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  4. A French-Inspired Vintage Wedding in New York
Martha Stewart Weddings

A French-Inspired Vintage Wedding in New York

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The Happy Couple

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You don't have to travel to Europe to find a grand setting: This designer duo hosted a sophisticated soiree in a historic home just a few miles north of New York City.

Bride Annie Sullivan, in a silk-tulle, French lace, and ostrich-feather dress of her own design, and groom Oliver Cobb, in a Ralph Lauren Black Label tuxedo, pose at the entrance of Alder Manor in Yonkers, New York.

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The Venue

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Alder Manor, a 1912 Italian Renaissance Revival-style home in Yonkers, New York, is a semi-restored 72-room estate, with coffered ceilings, a marble staircase, and peeling paint that epitomizes the kind of worn European grandeur that appeals to the couple (he designs interiors and installations; she specializes in wedding gowns). "Olly was born in London, and though I'm from San Francisco, I launched my first dress line in Paris," says Annie. "We both have a very antique-y, Old World sensibility, so we loved the feel of it. Neither of us could believe that it was in a town only five miles north of Manhattan!"

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The Bridal Bouquet

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Credit: Photographer: Thayer Allyson Gow

Annie's bouquet, created by Martha Stewart Weddings associate style editor Naomi deManana, combines roses, ranunculus, pieris, hellebores, and dusty miller.

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The Invitation Suite

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Decorative elements from 18th-century French ephemera were worked into the couple's stationery.

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The Bride's Family

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Annie designed dresses for her sister and mother.

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Portraits

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The family gathered for formal photographs on the mansion's steps.

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The Groom and Best Man

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The happy groom shares a smile with his brother and best man.

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Close Guests

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Our style director, Kate Berry, was in attendance at the affair.

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Flower Girl Dresses

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The bride created her nieces' flower-girl attire of feathered collars and skirts.

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The Boutonniere

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Olly wore a boutonniere of mini ranunculus and pieris.

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Jewelry

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The bride's jewelry, Georgian and Victorian pieces in platinum and gold, reflects her penchant for mixing metals.

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Glowing Decor

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Annie descended this candle-lined staircase on her father's arm.

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The Processional

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Annie and her father.

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Ceremony Backdrop

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Annie and Olly exchanged vows in front of a fireplace draped with a garland of Easter lilies. "The roaring fire created such a nice ambience," says Olly.

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Serenade

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The couple's friend Matthew Brookshire sang "The Very Thought of You" while playing the ukulele.

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Signature Cocktails

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy
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The couple's signature cocktail, similar to one served at an adored haunt, Mary Queen of Scots on Manhattan's Lower East Side, is made with rye, Champagne, bitters, blood orange, and maple syrup; the cocktail napkins were printed with an excerpt from a love letter Napoleon sent to Josephine.

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Small Bites

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Quail egg in a hole was one of the many canapes at the reception.

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The Guest Book

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

For a pretty alternative to a guest book, friends and family wrote messages on note cards printed with antique images and posted them on a board wrapped in linen.

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Escort Cards

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Slender celebration candles with escort-card "cuffs" directed guests to their tables.

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Reception Tables

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Tables are set with a variety of candlesticks, flowers, and fruit. "It looked like it all came straight from the house's cabinets," Annie says. "Since this was the first time we got to meet many of each other's relatives, it was really important to us that everyone get a sense of our relationship," says Annie. So, after the personal ceremony, all 120 guests sat down to a family-style dinner that spanned the manor's library and opulent ballroom, and shared many dishes the couple has savored at the Modern, the restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art.

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Centerpieces

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The venue's striking backdrop inspired an event that recalled more glamorous eras. The flower arrangements evoked Dutch masters' paintings.

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Candle Decor

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At the tables, candles were grouped together to provide mood lighting. "It was so beautiful -- everyone looked luminous," says the bride.

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The Menus

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

A friend made the dinner menus with decorative elements borrowed from a 20th-century American restaurant.

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The First Course

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

A colorful salad of roasted beets, orange, ricotta, arugula, and black walnuts accompanied the main course, pan-seared lamb loin.

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The Toasts

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Guests raise glasses to the couple after Annie's favorite part of the reception -- Olly's sentimental toast (the groom favors the time just afterward, "when I could sit back and take it all in," he says).

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A Private Moment

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The bride and groom steal a candlelit moment. "I was so impressed by every little detail that Annie attended to -- she's got such a good eye," says Olly of his wife's hand in planning their big day. Martha Stewart Weddings' real-weddings editor, Shira Savada, also ensured that Annie's vision was executed and that everything went smoothly.

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French-Inspired Cake

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Instead of a cake, a French croquembouche was served.

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Dessert Display

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Madeleines, tiny eclairs, and macarons gathered from a handful of French patisseries in New York City flanked the croquembouche. "I like that it was whimsical and that people could get up and have a little something at their leisure," Annie says.

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Madeleines

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Arranged in the shape of a pineapple (a symbol of friendship), this madeleine structure was made by covering a foam form in rolled fondant and then, starting from the bottom, attaching the cookies to it with thin wooden skewers.

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The Favors

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Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

At the end of the night, each guest went away with a thoughtfully prepared package of miniature scones, clotted cream, and homemade orange-bergamot marmalade courtesy of Annie's pastry-chef sister-in-law. "We've had so many amazing dinners at restaurants that ended with a gift of jam and morning buns," Annie explains. "We decided it would be nice to wake up to that in a hotel room, and our friends and families loved the gesture." The sweets were flagged with a beautifully calligraphed note (meant to be read, of course, with a dapper British accent): "English breakfast with love, Annie and Olly."

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The Sources

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Location: Alder Manor

Catering: Danny Meyer's Union Square Events

Desserts: Francois Payard; Canele by Celine; La Maison de Macaron

Stationery & Calligraphy: Bell'occhio

Rentals: Bridge Furniture & Props; Party Rental Ltd.

Wedding Photography: Weddings By Two

Gown and Dresses: Annie Sullivan Couture Bridal

Bride's Accessories: Doyle & Doyle (hairpin, bracelet); D.K. Bressler & Co. (earrings, cuff, engagement ring)

Groom's Attire: Ralph Lauren Black Label (suit); Cego (shirt); Brioni (tie, pocket square); Prada (shoes)

Music: Bianchi Musica (ceremony string quartet); Tamar Korn, 562-225-7937 (cocktail and dinner band); DJ Shakey (post-dinner dancing)

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    1 of 31 The Happy Couple
    2 of 31 The Venue
    3 of 31 The Bridal Bouquet
    4 of 31 The Invitation Suite
    5 of 31 The Bride's Family
    6 of 31 Portraits
    7 of 31 The Groom and Best Man
    8 of 31 Close Guests
    9 of 31 Flower Girl Dresses
    10 of 31 The Boutonniere
    11 of 31 Jewelry
    12 of 31 Glowing Decor
    13 of 31 The Processional
    14 of 31 Ceremony Backdrop
    15 of 31 Serenade
    16 of 31 Signature Cocktails
    17 of 31 Small Bites
    18 of 31 The Guest Book
    19 of 31 Escort Cards
    20 of 31 Reception Tables
    21 of 31 Centerpieces
    22 of 31 Candle Decor
    23 of 31 The Menus
    24 of 31 The First Course
    25 of 31 The Toasts
    26 of 31 A Private Moment
    27 of 31 French-Inspired Cake
    28 of 31 Dessert Display
    29 of 31 Madeleines
    30 of 31 The Favors
    31 of 31 The Sources

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