Sculpting a Disco For This Catskills Wedding on The Hudson

Ana and Chris, both creatively and culturally different, brought together their unconventional visions to their September 28th, 2018 Catskill wedding. With beautiful sweeping views of the Hudson River, the venue, Shakespeare on the Hudson, has almost a mystery about it. It’s sublime totality transmutes everything that happens there.

The planning process started out with a few simple color with some very unique aspects. This soon turned into a vision of color blocking and individuality. A disco-meets-artistic theme started to form into an almost eclectic pile of ideas that just worked.

Vietnamese inspired food station welcomed guests by the entrance. It was created by their close friend, featuring an amuse-bouche of King Crab Leg, pomelo, avocado, perilla, and sunflower seeds. Colorful fringe paper curtain draped the entryway of the house; when stepped through, led guests to a terrace with stunning views of the Hudson River.

Dozens of iridescent pinwheels aligned the aisle, a long walk down the hill towards the Hudson River from the sailcloth tent draped in bistro lights and white drapes. At the end of the aisle was a breathtaking arrangement by Rye Workshop full of Pampass grass, color and asymmetrical buds and leaves. On either side of the floral arrangement was a large pinwheel, spray painted that morning in sparkle-white. Bringing the bride’s passion for art into the ceremony, the groomsmen and bridesmaids wore non-traditional boutonnieres – colorful tulle accents to their suits and dresses.

Opting for an offbeat alternative to a bouquet, Ana modeled a baby breath whip on each arm, cuffed to her arms as they draped down to the ground. The ring bearer, chihuahua Oskar, was escorted down the red carpet aisle in a baby carriage cloaked in ornate vintage fringe. 5ft-tall sandalwood incense sticks were staked into the ground around the ceremony and around the reception tent. A fire pit added an extra smoke and even more mystery.

For the reception, Ana’s idea of color blocking delineated the colors of the tables and used colorful bookmarks as escort cards, which told the guests which table they were to sit at.

Color-coordinated, edible butterflies and flowers were scattered across each table. Each napkin and glass complemented the rest of table colors. Even the cake and bride’s shoes matched the theme where flowers and bugs came from a secret enchanted forest.

Vintage inspired colorful glassware along with colorful taper candles coordinated with the color scheme of each table. Maison Louis Marie scented votive candles were placed on each table, offering an earthy essence to the reception. Intricate moss oasis runners and hints of florals and sprayed elements adorned each table. But the main showpiece of each table was the 5-ft, hand-crafted wooden board featuring an abundance of locally-sourced food created and crafted by Heirloom Fire.

Originally from Britain, Chris brought a cultural flare to the reception, incorporating British Christmas crackers, demonstrating to his guests how they work. Once crackers are pulled apart by two people, the cracker makes a bang. The crackers revealed paper head crowns color-coordinated to their table along with other little gifts. Ana also brought her culture to the meal for a post-main course toast with homemade Romanian moonshine served in assorted glass bottles.

The tent was decorated with a disco theme in mind, which incorporated a bit of the couple’s unconventional flare into the reception. Alongside a variety of sparkly disco balls were large Boston ferns, hanging carnation garlands and spray painted dried elements. All at different heights created almost a canyon of ferns and florals. Inspired by a wedding at Basilica, Ana wanted to incorporate unique element into the reception space. Alongside Nina Young from Rose and Dale, we worked on creating a color scheme for the balloon installation. Once we got the colors down, we had to decide on a shape for the installation. We envisioned a snake or a Chinese dragon crawling up from behind the stage. It went all the way up to the disco ball and fern installation. Certainly, that’s what Nina was able to achieve.

But maybe the most entertaining part of the night was the lively father-daughter dance to Black Sabbath (War Pigs) performed by Sly5thAve

The hard work and dedication we put towards creating this eclectic wedding was well worth it. The love that Ana and Chris shared on this day was incredible and inspiring. As a result, the stunning photographs captured by Jenn Sosa from Branch and Cole speak to the wonder and magic of the event. I am so grateful to have worked with such an innovative couple to help create their dream wedding that incorporated their personalities so perfectly.