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The Offbeat Bride: Georgina
Her offbeat partner: William
Date and location of wedding: Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, NY — July 26, 2016
Budget: $25,000
Our offbeat wedding at a glance:
When we decided to get married on a whim six months after our daughter Daisy was born, it was easy to figure out the theme of the day: DAISIES! As an event photographer for over a decade, industry colleagues were happy to assist us in organizing an intimate summer afternoon gathering in just two weeks…
Three lead photographers from my own studio were on hand to capture the day’s festivities, and it was pretty awesome to have them there. The day was attended by 65 friends and family members who were delighted to play hooky on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.
Tell us about the ceremony:
Will, Daisy, and I walked down the aisle together (just after I breast-fed our daughter), hugging and high-fiving guests to Ray Charles’ “You Are My Sunshine.”
The ceremony consisted of friends and family members reading inspirational poems, exchanging our own vows, and my cousin Annabelle strumming on the guitar and singing “Daisy,” a moving tribute to the theme of the day as well as to our much-loved and recently deceased grandmother, who used to sing that song to us as kids.
My mum had to read St. Paul to The Corinthians, but we asked Will's brother and his wife to read the lyrics from Huey Lewis and The News' "Power of Love," and we asked another friend to read a poem about love, taken from an airport fridge magnet!
We both broke glass at the end of the ceremony, as Will is Jewish.
Tell us about your reception:
One of Will’s best friends, and his business partner Frank, a long-time yogi, posed upside-down in Sirshasana (headstand!) for our family portraits.
Cake trendsetter and friend of ours, Ron Ben-Israel, made our exquisite cake (in under a week), Tracey Wilk at David Burke Kitchen created a table of sweets, chocolates and doughnuts, and the Gramercy Park Hotel graciously fit us in on their stunning rooftop and plied us with delicious food and drinks.
In the evening, we retired to The Rose Bar (downstairs at the hotel) where Lady Gaga showed up unexpectedly to sing with trumpet player Brian Newman.
What was your most important lesson learned?
Some people won't be able to make it when you plan a wedding so last-minute, and you may actually lose friends and family over it. But maybe that's okay in the end. Yes, we were extra-annoying organizing our wedding in only two weeks, but my true friends made it and if they couldn't, they were so nice about it.
Vendors
- Dress: Net-a-Porter (It was difficult to find a wedding dress in two weeks. The online fashion store Net-a-Porter came to the rescue with their “Needle and Thread” line, which has several two-piece wedding dresses — perfect for breast-feeding brides. An added bonus is that multiple sizes can be delivered to your door with fittings at home.)
- Photography: Maggie Marguerite Studio
- Venue: Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, NY
- Cake: Ron Ben-Israel
- Table of sweets: Tracey Wilk at David Burke Kitchen
- Florist: Kimberly, Rose Red and Lavender
Gallery
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
I love this so so much! I’m getting married on Monday and if my photos show half as much joy and love as these do I’ll be delighted!