Venue: Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Photographer: Savannah Sirois Photo | Florist: Joi Blooms | Ceremony Strings: Stellar Strings | Jazz Quartet: Ogura Naoya | Reception Band: Manhattan by Jordan Kahn Orchestra | Rentals: Broadway Party Rentals | Linens and Chargers: BBJ La Tavola | Makeup Artist: All Brides New York | Hair Stylist: Lavender Bridal | Officiant: Rabbi Deb Viola | Lighting: Universal Light and Sound

One of the most beautiful spots in the city during the summertime is Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The flowers are in bloom, the sunset makes everything glowy, and there’s a certain calmness that makes you feel like you’ve escaped the hustle and bustle. There’s no wonder Brooklyn Botanic is a popular wedding venue. It really was the perfect setting for Brian and Tina’s wedding.

Planning weddings in New York means I get to see traditions and formalities from all different cultures. Brian is Jewish, and Tina is Chinese, so we needed to find ways to honor both sides. They chose to have an interfaith ceremony where they stood under a chuppah, signed a Ketubah, and smashed the glass at the end. Traditional Chinese fans were waiting on each seat for guests, along with bilingual programs in both English and Chinese. Later in the night, guests had menus waiting for them in their respective languages at their seats. They danced a Hora following dinner, and displayed their Ketubah next to their sweetheart table. As guests left, Tina’s dad had gotten custom wine glasses engraved and placed in traditional red Chinese gift boxes. It was really such a full day for both cultures!

From the beginning, Brian and Tina told me they wanted the day to feel vibrant and reflective of the garden. They both also loved textures and fine details. We brought in embroidered linens from BBJ La Tavola to set the scene at the Palm House. On top of the tables, we worked with Janice at Joi Blooms to design colorful, textural flowers that popped against the white architecture. I loved how Janice used such a wide variety of flowers to reflect the vast depth the garden has to offer.

Tina studied Violin in college, so music was also a very important part of the day. They wanted each part of the day to have a special feel. At the ceremony, we had a gorgeous string quartet from Stellar Strings to set the tone. As guests transitioned to cocktail hour, we also shifted tones to a jazz quartet to liven up the evening. And then as we moved to reception, Manhattan from Jordan Kahn kept dinner lively and brought the heat to the dance floor.

It was such a joy to work with these two on a day filled with so much intention and love. Congratulations Tina and Brian!

Planning your own Brooklyn Botanic wedding? Check out another gorgeous wedding here!