In Her Words:
Andrew and I met on a rainy New York night in November of 2005 just days before he left to go back to Scotland for the holidays (potentially never come back to the states again). We kept in touch through email and exchanged Christmas cards. As luck would have it, Andrew was promoted at work, came back to New York in January, and we began dating the following week. We were inseparable until he received a job offer in San Francisco in 2008. We decided to continue our relationship long distance (2,912 miles to be exact!). After 14 months, Andrew was transferred back to New York to be the East Coast Brand Ambassador for The Balvenie. Three months after he returned, he surprised me with a birthday trip to Barcelona (our favorite vacation). He proposed the first night at our favorite tapas restaurant and we spent the next few days blissfully wandering around the city enjoying springtime in Spain.
We were lucky that our venue was so naturally beautiful and eclectic that we didn’t have to do too much of our own decorating around the property. We had our ceremony in the formal gardens and provided guests with prosecco, fans, and paper parasols to keep cool on this summer day. We had a string trio play some of our favorite modern day songs while guests waited for the ceremony to begin. To announce the arrival of the bride and signal transitions from each event throughout the evening, we had Andrew’s friend and fellow Balvenie member of staff play the bagpipes. We were honored to have him in our company as he played Stella McCartney down the aisle when she was married and also went on tour with Madonna. Andrew and I created a custom ceremony with our officiant Revered Jim Rooney (who hails from Scotland) that included love poems by Scottish and American authors that resonated with us. In the marquee, we wanted to create a rustic romantic setting. The farmhouse tables for the reception were custom made for the event. Our florist Maggie from Stems created a beautiful dance of flowers and candles among all the long tables in the room. Each table had its own unique collection of vessels and flowers all grounded by antique doilies collected by myself and family. For our escort cards, we asked our guests with our invitations to draw their self-portraits. They proved to be a great ice breaker and fun keepsake. Menus were personalized and doubled as place cards with each guest’s name printed at the top. For our wedding cake presentation, we chose to have a mix of different size cakes and cupcakes set upon antique cake stands. For our wedding cake, I found these cute little Scottish bride and groom (complete with kilt) bird cake toppers that added the perfect little touch of whimsy to our cake. For an exciting surprise for our guests, we had a food truck drive up from the city to provide our guests with a late night snack. Lastly, how could I not mention the beautiful sunny day we had that helped solidify this happy occasion.
Andrew and I couldn’t have asked for a lovelier day for our nuptials. It was truly the best day of our lives thus far and we couldn’t be happier with how everything came together. One of our greatest joys from the weekend came from how much fun all of our friends and families had together and the new lifelong friendships that were made. We couldn’t have been blessed with a more special day or people to spend it with.
Venue – The Belvedere Mansion
Dress – Ceremony – Jenny Lee
Sash by Lela Rose
After Pary Dress – Carol Hannah
Shoes – Jimmy Choo and Jerome C. Rousseau
Bridesmaid dresses – J.Crew
Flower girl – Crewcuts Dress, Shoes, and Accessories
Necklaces – Ceremony and Reception – J.Crew
Afterparty – Kenneth Jay Lane
Locket Bracelet – Brooklyn Charm<
Earrings – Family Heirloom
Veil – Erica Koesler via Lovely Bride
After Party Clutch – Bhldn
Invites – Spark Letterpress (custom designed by Andrea) via Village Invites
Menus, Programs, Rehearsal Dinner Invites – Village Invites
Flowers – Stems (Tables custom made for the event by Rhinebeck Rentals)
Band – City Rhythm
Ceremony music – Bag Piper – Lorne Cousin; Amante Strings
Officiant – Reverend Jim Rooney
Wedding Planner – Laura Kral
Videographer – Kiss the Bride Films
Photobooth – Majestic Photobooth
Food Truck – Big D’s Grub Truck
Kilt – Lochcarron via Debonair
Jacket, Vest, and Shirt Doyle Mueser Bespoke
Cufflinks – Billy Reid
Father of the bride suit – Alton Lane
Cakes – The Pastry Garden; Topper by Clootielugs
Hair and make up – Khris Wilson khriswilson68@gmail.com (hair) and Megan La Tua Bella (make up)
Fascinators – Lovecraft by Lisa Dininger http://www.etsy.com/shop/LovecraftDesign
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