An Ethereal New York Wedding in a Restored Bank

Within a restored historic New York City bank, Sarah and Aaron’s luxurious wedding spilled with story and sentiment. Boasting classic New York elegance and architecture, the location created a dramatic backdrop for a contemporary celebration fused with romantic, ethereal styling.

Both ceremony and reception, though held in the same venue at Weylin, maintained their own individual sense of space and atmosphere, accommodated perfectly by the Weylin’s dual-dome configuration. Old New York and Art Decó influenced the opulent yet ethereal decor. A warm color palette of creams, alabaster, mossy green and smoke created hypnotic floral arrangements suspended mid-air.

The bride wore a Danielle Frankel dress, both fluid and structured, with Jimmy Choo heels and soft, minimal accessories.

This ethereal New York wedding was captured by Haute Weddings.

new york wedding venues

Our Story

Names / Sarah Price & Aaron Macoskey

Location / New York City, United States

Wedding Date / June 10, 2023

Guest Numbers /110

new york wedding venues

How We Met

We met through friends and would see and chat with one another at group gatherings and eventually, Aaron started taking an interest in me. Our first date occurred when Aaron planned a group dinner and asked everyone else to cancel so it would be just us two, and the rest was history. He didn’t know this at the time, but my dad used the same tactic when asking out my mom for the first time!

Our Engagement Story

Aaron proposed on a cold winter night on Pier 26. I was getting my master’s at the time, and he knew that I would refuse to walk away from my textbooks during peak finals season unless it was important, so he got creative. He and my dad concocted a “networking” opportunity to coerce me out of the apartment, and as we were walking towards the restaurant, Aaron took my hand and led me down the pier, got on one knee and proposed. Little did I know, our families had come into town, and popped out after I inevitably said yes – I was beyond surprised and overwhelmed with happiness. We then celebrated with our families at a private dinner at Estella.

What we love most about each other…

Sarah: Aaron has a calmness to him that I love so much. When life gets stressful, I know I can turn to him to make me feel like everything will be okay. He’s my safe space.

Aaron: I love Sarah’s big heart, her deep desire to love, and to be loved. She has a comforting personality and cares for every soul, from family and friends to acquaintances.

new york wedding venues

The Setting

Wedding Location

From the start, we knew we wanted to hold our wedding in New York City. The City holds a large part of our hearts. It’s where we first crossed paths and built a life together, and we wanted our guests, from near and far, to experience the city that made everything possible for us.

We fell in love with the Weylin because of its breathtaking architecture and old New York quality. The space is so stunning that it spoke for itself, but it was versatile enough to make it our own, and it served as the perfect backdrop for the ethereal floral design we had in mind. It was also important to us that our ceremony and reception were held in the same venue while feeling like two separate experiences, so the Weylin’s dual-dome configuration was absolutely perfect.

Aesthetic

The historical architecture was complemented with an ethereal, organic floral design and a neutral palette of white, alabaster, cream, and ivory with accents of mossy green and smoke.

We took inspiration from old New York with hints of Art Deco elements.

Preparation

We both got ready at the Greenwich Hotel, me with my bridesmaids, and Aaron with his groomsmen. We had lunch catered by Bubby’s, and both spent that time exchanging gifts with our wedding parties, reliving memories, and sharing happy tears!

new york wedding venues

Photography

We were drawn to Haute Weddings because of their artful, editorial style. They captured even the smallest of moments and made them beautiful. We are so grateful to have found them; they exceeded our expectations!

Videography

Liron Erel & Co. captured our wedding on video and he did an amazing job documenting the details and the energy of the day. He doesn’t often shoot video, but we had to have him and so happy it worked out the way it did.

“From the start, we knew we wanted to hold our wedding in New York City. The City holds a large part of our hearts. It’s where we first crossed paths and built a life together, and we wanted our guests, from near and far, to experience the city that made everything possible for us.”

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

The ivory satin aisle runner was surrounded hundreds of pillar candles in glass hurricanes lining the aisle. The back of the aisle was anchored by two floral moments “growing from the ground” and onto the back row of chairs.

The ceremony took place on a low white platform showcasing a lush semi-circle of white flowers – baby’s breath, roses, and delphinium.

Letter-pressed ceremony programs were served to guests on silver trays as they found their seats – white, minimalist bentwood chairs.

Reception Décor

Warm white, glowy lighting and candlelight romanticized and soften the old-New York speakeasy for Cocktail Hour. Cocktail tables were decorated with ikebana-inspired floral. An oversized, sculptural floral arrangement of white orchids, Amaranthus, roses and cherry blossom (a nod to my Japanese heritage) created a statement at the escort table of hand calligraphed cards. Hors d’oeuvres and signature drinks (Negronis and espresso martinis) were passed on antique silver trays and accompanied by monogramed cocktail napkins.

Dinner was held in the Main Oculus space and guests were seated around the custom wood herringbone dance floor at long vanilla satin-covered tables under all white floral chandeliers composed of flowering branches, baby’s breath, delphinium and roses. The long tables were decorated with a tablescape of candles and minimalist, ikebana floral. Guests were wined and dined on modern ivory stoneware china and smoke colored crystal cut glassware. Letterpress menus were edge painted with a dark moss color and topped with hand calligraphed place cards. Large old world, wood mahogany bars flanked both sides of the ballroom with sleek, gold backbars decorated with candles and floral accents.

