A Whimsical Formal Wedding at the New York Botanical Garden

July 27, 2011

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Fraser and Matthew

Fraser Lewis, a Body Method fitness instructor and athletic-wear designer, and Matthew Edwards, owner of a mold-remediation company, spent their first date sitting in rush-hour traffic, but they wouldn't have had it any other way. They became inseparable, and were both big believers in luck and destiny. When Matt asked his Magic 8 Ball if he would marry Fraser, the answer was always "Definitely yes!" So in December 2002, he proposed to Fraser. Her answer? Definitely yes.

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Programs

The programs are letter-pressed in chocolate brown and bound with brown silk ribbon. On the inside is written, "This moment is dedicated to Mary Taylor Mosier," Fraser's beloved grandmother.

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Groomsmen

Matt (in a white tie) and his groomsmen, all wearing tuxedos by Joseph & Feiss.

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Bridal Party

Fraser and her mother pose for a photograph with the bridesmaids and the young attendants.

Jewelry by Dena Varble Design.

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Flower Girl

Charles Duell, the bride's mother's beau, lends a hand to flower girl Blair Mosier, age 9, the bride's cousin.

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Ring Bearer

Ring bearer Kent Mosier, age 7, looks handsome in his tuxedo. He carried the same ring pillow that Fraser's parents used in their wedding.

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Flower Girls

Matt's niece, Lucy Edwards, age 6, and the other flower girls await the bride's arrival. The girls wear dresses by Vera Wang Maids and carry bouquets with raspberry sprays, pink majolica roses, and hydrangea.

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Guests

A few of Fraser's relatives wait for the ceremony to begin.

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Preparations

The bride's father, Perry Lewis, gets ready for the ceremony, while her stepmother, Basha Lewis, pins on his majolica rose boutonniere.

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Bouquet

The bride's bouquet is a fragrant mix of white majolica roses, Scabiosa, sage, basil, rosemary, and lily of the valley. The bridesmaid bouquets are miniature versions.

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The Bride

Fraser, in an Ulla-Maija Couture dress and Tia Mazza veil, stands above the garden where she will wed Matt.

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Bridesmaids

The bridesmaids walk down the aisle. They wear Vera Wang dresses, and carved rose necklaces by Dena Varble Design, which were given to them by the bride.

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Ceremony

The couple exchange vows in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. The stunning triangular layout, gazebo, and ornamental latticework were designed in 1916 by Beatrix Jones Farrand, a noted landscape designer.

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Roses

A glimpse of the garden's roses.

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Bride and Mother

Fraser and her mom, Memrie, share a moment together. "Planning Fraser's wedding with her was the exciting time I had dreamed it would be," says Memrie.

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Menu

The menu's script design befits the whimsical yet classic style of the wedding celebration.

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Table Settings

Green napkins and a cream-and-brown custom-made silk dupioni tablecloth complement the centerpiece hues. For the table number, a tented playing card is used. On the other side is the menu.

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Seating Cards

The number of hearts on tented playing cards designates table assignments. The guests' names are on the other side.

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Note Trellis

Instead of having a traditional guest book, the couple set up a special area for loved ones to write sentiments on note cards during the cocktail hour and reception.

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Note Trellis

Inspired by a garden trellis, it displays the well-wishers' messages, which were either tucked under grosgrain ribbon or pinned on with tacks adorned with paper roses.

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Guests

The bride with her mother and Martha.

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Place Cards

A deck of cards serves as a place card.

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Favors

In hopes of sending a bit of luck guests' way, the couple offered favors of muslin bags filled with fortune-telling fish, tarot cards, and candy, as well as a Cupid's rose containing a love poem.

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Tables

A garland runs the length of the head table. Votive candles illuminate a canopy of grapevine arbor.

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Cake

Martha created the pistachio-and-vanilla sponge cake topped with buttercream, a pearl border, and roses.

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Sources

Location: New York Botanical Garden
Caterer: Abigail Kirsch
Photographer: Christian Oth
Calligraphy: Gretchen E. Pittman
Bride's Gown: "Dionne" by Ulla-Maija Couture, from the Bridal Salon at Saks Fifth Avenue, 212-940-2269.
Bridesmaid and Flower Girl Jewelry: Dena Varble Design
Letterpress Program Jacket: Peculiar Pair Press
Antique Reproductions: Playing-card deck, Cupid's rose greeting card, world's tiniest tarot card set, fortune teller miracle fish; by B. Shackman Company, from Hanna and Me
Custom Rubber Stamp: Stampworx 2000

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