Our Wedding (Part I) :: Our Dinner Decor

Well, we are back! After a wedding that felt like a fairy tale and a honeymoon that was stretched out for nearly two weeks in France and Italy, I have many amazing stories to tell.  They say your wedding day is one of the best days of your life and I could not have agreed more.  Not only did I marry the most amazing man and my best friend, but I was surrounded by the people that mean the most to me.  In order to tell how everything unfolded I am going to break it up into three parts starting with the reception decor.  And the honeymoon, oh, stay tuned! I took so many photos to try to capture the beauty of France and Italy and I hope that I was able to do it justice.  

When choosing our wedding venue the most important thing was that it was a reflection of who we were as a couple.  We decided to forgo the traditional reception and do a dinner where there conversation would be flowing, the location a bit rustic and the food would be exceptional.   Frankie's 457 in Brooklyn was an easy choice, not because it is around the corner from where we live but because it had everything that we wanted and more - exposed brick, long tables, a European flair (we adore the rambling grape vines and twinkling Thomas Edison style lights that create a romantic ambiance) and delicious food that would have our guests talking for months to come.  Since I have a great love for styling, flowers and baking, I decided to take on all three - it might seem crazy for a bride to do such a thing but this is something that I live for and being a bit particular (okay huge perfectionist!) I wanted to be the one behind the scenes, plus this is something I would dream of doing one day.  

I wanted to keep the flowers a bit whimsical, but tie them into the fact that we got married in a (magical) rose garden.  I incorporated Maria Theresa English garden roses, peonies, olive branches and jasmine to give the arrangements a full, yet colorful effect.  It was with absolute bliss that my sister and I ventured early to the flower market to return with 250 peonies, 150 garden roses and bunches of jasmine and olive branches.  I was very lucky to have my great friend Nuria stay up late with me to help me complete all of the bouquets.  

The tables were covered in white table cloths, but in order to give them a more rustic approach I added a sage green burlap table runner down the middle to pull out the green in the olive branches and jasmine vines.  I am incredibly happy with how the cake turned out, as I mentioned before it was our favorite cake - a white moist cake with layers of sweet orange curd and topped with whipped buttercream, that I decorated with peonies and olive branches.  Our favors, which I will go into a little more detail later were bottles of our favorite olive oils with a custom seal to commemorate our day.  

Event Details:

Venue: Frankies 457, Brooklyn, New York

Photographers: Steve Napholtz, Stephanie Napholtz and Julie Liebman

Flowers, Styling and Cake: By Me (Alison)