When you receive a wedding with the words elegant, Art Deco and Marsala in the description, you know you’re in for something special. Then when you learn the beautiful bride is also an event and wedding planner…..well, it’s hard not to let out a little eek of excitement let me tell you! And today’s floral extravaganza of a wedding from Matthew & Bo at CLY By Matthew is every bit as dreamy as you would expect!…..

And you will never believe bride Jessica & groom Christopher planned it all in just 10 short months! From the lush and lavish floral designs (we’re talking aisle arches, cascading bouquets and opulent centrepieces) in deep shades of red and rich Marsala, to the delicious looking cake and the moonshine favours, it is the epitome of modern Gatsby Glamour. And it all started with finding the perfect venue for the elegant celebration they envisioned for their big day.

“Our theme was Art Deco with gold and burgundy as the main colors, which are my two favorite colors. I love everything vintage, and the art deco era has always inspired me – there is something so romantic about the “Golden Age”. With our Art Deco theme we knew we did not want a traditional church venue, and I immediately thought of the De Seversky Mansion on Long Island near my childhood home.  It is an incredible “Gold Coast Mansion” out of the 1920’s, which was just perfect! And I grew up in Long Island so it was important to me that we get married there. The De Seversky Mansion is so unique because you literally feel like you are in someone’s private home.  Guests absolutely loved wandering the mansion and walking into the different rooms of the estate.”

“I am a nontraditional bride, and have an edgy style, so I wanted a very unique engagement ring in yellow gold.  I read an article in New York Magazine about Ray Griffiths jewelry designer located in Manhattan.  Ray has a signature “Crown work style”, based on his earlier career as an apprentice restoring historic Australian tiaras; it was something I had never seen before and has a very old fashioned vintage feel which I love.  We met with Ray a few months before Chris proposed, and I loved his jewelry in the studio and the incredible amount of detail that Ray personally puts into making each piece. Chris designed the one-of-a-kind ring with Ray, and strangers literally stop me on the street to ask who made it.” I can completely understand why, it is stunning!”

“For jewelry I wore my great-grandmother’s antique Aquamarine and seed pearl necklace that was over 100 years old.  I also wore my mother’s diamond stud earrings.”

“Since Chris and I are the same height, I needed to wear flats.  It was incredibly difficult to find a pair of that went with the color of my dress, but I miraculously found these adorable blue rhinestone Betsey Johnson ankle flats that I wore.  The fabric matched my dress perfectly, and I loved the subtle blue rhinestones.”

“I wanted my wedding dress to have a vintage feel to go with our Art Deco themed wedding.  After searching high and low, I finally found the gorgeous Allure gown I wore.  It was very formfitting with straps, a v-neck neckline, and a very small train.  The fabric color was cappuccino which I loved (I didn’t want traditional white) and was a silk cappuccino slip with a gorgeous sheer overlay with delicate crystals in a flower pattern.  It was so comfortable!”

“Black calla lilies are my favorite flower so I knew I wanted them in my bouquet.  My other favorite flower is Dahlias (I’m an October baby!) so I had black callas, burgundy dahlias, hypericum berries, and peach roses that lightened up the bouquet. There was also hanging burgundy amaranthus on my bouquet which added drama and romance.”

And the grounds of their historic venue was the perfect setting for a ridiculously romantic first look…..

“Chris and his 6 groomsmen all wore tuxedos with a shawl collar to achieve the 1920’s look. Chris wore a Brooks Brothers shawl collar tuxedo that he purchased. Since Chris and I both love skulls, he had vintage pearl Alexander McQueen cufflinks, an Alexander McQueen pocket square, and custom made Del Toro skull shoes.”

“I had 6 bridesmaids and they all wore the same Allure bridesmaid dress. They had a sheer overlay and a rhinestone appliqué that had a very vintage look and I gave each bridesmaid a pair of rhinestone drop earrings that matched the appliqué on their dresses as a bridesmaid gift. All of my bridesmaids did updos and most of them did the 1920’s finger waves in their hair which I loved!  It really added to our Art Deco theme.”

“The ceremonial arch was very important to us, as we would be standing under it during the most important part of the wedding.  Chris loves a natural aesthetic of birch trees and moss (from his agronomy and horticulture background!) but I have a more “over the top romantic” aesthetic.  So, we told the florist we wanted an arch “dripping in burgundy amaranthus, dahlias, and roses” for me, but to also incorporate the birch and moss for Chris.  She executed our vision perfectly!”

Pearls of Wedding Wisdom from the Bride…..

“The best advice we can give to any couple is to really enjoy the process and not lose sight of what it is all about- which is marrying your best friend and soul mate.  It is really easy to get caught up in thing’s like checklists, and to-do’s, so you need to make sure as a couple you don’t lose the romance during the process.

Also, we made a rule that during our engagement we would have one date night a week where we would go out to dinner and NOT talk about the wedding or wedding planning at all.  It really helped us so much!  It was so nice just to be able to really connect with Chris during the engagement, and actually ENJOY the engagement and each other during our date nights out.”

“I purchased all of the programs, escort cards, menus and table numbers from Shanna Michele Designs on Etsy.  I loved the Art Deco border pattern she had.”

“The reception centerpieces were larger versions of my bridal bouquet.  They had black calla lilies, burgundy dahlias, peach roses to lighten them up, hypercum berries, and red roses.  The centerpieces were held in vintage mercury vases.  I chose this style because all of the flowers used were our favorite flowers, and the burgundy and deep red flowers were so romantic and really enhanced the romantic feel we were going for.  I wanted the mercury glass vases because they had a vintage look, and further enhanced the romantic and rich feel.”

“Our favors were custom made mini moonshine bottles with a custom art deco label that our friend, who is a graphic designer in Manhattan, designed and produced.  They had a black label with silver ink and said CFJ Moonshine Est. 10.11.14.”

“We wanted our wedding cake to continue with the theme, so we had the tiers decorated with white buttercream and gold hand-painted art deco fans. Then for our topper we had a larger gold art deco fan and we ordered a custom gold sequin linen for the cake table to really highlight the cake. The inside was vanilla cake with cannoli filling which was a nod to our Italian heritage.”

Any insider tips as a bride who works in the industry?…..

“When it comes to vendors, I think it is always a good idea to work with vendors that were personally recommended to you by other brides.  This way, you have a sense of the quality of their work in advance.  Reputation is everything in this business, so you should only book vendors that have great reputations and get great reviews.”

Wishing the happy newlyweds Jessica & Christopher a long and healthy happy ever after! A huge thankyou to them, and fabulous photographers Bo & Matthew from CLY By Matthew, for allowing me to share their stunning Art Deco wedding with you. To see more CLY By Matthew‘s beautiful work, pop across to their website www.clybymatthew.com and you can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest.

Amy

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Photography ~ CLY By Matthew // Wedding Dress ~ Allure Bridals // Bridal Shoes ~ Betsey Johnson // Bridal Jewelry – Vintage Family Heirlooms // Engagement & Wedding Rings ~ Ray Griffiths NY // Groom’s Attire ~ Brooks Brothers // Floral Design ~ Petals Party & Floral Design // Wedding Cake ~ The Cake Gallery // Wedding Venue ~ NYIT De Seversky Mansion // Videography ~ Capture The Moment // Event Planning ~ Jessica Jakobson Events // Wedding Invitations ~ Papyrus // Day of Stationery ~ Shanna Michele Designs // Bridal Hair & Makeup ~ Sorell Salon // Band ~ Bud Maltin Metropolitan Music