A Blue and Green Literature Themed Wedding

From the beginning, Carl and I both knew that we wanted to stay clear of the “wedding hall” reception. Additionally, we wanted to incorporate our mutual love for reading and history, but beyond that we were not sure how we wanted to develop our theme for the wedding. After doing some research and scouting, I came across a blog that described some of the filming that had been done in Park Slope, Brooklyn for HBO’s, “Boardwalk Empire.” One of the sites used was The Montauk Club, a gorgeous late 19th century building with features of the 1920’s. We paid a visit and instantly fell in love!  

The venue really inspired us, and with the help of Sean Psomas of Wildflowers, we developed an “invitation to the reading lounge” concept in which we wanted our guests to feel as though they had been invited for a party in our antique study. Not wanting the theme to be purely vintage, however, we incorporated some modern elements. This really came into play in all of our paper goods used. Golden Rectangle Press created a “Gatsby” suite that winked at the 1920’s, but was still fresh and modern. 

Just as important to us as the reception venue, was the ceremony location. We were very fortunate to find a BEAUTIFUL church just two blocks from our venue! Saint Augustine, another treasure of the late 19th century, is adorned with remarkable marble, stained glass, and dark, hand carved wood. It truly is a work of art, and I cannot imagine a more beautiful place to have exchanged our vows. 

For our cocktail hour, we brought in a jazz pianist, Bunny Beck, and guests lounged in over sized leather chairs and on antique sofas. Continuing with the literary element of our theme, reception centerpieces were created using books dating from as early as 1900 and low arrangements of bright flowers. Each table also held a dozen votives adding a warm, romantic glow. In lieu of table numbers, each table was named after a notable author, and Alan Rencher designed markers using text from a book by that author, creating a book page effect. Guests were given bookmarks and tins of Jordan almonds as favors. DJ Ceremony kept guests dancing all night with a mix of our indy, alt, and 80’s favorites!