After dinner, guests were invited to a one-night-only club/ lounge aptly named “375 Park” (the location of our first date) in Weylin’s second dome. A white dance floor centered the space between white boucle lounge vignettes and mirror balls shining from each corner of the room. Fire-juggling bartenders from The Cup Bearers served a special selection of cocktails displayed on leather cocktail lounge menus, including a Disco Fever and a Sidecar.

new york wedding venues

Flowers

Sarah carried a bouquet of soft and structural white flowers (orchids, reflexed roses, sweet pea and Amaranthus). Aaron wore a simple, white ranunculus boutonniere.

Bridesmaids carried small posies of sweet peas.

“Letter-pressed ceremony programs were served to guests on silver trays as they found their seats – white, minimalist bentwood chairs.”

Stationery

Swell custom designed an elegant, minimalist, and neutral invitation suite in that incorporated a blind impressed pattern inspired by Weylin’s ceiling dome. The main invitation was hand edge painted in green. The suite’s design was carried throughout the event design from the welcome notes for hotel guests to the ceremony programs, menus and signage of the event.

Favors/Bonbonniere

Out of town guests were greeted at their hotels with a box of LaDuree macarons and a note from Sarah and Aaron

One dancing commenced, guests were gifted “SA” monogramed slippers.

Cigars were available to smoke during the afterparty along with custom matchboxes.

Cake

A small, vintage style cutting cake from Cakes by Cy.

Food & Beverages

A plated dinner was served by Comparti Catering servers in crisp white jackets.

First course was an arugula & crispy serrano salad followed by a choice of Honey Miso Cod, Skirt Steak or Ratatouille. A special selection of wines was served with each course curated by the sommeliers at Thatcher Wines. Desserts including churro donuts, pavlova and pannacotta were passed around the dance floor and pizza from Joe’s Pizza in the West Village was served as a late-night snack.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

My dress was Danielle Frankel, and my shoes were Jimmy Choo. I worked with their in-house tailor to customize my dress by adding folded details to the bodice to add more texture and shape.

My afterparty dress was Galia Lahav. Since my wedding dress had long sleeves, I wanted to change into something that felt modern and easy to dance in!

Bridesmaids

I requested my bridesmaids to wear dresses that were floor-length and different shades of nude, from champagne to ecru. They were able to pick whatever heels they felt most comfortable walking in!

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

My engagement ring is a solitaire emerald cut diamond on a gold band with a hidden halo. For my wedding ring, I selected a baguette diamond eternity band. Aaron chose a gold wedding band with milgrain detailing around the edges.

On my wedding day, I wore baroque pearl drop earrings and my late Grandmother’s solitaire pearl ring. I wanted to find a way to incorporate my Japanese heritage, so I wore a Japanese hair piece called a Kanzashi, which my mother custom made for me.

Hair & Makeup

I wore my hair in a classic slicked-styled bun. It’s how I usually wear my hair and I wanted to feel like myself on my wedding day! As for my make-up, my inspiration was soft-glam. I certainly wanted to look dolled up, but I wanted to keep it natural so opted for a cream, nude, brown palette.

The Details

Honeymoon

I grew up in Asia, and Aaron had never been, so we decided to tour a few places where I had lived during my upbringing. We stopped in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The trip meant a lot to us because I have been lucky to spend a lot of time in Aaron’s hometown of Pittsburgh, and I’ve learned a lot about him through that, so it felt so special for him to learn more about me and see where I came from.

“It was important to us that our ceremony and reception were held in the same venue while feeling like two separate experiences. Weylin’s dual-dome configuration was absolutely perfect.”

Wedding Songs

Bridal Processional: Can’t Help Falling in Love (Kina Grannis cover)

First Dance: Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers

Father-Daughter Dance: Daddy’s Little Girl, Michael Bolton

Mother-Son Dance: Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Entertainment

Guests were welcomed into the ceremony by the sound of a string quartet and I walked down the aisle with my dad to a rendition of “Can’t Help Falling In Love,”

For cocktail hour, we went with the speakeasy vibes of Weylin’s 1875 bar and a jazz trio played while guests mingled

Dinner featured the classic, big-band sound of Good Shot Judy

After dinner, guests were invited to a one-night-only club/ lounge aptly named “375 Park” (the location of our first date) in Weylin’s second dome. Mirror balls and DJ Ryan Vandal set the mood as fire-juggling bartenders from The Cup Bearers served a special selection of cocktails, including a Disco Fever and a Sidecar.

Celebrant

My high school friend, Katherine, presided over the ceremony.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

Meeting each other down the aisle was such a surreal moment for us. We had the worst butterflies but had never felt so calm; nothing can prepare you for that feeling. There was so much love, and it felt intimate, even with 110 pairs of eyes watching.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

There is not one thing I would change, but the experience taught me how important it is to partner with the right planners. I knew Allie and Tracey from Benor & Beik understood our vision from the beginning. The wedding planning process can be overwhelming and requires you to make many decisions, so having a team of people you trust to help you make those decisions (or make them when you can’t decide) relieves a huge burden!

We waited over a month before leaving for our honeymoon and are so happy we did. It gave us time to come down from our wedding weekend high and spend time together in our home as husband and wife while having something exciting to look forward to! Instead, we went on a weekend getaway to the Catskills the week after our wedding to celebrate. Spacing out our wedding and honeymoon also allowed us to dedicate our attention to the final touches of our honeymoon.

Sources of inspiration…

I pulled a lot of inspiration from my experiences living in New York City. For example, our floral concept was inspired by the Sézane store in Soho. They always have stunning floral displays that draw people in, and I knew I wanted to emulate that at our wedding. And of course, Pinterest!