirt gave the perfect mix of  everything she wanted while adding some extra drama.

Paul knew he wanted to do a classic custom black tux so we could feel timeless and complement all the color infused into the rest of the wedding day.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?  

Ultimately, we wanted the day to feel like a really cozy celebration more than a traditional wedding; like the best dinner party (and dance party) with our family and friends. Since we are both creatives who love to host, it was really important for us to also incorporate handmade, intentional details that brought us joy and captured us as a couple. We kind of ended up creating a love letter to New York with so many of our design and planning choices in the process!  

We said from the beginning that we wanted it to feel like one big creative collaboration, and having some time baked in for just the two of us to enjoy everything, be present, and celebrate together was really important to us as well.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

Color and curated maximalism were at the center of the design vibe we were going for, and we had so much fun creating our color palette and making special printed pieces to share and have as keepsakes for years to come. We designed mini riso printed zines for our save the dates, letter-pressed and die-cut cards for our invitation suite, and foil metro card keychains for each guest on our seating chart.  We brought in (many) disco balls, handmade paper flowers, colorful linens and glassware to create a sparkly, textured, warm, and thoughtful experience for everyone celebrating with us!  

We knew we wanted to incorporate a lot of vintage touches as well: our audio guestbook, film photography, super 8 video coverage, and the 1960’s checker cab that we rode through Manhattan in between our ceremony and reception. Having  those couple of hours to just enjoy together in the city was one of the most fun and memorable parts of the wedding day for us!

Any tips for couples getting married?  

There are so many expectations for couples getting married and planning a wedding, and our best tip would be to truly center what feels like you both and what sounds comfortable, fun, full of joy and aligned with how you want to celebrate. Who cares what the normal timeline or setup or anything suggested to you is…it’s ultimately your day to create memories that feel authentic to you both and like a perfect celebration of your love story. That type of energy is so contagious for everyone attending a wedding, and creates such a good atmosphere for the whole day.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about? 

From the beginning, we were intentional about hiring only women for our main vendors, and we ended up with an absolute dream team of powerhouse women that made the day everything we could have asked for and more!

Our photography and video vendors, Parker and Walls (and their assistants) at Parker Pictures, were absolute MAGIC; the energy they brought was so amazing and infectious, and it  made every part of our day feel like we were in a movie.

We also can’t say enough about our florist, Ashley, from Tender Florist, who delivered the dreamiest stoop installation for our ceremony, and Emily, from Lael Cakes, who created our insanely gorgeous cake that felt like a work of art (and was so delicious!).

Our catering team from Campbell & Co. also served  an incredible vegan-friendly mix between cocktail hour and dinner that all of our guests loved, and our DJ, Twin T, kept everyone on the dance floor all night.

They all created such magic for our day that we couldn’t be more grateful for.

Photographer: Parker’s Pictures  @parkers.pictures | Second Shooter: Natasha Jahangir @natashajahangirweddings | Assistant: Benjamin Inman Photo @benjamininmanphoto | Planning:  Avalinda @avalindaco | Styling, Stationary & Signage: X & Co. @x_and_co | Flora: Tender Florist  @tenderflorist | Videographer: Walls Trimble @trimblenator | Ceremony Location: Frank’s House @thisisfrankshouse | Reception Location: Brooklyn Grange @brooklyngrange | Rentals: Patina @rentpatina, Broadway Party Rentals @broadwaypartyrentals & Universal Light & Sound NYC @ulsnyc | Catering & Beverages: Campbell & Co. @campbellandco.nyc | Cake: Lael Cakes @laelcakes | Entertainment: June Events @_juneevents_ | Bridal Suite: The Bird House Salon @birdhousesalon | Dress: Spina Bride @spinabride & Liz Martinez @lizmartinezbridal | Suit: Enzo Custom @enzocustom | Veil: Etsy | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth @brilliantearth | Shoes: Badgley Mischka @badgleymischka & Gianvito Rossi @oliviaboutique | Jewellery: Nadri @nadrijewelry