An Ethereal, Minimalist Wedding at Rule of Thirds

As seen in The New York Times

Working as a wedding planner in New York City is already the dream in and of itself, but I didn’t fully grasp how lucky I was to have this career until I met Bri and Shel. There’s something so electric and raw and powerful about their love for each other. Getting to plan a Rule of Thirds wedding that reflected this was something I will never take for granted.

Bri works as a fashion model and disability advocate. Any conversation you have with her, you can immediately feel how passionate she is about changing the world. Shel works as a pharmacist by day, and model by night (at least those are his words). After he met Bri, she was able to convince him that the world needed to see Shel’s iconic fashion sense. The pair now frequently model together. I told them recently that they are 2 halves of the same soul, and I dare anyone who meets them to prove me wrong.

When it came to planning the day, I started my process as I usually do- with a ton of questions and brain dumps.

A few things that stood out to me when revisiting my notes were that they wanted the vibe to “be cool” and they wanted the space to “be alive”. I feel like we were really able to accomplish that. As a wheelchair user, Bri opted to embellish her wheels as opposed to having a bouquet. We employed the design talents of a fellow disabled artist, Mobile Vulgaris, to design the flowers on Bri’s chair. Isabel from A Lily Among Thorns executed the vision.

For the ceremony space, we knew from the very beginning that they wanted to have an immersive, intimate experience. We placed them in the center of the room, under Rule of Thirds’ gorgeous skylight, and set the chairs so that they were literally surrounded by friends and family. We ended up designing a beautiful half moon floor installation, which was a subtle nod to Bri’s love for astrology and also a way to lean into the space feeling alive, with the florals literally “growing” out of the floor.

For the reception space, we embraced a less is more mentality, and were purposeful with the decor. Light greenery hung from the ceiling all over the space. Since dinner was going to be served family style, we had light, ethereal blooms in bud vases paired with taper candles scattered throughout the table. Shel designed all of their day of paper goods, along with a silhouette of them that became their wedding logo.

Another element that was thrown around from the very beginning was pearls.

Bri and Shel both love pearls- both aesthetically and symbolically. We brought in the pearl theme in the satin napkins, their toasting flutes, and for every guest. As guests came in, they were told to select either a bracelet or pin to wear throughout the night. Everyone looked amazing and it was a huge hit. My fashion heart especially loved this touch.

Sobriety is a big part of Bri and Shel’s relationship, so they opted for a dry wedding. We took liberties with signature mocktails, later coined the Virgo and the Libra. You would have never been able to guess that everyone at the wedding was sober. The energy was THROUGH THE ROOF, and you could feel the love and support for these two everywhere you looked.

Bri and Shel’s wedding was one I will never forget. I’m so grateful that our paths crossed, and that we were able to plan such a personal day for them.