Q1

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

Sarah: We met at a sorority/fraternity mixer as freshmen at NYU. Without sounding too cliche, we really had an instant connection and attraction. Neither of us can remember any of what we talked about that night, but we do remember the whole night at each other’s side. We spent every day together the following week, and then Greg asked me to be his girlfriend. We’ve been together ever since! The summer after we first started dating, we frequently went to the High Line and it quickly became our special place. We both claim that it’s the place where we realized we loved each other, and so it was an obvious choice for Greg to propose there. We went for dinner at a nearby restaurant in Chelsea and Greg asked me to go for a walk on the High Line after. As we walked towards our usual spot, I noticed candles set up everywhere and when I looked down Greg was down on one knee with a ring in his hand! I was completely shocked and emotional, I couldn’t believe it was all for me.

Q2

Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

Sarah: I went into dress shopping open minded and believing that I’d just know a dress was “right” when I found it. I ended up choosing a Mira Zwillinger gown from Mark Ingram Atelier that was one of the first dresses I tried on. The gown felt like me with its simple (yet sexy) silhouette, gorgeous design and intricate details like tulle, appliqué, lace and sequins – it was whimsical and romantic. The gown made me feel confident and beyond beautiful on my wedding day, what more could a bride want! I wore it with a pair of sparkly and strappy Jimmy Choo sandals that were actually so comfortable I didn’t even change out of them until the third dance set! For the ceremony I wore my hair down in soft waves with a cathedral veil, and had it put up into a ponytail for the reception so I could dance the night away without worrying about it falling.
Greg: I knew I wanted a classic black tuxedo. I bought a Zegna tuxedo with a placket covered button shirt and an Isaia black bow tie. My groomsmen and I wore blush pink pocket squares to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Greg and I spent the few days leading up to our wedding apart and tried to limit communication so that when we saw each other for the first time it would be even more meaningful and emotional.

Sarah

Q3

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

Sarah: Our first look! Greg and I spent the few days leading up to our wedding apart and tried to limit communication so that when we saw each other for the first time it would be even more meaningful and emotional. I woke up the morning of our wedding feeling so excited and with butterflies in my stomach, looking forward to being together again and having that special moment just the two of us before the celebrations began!
Greg: What my better half said!

I woke up the morning of our wedding feeling so excited and with butterflies in my stomach, looking forward to having that special moment just the two of us before the celebrations began!

Sarah

Q4

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

Our wedding was traditionally Jewish, but in a way that felt like us. Sarah comes from a modern orthodox family, and Greg from a reform one; therefore, it was important to us to bridge our backgrounds to make our family and friends comfortable and happy. We appreciated the significance of many of the religious wedding traditions and knew that incorporating them into our wedding night would further enrich it. We started our evening with a Bedeken and Tisch, then had our ceremony under a chuppah that included the bride circling the groom seven times and using Sarah’s late grandfather’s Talit to wrap around the couple at the end of the ceremony. We felt that having a traditionally Jewish wedding would enable us to honor our culture, religion and family members that came before us.

Enjoy the ups and downs of the planning process because it’s a once in a lifetime experience! Be present throughout the day and take mental notes of your favorite moments so that you can relive them time and time again once the wedding is over.

Sarah

We appreciated the significance of many of the religious wedding traditions and knew that incorporating them into our wedding night would further enrich it.

S & G

Q5

Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

Our vision for decor was romantic and classic, yet modern and clean. We achieved this by pairing classic flowers (like peonies, roses, ranunculus, etc.) with modern accents, glassware and candles. We wanted our decor and colors to feel natural, fresh and seasonal for the month of June so we did a combination of greenery with white, ivory and pale pinks. Our ceremony space and chuppah were absolutely breathtaking, beyond what we even imagined possible when we described our vision! The chuppah was whimsical and romantic, with flowing florals built atop lucite legs that gave off the impression that it was floating. The chuppah was in front of a draped wall holding tons of votive candles that shone throughout the ceremony. The room as a whole was dimly lit so our guests were essentially in the dark, but the chuppah was lit up with spot lighting and surrounding candles, making it the clear focal point of the room. Our ballroom had different design elements to it. We really wanted to wow our guests with beautiful and interesting florals. The round tables had these exquisite center pieces with greenery and different types of white, ivory and pink flowers. The flowers were placed in tall glass vases to again create that ethereal and floating look, similar to our chuppah. Our friends sat at long, rectangular tables with mirrored tops and rows of single rose vases and candles. It was a more simple design as compared to that of the round tables, but added a multidimensional feel especially with our favorite element of the night — the live chandelier hanging above the dance floor!

One of my favorite parts of the wedding was walking into the ceremony room. I remember feeling overcome with emotion by the beauty of the chuppah, knowing that every single person I cared about was in that room.

Sarah

Q6

What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

Florals were a huge part of our overall wedding style and decor. One of the best things about a June wedding is the abundance of beautiful flowers that are in season at that time, especially peonies which are my [Sarah’s] favorite. We wanted to use many types of simple flowers and plants in neutral colors but display them in a way that highlighted their natural beauty and essentially became our decor. Our florist did an incredible job at designing the flowers differently for all the parts of the wedding so that each arrangement felt new and fresh, while keeping within that same whimsical, lush and romantic feel. The many ways we used flowers as part of our design include: a flower wall for my [Sarah] Bedeken, which was later repurposed and lifted to frame the ballroom door; a beautifully designed floral chuppah; a hanging floral ceiling arrangement above the dance floor; floral centerpieces; and of course bridal bouquet (all white peonies) and bridesmaids bouquets (pale pink peonies and white/ivory roses).

We really wanted to wow our guests with beautiful and interesting florals. We wanted to use many types of simple flowers and plants in neutral colors but display them in a way that highlighted their natural beauty and essentially became our decor.

S & G

Q7

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

Sarah: One of my favorite parts of the wedding was walking into the ceremony room. I remember feeling overcome with emotion by the beauty of the chuppah, knowing that every single person I cared about was in that room, and seeing Greg at the end of the aisle waiting for me with a smile on his face surrounded by our family and friends under the chuppah.
Greg: Aside from the actual ceremony and first look, my favorite part of the night was the amount of energy our family and friends brought to the party. The amazing music and nonstop dancing with Sarah and our loved ones is one of the many things I will always remember.

My favorite part of the night was the amount of energy our family and friends brought to the party. The amazing music and nonstop dancing with Sarah and our loved ones is one of the many things I will always remember.

Gregory

Q8

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

Sarah: Enjoy the ups and downs of the planning process because it’s a once in a lifetime experience! Be present throughout the day and take mental notes of your favorite moments so that you can relive them time and time again once the wedding is over.
Greg: Trust the process and know that the professionals you’ve hired to help be part of your day have done this 100 times over. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask questions where you’re concerned, but ultimately the end product will make you happy no matter what.

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As the founder and creative force behind The Day, Ira Lippke brings 20-plus years of experience creating compelling images to every wedding he documents. “One of the best compliments I’ve ever received,” he says, “was from a planner who said I was the only photographer she knew who had so much experience but whose heart and soul was still so strongly in their work.”

Ira Lippke