Between its whimsical florals, 90s hip hop, and raw oyster bar, we can’t get enough of this unique Metropolitan Building wedding! Christine and Luke knew they wanted their wedding to feel lively, dreamy, and celebratory, so they incorporated DIY elements and personal touches in every inch of their decor. Christine’s lace Watters gown had an amazing illusion neckline and off-the-shoulder style, while Luke wore a slate blue Hugo Boss suit to complement their wedding’s moody and subdued color scheme. Loreto Caceres Photography captured the couple’s special day, including an especially emotional first look, in this charming NYC venue.

The Couple:

Christine and Luke

The Wedding:

Metropolitan Building, New York, New York

We loved working with our photographer, Loreto Caceres. Looking back at our photos everyone exclaims how she really captured the night! She also put us at ease in front of the camera – something two photo shy individuals were slightly anxious about.

Lace feels so romantic to me so I knew that was what I wanted from the start. I loved the off the shoulder look of my dress and that it was fitted compared to the usual flowy dresses I wear. I kept my accessories to a minimum with small flowers braided into to my hair and some delicate moonstone earrings. Beauty wise, I didn’t want to look made up or over-styled and my talented hair and make up stylists executed a very soft and natural look that felt perfectly undone yet done.

While looking at venues we’d ask ourselves if we’d want to attend a wedding there. The Metropolitan Building was an immediate yes. It has the feel of a beautiful weathered old estate. The charm in all the imperfect details of the space really spoke to us and helped set the mood.

The groomsmen wore a suit of their choosing and our bridesmaids chose different garden floral dresses. The dresses ended up looking so pretty together. We weren’t into everyone matching and really just wanted our friends to be comfortable and enjoy themselves without worrying about the colors of their shoes or having to rent something.

We didn’t have a theme – we knew we just wanted the night to feel romantic and moody. We kept a dusty, muted color palette and used elements we loved like lots of candles, vintage inspired touches and whimsical flowers. Everything just came together naturally. Our florist, Xylem & Phloem, really blew us away with their work – creating eclectic arrangements that felt dreamy, ethereal and slightly wild.

Definitely the most important thing to us was having our wedding feel celebratory and lively. Having it in NYC on a Friday night naturally made it feel like a party while keeping it easy for most to attend. With so many of our guests out dancing the whole night and having a great time, the energy and love just felt contagious and I don’t think Luke nor I stopped smiling once.

We wrote our own vows and had a family friend officiate which made the ceremony feel more like us sharing a moment and less like a traditional service. Having our dog walk down our aisle first also helped set the tone. We wanted it to feel intimate but lighthearted and while there were some tearful moments, there were so much joy and laughter.

We DIY’d with a lot of help from our family and friends. We collected vintage brass candlesticks for our tables, handrolled beesewax candles as favors, and made everything from the confetti filled programs and hand painted table numbers and signage to the floral crowns for the flower girls. A friend baked a small wedding cake for us since we served pie for our dessert but we still wanted the traditional cake cutting moment and I made our cake topper.

Our cocktail hour was a labor of love and a roll of the dice – we wanted a oyster raw bar and a soundtrack of late 90’s hip hop to start the party and thankfully it lived up to our dreams and ended up being a hit with everyone.

We had a string quartet perform November Rain by Guns N’ Roses for our processional and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths for our recessional. Our first dance was to Neil Young’s Harvest Moon.

Congratulations to Christine and Luke, and a big thanks to Loreto Caceres Photography for submitting this wedding to Junebug! Want more amazingly fun NYC wedding inspiration? Take a look at this wedding in New York at Locanda Verde!