Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship…
With Adam working in property and me (Karen) working in mental health it sometimes seems like an unlikely mix! But it did not take long after meeting through a mutual friend at a charity event for both of us to know that there was something really special here. So much so that our third date was in Rome!
This Italy trip so early on could have been super awkward, particularly with tiny apartments in Florence, but (after much wine and too much good food) it all just fell into place and we have been inseparable ever since.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details…
We were lucky to be on the same page about our wedding from day one. We both knew even before we got engaged that we wanted something super small and intimate. When we started planning, it became clear that having a local wedding in Australia would mean big guest numbers – over 300 which did not sit well with either of us. We were lucky though to have very supportive parents who advised us to “do what made us happy.”
Being blessed with understanding, considerate parents who afforded us flexibility, we settled on “eloping with family” in NYC. This meant that many of our friends and family members (While there were hints) actually had limited idea we would be getting married on that trip. NYC has always been our favourite city and we never figured ourselves to be the island types. Also we knew it would be relatively easy to organise with no language barriers or need for wedding planners.
We chose to get married at the City Clerks Office because we thought it would add an element of fun to our day and we feared the idea of traditional isles and being given away. In fact the first time we saw each other that day, we were in the chaffeured car, running late to city clerks office. It was so perfect for us, so natural and it summed up us and who we are everyday.
While it was a small wedding of 13 people (including bride and groom) planning and logistics were still a challenge. Especially not having met any of our suppliers, some a few days before and others actually on the wedding day! We found all of our suppliers (cake, flowers, photographer, hair and make up, etc) on instagram. We spent days researching their pages and locked them in when we would get an immediate, positive response.
Though, we have to say, there was no way to minimise stress in the lead up, it is natural, it happens to everybody and it needs to run its course and it did. We were also was grateful to some limited special friends who were privy to the wedding and allowed us carry on and on! Despite a sometimes overwhelming lead up – we were most relaxed and chilled out on the actual day. So much so that we can genuinely say that we can remember every conversation we had!
The Nomad Hotel was selected as we stayed there on a previous trip to NYC. We fell in love with the indoor rooftop areas and knew that we could have panoramic views of the city, rooftops and intimacy for our day with our special guests. That’s pretty much all we wanted. It was perfect.
We were lucky to squeeze in a good couple of hours, just the two of us, running around to some of our favourite spots in the city to take photos with our absolute legend of a photographer. She was the perfect photographer for us and we have to say, these few hours together, were the icing on the cake of a most memorable day.
Tell us about your main outfits:
I did not know exactly what I wanted, but more so what I didn’t want. One Day Bridal instantenously gave me comfort and were so easy to work with allowing me to modify my outfit to suit. I brought a friend with me that day who knew I had pinned something similar to what I ended up choosing, on Pinterest and remarked – “you have to buy that!” Accessories were bought over time, all online and without even trying them on first. Thankfully, I definitely had some help from stylish friends with those.
Adam was super easy as he knew he wanted navy, classic and stylish. Ali at Harrolds in Melbourne was a gem and he kept topping up the cognacs which definitly made Adam’s decision making process easier.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?
We were only in NYC three nights before our wedding and being in July we expected it to be hot and sunny. However, for the big day, the forecast was for rain and storms! We were both super nervous about this, especially waking up and seeing torrential rain pouring down. However, by the time we were both ready to leave my our respective hotels (me at The Baccarat and Adam at The Crosby) and meet, like a perfectly scripted story – the clouds parted and the sun came out.
Without a doubt the biggest highlight of the day was being photographed while walking down Mulberry Street in Little Italy. The entire street starting cheering us on and clapping with traditional Italian waiters yelling out “viva gli sposi (long live the couple)” We gave them a bit of a show as well, with twirls and kisses and hugs. The people of NYC absolutely turned it on for us that day and we both agree that this was one of the best moments of our lives. For a couple like us who love low key – we certainly enjoyed the attention at that point!
The day went too quickly and was a whirlwind of special moments, but we still made sure that the party continued well into the early hours partying at The Library (downstairs at The Nomad) and was capped off with room service burgers, fries and beers in our hotel room at The Crosby Hotel in Soho.
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?
Compromise, compromise, compromise! Everybody has demanding schedules in the 21st century that may not necessarily run in parallel. However, you need to stop, set aside time for each other (without technology) and the sole focus is on being happy in each others company. Like a skill, we have learnt to get better at compromise, planning and being considerate of each others wants and needs. This is essential for solidifying commitment and avoiding the “silent treatment!”
It’s also important to find activites that you both enjoy doing in each others company. For us, it’s exercise, binge watching TV series and rating pizza restaurants. And of course, spending time with our angel puppies.
Lastly, having a laugh and not taking life too seriously all the time is especially important. We think its vital to stay a little young at heart at times in order to embrace each others idioscyncrisies with good humour and jest. The amount of times we follow each other around the house to ensure the other is hearing our bad jokes.
Photographer: Jessica Perez Photography | Ceremony location: New York City Clerk’s Office | Reception location and catering: The Nomad Hotel | Flora: Emily Buckner, Flwr Studio | Cake: Lael Cakes | Hair: Adriano Cattide, The Drawing Room | Makeup: Emily Amick | Wedding dress: One Day Bridal | Shoes: Gucci | Accessories: Marni and Dinosaur Designs | Ring: Rutherford Jewellers | Groom’s suit: Pal Zileri from Harrolds | Shirt and tie: Tom Ford | Shoes: Crockett & Jones | Ring: Hardy Brothers | Watch: IWC
