Love this intimate wedding at the Tree of Life in New Orleans for Emily and Henrik last December!
Emily was such a sweet and kind bride that when I emailed her questions for this post, she replied with, "That's exciting and I can't believe our anniversary is coming up in just a little over a month! I've listed our answers below, going through them brought back so many wonderful memories. THANK YOU again to the team at Lovegood for making our day so special for us!"
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story.
A little fate and a little bit of internet intervention. We were both busy professionals in New York and looking to meet that special someone without risking our day jobs with potential dating hazards. We met in late spring 2013 over a game of pool and enjoyed so many laughs and fun times together that summer. We realized we had something special when we quickly became each other's best friends and just loved exploring life together.
Describe your wedding flowers.
I have to most beautiful bouquet! It has deep reds dahlias, exotic orange red pincushion protea for the wow factor, burgundy ranunculus that are just precious, all rounded off with purple flower accents along with green light plumose cascade. The bouquet was wild, natural, and rich in color all in one and I just felt so special holding it to walk down the aisle. The groom's boutonniere has the little pop of yellow craspedia, and when I saw it during our "first look", it just put a big smile to my face. We kept the rest of the wedding flowers decor as neutral and organic colors to go with the natural Tree of Life background. At the dinner reception, we have Leaf + Petal to decorate the chandelier in light cascade greens to bring the outdoor inside. It was simple yet elegant.
Tell us all about the proposal!
Honestly, I was totally surprised when Henrik proposed on his birthday! On our way to his birthday dinner in the East Village (in New York), we passed by a local park where I saw flowers, candles, and a custom tile. At the time we were doing several DIY home projects, one in particular was making a penny tile table with center tile features, so I was instantly drawn to the custom Dutch Delft style tile. When we got close, I realized the tile read "Would you marry me, Emily" on it. That was when Henrik got down on his knee and popped the question with the ring.
When did y’all get married?
We got married in New Orleans in December 2017.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them.
We had an intimate destination wedding in New Orleans, where only immediate family members were invited. At the wedding site, the Tree of Life in Audubon Park, no broadcast music was allowed, but we were able to get a very talented guitarist through Swingaroux to play during the ceremony for us. The single classical guitar was perfect with the natural setting and we picked "Somewhere over the Rainbow" to walk down the aisle, and concluded the ceremony with "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. We were also lucky to have the Swingaroux band to play and lead our Second Line where we had the classic "Perdido Street Blues" requested specifically by my father-in-law from Australia. During our wedding reception we had "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, "La Vie En Rose" by Louis Armstrong and "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra played by Swingaroux since we are all old souls.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony?
We added a traditional tea ceremony to our outdoor wedding. The reading was personalized by ourselves to introduce and honor the elders of our family, thanking them especially for their support and asking for their blessing before the official exchange of vows between us. It was very special to us and our families loved that we were able to infuse both east and west traditions together.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Everything! There were so many intimate moments: when my mom helped me into my dress, I had this realizing moment the time is here. For Henrik, that moment was when his mum and dad walked with him down the aisle. For us collectively, it was that single moment under the Tree of Life, facing each other, and in front of our families as witnesses in taking the vow to be together, forever.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding?
Try to enjoy the process, it truly does go by quickly. Also, trust the vendors that you picked, as they are the experts. I am very blessed to have a good team like Lovegood behind us and I was able to have a destination wedding of my dreams while also being a relaxed bride on my day. Please do yourself a favor and get a "day-of coordinator" so you can focus on being the bride and not driving your groom crazy.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together?
We just closed on our first home together, and will be putting ourselves through the excitement of a gut renovation in New York City! Stay tuned!
Favorite detail of the wedding was:
Having a destination wedding in New Orleans! It was the best decision we've made and everything just fell into place. Also a loving shout-out to our wonderful photographer, Liz Condo at Heirloom Collective for capturing our amazing moments for us!
Photographer: Liz Condo, Heirloom Collective Planner: Bridal 911 Venue: Tree of Life, Audobon Park Florist: Leaf + Petal Wedding Cake: Debbie Does Doberge Vintage Rentals: Lovegood Wedding & Event Rentals Bride’s Gown: Rebecca Schoneveld Hair and Makeup: Flawless Bride Menswear: Brooklyn Tailor
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