1. Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
My husband and I are city people and love the industrial wedding venue aesthetic. We searched for many places in New York and New Jersey and came across The Art Factory in Paterson, NJ. It was such a beautiful space and had everything we needed! We didn't have a specific theme, but we wanted our color palette and decor to play off the space. We were so blessed to have my grandfather, a retired pastor of over 50 years, perform the ceremony for us alongside my father. He concluded the ceremony with a prayer in Armenian, which we didn't know about until the ceremony. Since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of my grandfather officiating the ceremony, making everything memorable.
2. Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
We loved the industrial feel of The Art Factory - they had so much decor already in the space for us to use! We love antiques, and they had so many beautiful pieces for us to use while also incorporating newer art installations that were housed in the space. I had many Pinterest boards and would send our planner at The Art Factory our ideas. They created a similar look with the decor on site. My father is a printer, and he printed canvas prints of my husband and I and we hung them throughout the venue.
3. What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
We went to River Dell Florists for our bouquets and they were incredible, as always. Such beautiful florals that lasted! We wanted the florals to have a vintage feel and play off the mauve color of the girls' dresses while complimenting the blue suits for the guys. The bigger fake floral arrangements at the altar and any fake greenery we used for the reception were all provided by The Art Factory. They were so beautiful and you could barely tell they weren't real flowers.
4. Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
We wanted this to be a night for our family and friends to enjoy and celebrate something special after the crazy time of COVID, so we made sure our food and drinks were on point. The Brownstone worked with us to ensure a fantastic menu and custom drinks.
5. Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
I wanted my dress to compliment the space. I wanted a vintage look but also something sexy and formfitting. Jaehee Bridal had so many dresses to choose from and had amazing service. They knew our wedding venue so they were able to pull dresses that complemented the aesthetic of The Art Factory. Chris wanted a suit that was custom to him. He and the guys got their suits from Indochino. He was able to personalize every part of his suit and looked absolutely handsome!
6. How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
No road brings us directly to the path we are searching for, but when we find it, we begin a beautiful journey. Chris and I first took the road that followed our passion - music. Music was the road that took us to many places, gave us unforgettable experiences, provided us a creative outlet, and most importantly, brought us to each other. April 2018, Chris and I were asked to play the Easter services at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. Our paths finally met. We shared our music, said hello, and continued walking on our separate roads. A month later, I had posted a picture on Instagram with my mom in honor of Mother’s Day saying, “Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who taught me that it’s okay to eat a whole plate of nachos for dinner.” Chris, as the kids would say, “slid into my DMs” asking if I really could eat a whole plate of nachos and “why we weren't friends in real life?” I naturally took that as an opportunity to let him know that we should make that happen…over a plate of nachos. Our first date did indeed include nachos along with ice cream, wandering the streets of the East Village, and dancing. We talked about our work, musical experiences, our mutual love for New York, family, and everything in between. At the time, we did not know that that night would be our last first date, but it was history ever since. Our paths met again, but this time, we continued walking on one road together. The Proposal (from Chris’s POV): “I knew I was going to ask Aline to marry me in the spring of 2019. One weekend when Aline and her mom were out of town, I called her dad and asked him if he would get dinner with me – he agreed. While waiting on appetizers, I pulled out the ring and asked him if he would be my father-in-law. Gratefully, he said yes. Later that evening, we returned home and called her grandparents who also gave their blessing. Aline and I had our first date on the 19th of May 2018. I told Aline on many occasions that I wanted to see her through “all four seasons” before getting engaged. The week before our one-year anniversary, we planned a weekend getaway to Newport, Rhode Island to see the old mansions. As I had been adamant that we weren’t getting engaged before the anniversary, she had no idea what was in store for her. We spent the day wandering through the historic town and old mansions. The last stop on our tour was her favorite, the Marble House. As it was the end of the day, most people had already left the grounds. I told Aline that I wanted to get a picture in front of the house as it was free of other tourists. We found someone willing to take our picture, and much to Aline’s (and the photographer’s!) surprise, I asked her to marry me. She said yes!”
7. What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
We had to postpone this wedding day due to COVID. While we still got married on our original wedding date, we didn't get to have the "big" day we had planned. We both were so excited to finally have that moment where we could relive our wedding all over again, but the way it was supposed to be. The other special moment of our wedding day was being able to have our closest family and friends all together on one day after a year and a half of not being able to be together. We absolutely loved our wedding!
8. Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
Planning a wedding is stressful stuff, not going to lie. Here are some tips that helped us get through wedding planning. 1. Ask for help! You don't have to do it all alone. Enlist family, friends, or a wedding planner to help. 2. After a day of visiting venues or vendors, plan a fun activity for you and your spouse to do afterward! It helps take the stress off planning and helps you both reconnect. 3. At the end of the day, the only people who know if something is going wrong is you and your spouse, so don't worry if things aren't going exactly right on your big day!
Venue: The Art Factory
Caterer: The Brownstone
Tux and Groomsman Attire: Indochino
Wedding Dress : Jaehee Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey
Florals: River Dell Florist
Photographer: Laurel Creative