Erika and Michael’s Staten Island wedding was an artistic and contemporary masterpiece. Their day began with a traditional ceremony at St. Ann’s Church, then the party continued in the ultra modern Above Rooftop lounge. The bride and groom wanted their reception to feel like a contemporary art gallery, which they accomplished with crisp grey, silver, and white table settings anchored with the most stunning (and life-like) paper flower centerpieces created by Albesque! The bride also rocked a modern, edgy, and totally romantic look with a gorgeous dress from Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier, a sleek down hairstyle, and bold modern makeup. All in all, this wedding was an artist’s dream, and Aaron & Whitney Photography did an incredible job capturing every moment!

The Couple:

Erika and Michael

The Wedding:

St. Ann’s Church and Above Rooftop, Staten Island, New York

Because I have an art background, I wanted to be as creative and original as possible when planning my wedding. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I knew everyone was excited to see what I would come up with. The top three things I focused most of my attention on were my centerpieces, invitations, and photos. I wanted to make sure I found vendors that had a creative eye like myself to be able to push the boundaries and think outside the box.

I loved my photographers. I got really lucky when I found them. They had just moved to New York 8 months before my wedding. When we chatted for the first time, I knew they were going to be great! They are super creative and all my photos are well thought out. I had a huge wedding of 250 people, so I needed them to capture the moments I would miss.

I knew I wanted to do paper flowers for my centerpieces, so I needed a space that allowed me to be as creative as possible without looking out of place. The venue we chose was perfect! It was a blank canvas. It was super modern and sleek, and the flowers I envisioned worked perfectly in the space. The oversized square tables and high ceilings complimented the centerpieces even more. That’s when I decided my wedding was going to be contemporary. I wanted the room to look like an art gallery: oversized flowers filling the room, each table different and unique, cool colors, and silver metallics.

With Pinterest and Instagram, there is a constant flow of ideas. Ideas are great for getting you started, but they can also cause confusion and indecision. You’re always going to see new ideas and directions your wedding can go in. Once you’ve made up your mind, stick with it.

Our biggest congratulations to Erika and Michael, and a huge thanks to Junebug member Aaron & Whitney Photography for sharing this artsy Staten Island wedding with us! Did these contemporary vibes makes your heart do a happy dance? This couple broke all the rules with their beautiful elopement at The Foundry on Long Island, and we think you’ll love their modern vibe!