Real New York Wedding | Kristen + Nick at The Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Kristen and Nick first "coupled up" in seventh grade, but it was nearly a decade later before they shared their first kiss... From a storybook "how they met" story to a proposal that is sure to swoon {both below} it seemed only fitting that the couple's beautiful wedding at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden was equally magical, and captured with charm by Karen Zieff of Zieff Photography.
The Amsale gown with floral notes, the natural setting, the cascading flowers, all weave together to reflect the couple's sweet story. Take a peek at the lovebirds as they celebrate tying the knot in a botanic haven in the Big Apple ...

When planning the big day, bride Kristen found inspiration for her wedding both within the pages of magazines and from the natural beauty of her ceremony and reception site. "I wanted a lot of color and ended up finding a bouquet in a magazine with rich oranges and purples and decided to pull from that. I also decided to add a light sage green to pull the colors together, to act as a sort of "neutral" tone. The final color scheme consisted of mostly green and purple shades with fun "pops" of orange to add more depth. Aside from color, the theme was driven by the ceremony and reception site. From the location itself to the flowers, the food, the music, the overriding theme was one of abundance."

The outdoor setting celebrated the pure wonder of the gardens... Kristen adds, "The ceremony was outside under a tree on the grounds of the garden. We set the guests in a slight arch so that it could feel a bit more intimate and so that everyone could see/hear. I had the florists make an arbor of flowers to frame the setting. The ceremony was limited to what flowers with several shades of purples."

The cake was a tiered spice cake with caramel filling and vanilla cream with a fondant in white with ascending green vines. Kristen notes, "To our surprise the florist added some small orange flowers up the side."

Vendor List:
Ceremony Site: The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
Reception: The Palm House at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
Photography: Zieff Photography
Officiant: Dr. David A. Davis, Senior Pastor of Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton NJ
Gown: Bridal Blue Label Bijou via Amsale Flagship Salon Madison Avenue
Viel: Amsale
Shoes: Loeffler Randall Gorgia Mesh Lace Up Bootie
Hair and Make Up: Eva Scrivo
Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale
Invitations: Atelier Isabey
Flowers: Sviba Flowers
Catering: Palm House
Ceremony Music: Claremont strings and ensembles 
Reception Music: Total Soul
Cake: Ana Parzych Cakes
Favors: Macaron Cafe
Accommodations: The New York Palace Hotel
Honeymoon: The couple plans to honeymoon for two weeks this August, exploring Peru and spending a few days hiking the Inca trail {they can't wait}!

From the bride: Nick and I first met in fifth grade at Princeton Day School, where we both attended through middle and high school. We had a small class of no more than 70 students so needless to say we knew each other pretty well. I was quite shy in middle school, even more so around boys. Even though we had several classes together, it wasn't until the seventh grade that Nick claims he first noticed me. He asked me out towards the end of the school year and we dated for less than a week. In eighth grade, we dated again, for about a week and a half, just until the point when I feared it might get "serious," i.e. we would have to kiss. And so we left it at that. We continued to flirt through high school and though we were good friends, we never dated again. In college, we both went our separate ways, but every time our hometown friends got together over holidays and school breaks, we would see each other. Every time we spoke to each other there was always the same obvious attraction. After college, Nick moved to Chicago and I moved to Manhattan. We lost touch for several years until Nick moved back to the East Coast, to take a teaching job in Brooklyn. Even though we had known each other for over 14 years by the time he moved back east, in many ways we met each other all over again in 2008. Reconnecting as adults, we recognized for the first time that our interest in each other had reached beyond a mere childhood crush. We were different people from the young kids that first met, yet there was still something at our core that drew us together. After a long night spent in the company of several mutual friends from our high school years, Nick asked me on a date. I was nervous and Nick was very quiet; we had reverted into awkward school kids, tense, apprehensive, waiting for the part of the night where we would perhaps kiss. The moment arrived and we did. I think we both recognized after that night that it was the start of something that we never wanted to end.

The proposal: Nick proposed on the Brooklyn Bridge. We had gone to get dinner at one of our favorite places in Brooklyn Heights but strangely enough, the little restaurant was closed to cater a wedding. We ended up going to a new restaurant in the area and decided to walk back to our apartment in Manhattan. Half way over the Brooklyn Bridge, we stopped. I was staring at the NY skyline, when Nick said my name and the next thing I knew he was on his knee with a ring in his hand. I immediately thought of all of those horror stories of couples getting engaged on the Brooklyn Bridge and losing the ring, so I grabbed the ring and put it on my finger before I said yes. Then I accepted.

The location: Nick and I both grew up in Princeton, NJ but had lived in New York for several years by the time we got engaged. Most of our friends and family are local so we decided in order to maximize the number of guests and ease of transportation, that we would stay local. We knew we wanted to be in New York, but weren't sure exactly where. Nick loves Brooklyn and had lived there prior to us getting engaged so when we found the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, we thought it would be a great spot, and would show many of our friends and family a part of the city that most of our guests had never been to. We liked the idea of getting married in the city but also wanted some aspects of the wedding to be outside to capture the harvest feel of October. The gardens seemed the perfect fit.

All photos courtesy of Zieff Photography.