Who would have guessed that a bug-themed wedding could be this elegant? From the groom’s cufflinks to their reception’s escort card display, Ari and Nick incorporated ladybugs into as many wedding details as possible! Fox Hollow, located in upstate New York, was the perfect venue to channel the relaxed sophistication that Ari and Nick wanted out of their wedding event space. We love how Ari’s lace-adorned Jenny Packham gown, cathedral-length veil, and braid crown up-do created a dramatic and super feminine bridal look! The Markows Photography captured every moment of this incredibly whimsical and sophisticated wedding.

The Couple:

Ari and Nick

The Wedding:

Fox Hollow, Woodbury, New York

The most important part was that our wedding truly felt like us, The Bugs! From the venue, to the ceremony, to the escort cards, flowers, bridesmaid dresses and especially the cake topper. We didn’t want your run-of-the-mill, cookie cutter wedding and that’s exactly what we got! And we couldn’t have done it without the support of our AHHHHHmazing family, friends and vendors!!

Our first look at Old Westbury Gardens was truly magical. As soon as we saw each other, we were immediately the calmest we had been all day and couldn’t stop smiling.

If I could wear my dress every day, I would! She (yes, she) fit in so perfectly with my theme – she was feminine, whimsical, fun and had a killer front AND back, something you don’t get very often in 1 dress! I knew I wanted my hair to compliment these things, so I decided on a braid crown and low bun with white spray roses and baby’s breath intertwined. Nancy Caroline made my hair and makeup vision a reality and I couldn’t thank her more! And finally, my veil. Oh how I LOVED my veil! I really feel like it’s delicate, oh-so-beautiful cascading flowers made the entire look.

We had a 22 month long engagement and for 20 long months, I had this vision in my head that wouldn’t quit. I feel like the bridesmaid dresses really set the tone for the rest of the wedding; whimsical, boho-chic yumminess! Four were in a strapless, abstract floral dress that I fell IN LOVE with at Bloomingdale’s (on sale!!). Three wore a one shoulder lilac dream that perfectly complimented the florals. To top it off, they wore delicate baby’s breath flower crowns and held small all-white bouquets.

Our advice: Get a dedicated wedding notebook and take it with you e v e r y w h e r e! You never know when an idea, question or concern will pop into your head and it will automatically make you feel better (and not obsess…too much) after you write it down! It’s SO easy to get wrapped up in all the details/chaos, but at the end of the day, you need to remember that everything on that day WILL be okay because you have each other…and you’re going to be husband and wife!! Nothing is better than that.

My step-mom designed the beautiful, heart-felt programs and we worked very closely with our Cantor, Nancy Bach, to have our ceremony resemble exactly who we are. Nick and I are The Bugs and lady bugs definitely made their way into our ceremony (and reception), in only the best way possible.

Our venue fit right in our vision – we knew we didn’t want a traditional ballroom and as soon as we walked into the Winter Garden Pavilion at Fox Hollow, we knew it was the one. With brick walls, skylight ceilings, a mahogany bar and fireplace, it felt like you were in someone’s home – it was perfect.

The DIY-thing I wanted to do for the longest time was our escort cards – it was the very first pin I pinned! I ordered a huge wooden frame off Etsy, then trolled Facebook for my favorite photos of our guests and got them printed on Polaroid stock paper with the table numbers. We hung each photo with a clothespin and stuck cute little lady bug stickers at the top of the frame.

Throughout the night, we also reminded each other to stop and look around, to really take it all in. How lucky are we that ALL of our family and friends are dancing their butts off (together!!) under the same roof celebrating our love. I so wish I could bottle that intoxicating joy up and keep it forever.

Congratulations to Ari and Nick, and a huge thanks to The Markows Photography for sharing this wedding with us! Want more upstate NY wedding inspiration? Take a look at this sophisticated upstate New York wedding at The Ram’s Head Inn!