I’m loving the blend of vintage and modern in today’s NYC wedding from Samantha Lauren Photographie. You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but this wedding was actually planned in 2 months after the couple’s original venue closed and took all the money they already paid them (mark that under nightmare situation!) With no money left, this couple’s family and friends came together to make sure they still had a beautiful day. The end result is a beautiful handmade wedding and the joy emanating from this couple is so infectious!
I admit-tingly was a girl who dreamed of my wedding day from the time I was a child. My Mother’s Wedding Dress was a regular in my dress up wardrobe and I just always loved the idea of being ‘The Bride’. So when it came time to plan my day, I knew exactly what I wanted. My vision was ‘City Vintage’. I live in New York City and love the balance that the Lower East Side captures. Beautiful old buildings with that city grit, covered in graffiti and bright colors.
Family is incredibly important to me. I am so blessed to have a strong family filled with long and loving marriages. I used the Lace from my Mother’s Veil on not only my Veil but I also had it sewn into a layer of my wedding dress. I also wore my Grandmother’s Garter that she wore when she married my Grandfather 65 years ago.
I found the perfect venue that fit the bill and couldn’t be happier. Sadly, my vision came crashing down 8 weeks before our wedding day when that wedding venue closed and walked with the $18,000.00 we had saved over the past 2 years for our day. We were crushed. With no money and little time left, we scrambled to make it happen. In an amazing turn of events, our incredible family, friends and the communities around us really came together and helped us raise money, donated services and turned something that had initially crushed my faith in humanity into a moment where I realized how amazing the human spirit is. With the help of those around us, we were able to keep our original date and hosted our wedding at Deity. The day was a dream and my original vision not only came to life, but was so much more than I could have ever imagined.
With a tight budget, well really a negative budget, when we had to re-plan the entire day, DIY played a major role. I designed and made the invitations and the ‘cootie catcher’ ceremony programs. I also hand sewed my veil and painted the Welcome Sign for when guests arrived. In addition, I also obtained and printed all the wedding photos of every married couple that attended our wedding and then put out a sign next to each with their wedding date and how long they had been married. I designed the Flower Arrangements as well as the Table #’s which were the NYC Subway Line. The Empire State Cookies on each plate were home made and decorated by my cousin Amanda Kotowski and came hand delivered all the way from Wisconsin and the cupcakes were made by our friend, Lisa Bryan.
The most incredible part of the day, was honestly, all of it. It was a perfect, sunny summer day and the fact that it was still happening despite everything just made us grateful for every moment of it. To be surrounded by all the people that we love all while marrying each other, and the joy that comes with that, was all just so surreal. I look back on our wedding day with nothing but gratitude and love and as a day that forever has a special place in my heart.
Photography | Samantha Lauren Photographie | Venue & Catering | Deity | Florist | Quinn Florist | Dress | Pronovias | Shoes | Badgley Mischka | Jewelry | Miriam Haskell Couture | Bridesmaid Dresses | Macy’s | Hair | Fallon Fitzpatrick | Makeup | Christina Amador Beauty | Alterations | Melfy’s Bridal Alterations | Suit | Sarar | DJ | DJ Trauma | Videography | George Street
