Brides' Senior Social Media Editor Had a “Pop Concert Vision” for Her Timeless New York City Nuptials

Although Jessica and Steven met in high school—she was a freshman, he was a senior—she’s quick to clarify that they can’t be described as high school sweethearts. “For years, we were just friends, then best friends, and [then] seven years after our first meeting, he asked me to be his girlfriend, right after I graduated college,” she says. “We’ve been in each other’s lives for so long, I genuinely don’t remember what it’s like to not talk to him every day—we’ve been texting everyday since we first got iPhones!” When Steven (whose friends call him Blaze) proposed on a trip to Cabo in December 2022—12 years after their high school friendship began—the couple jumped quickly into planning a classic Big Apple wedding.

"After moving to Miami during the pandemic, and now splitting time between Florida and New York, we always knew we wanted to have a New York City wedding," says Jessica, the senior social media editor at Brides. They narrowed their venue options even further by looking for a spot close to their apartment. “We fell in love with the idea of having our wedding right in our neighborhood,” says Jessica. “My grandparents lived on Sutton Place, in the same apartment we’re in now, so the whole neighborhood has a very special place in my heart.”

For their 238-guest wedding on June 24, 2023, the couple chose local historical landmark and event space Guastavino’s. “Guastavino’s has that old school New York City feel that we were going for, and it just felt like us,” says Jessica. With help from Pat & Glenn Productions, the couple designed a black-tie event around a vision of “timeless romance—with lots of flowers!” says Jessica. “While it was a very formal black-tie wedding in New York City, I wanted to make sure there were certain playful elements that show that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It was really important to Blaze and I that our personality really shined through in our wedding.”

Along with DIY welcome bags and custom cigar labels, the couple also used their favorite pop songs throughout their ceremony and reception, printing personalized versions of the lyrics on their programs and cocktail napkins, and opting for covers of their favorites from Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Kelly Clarkson for the ceremony music. “The music really made our wedding feel like us,” says Jessica. “We skipped the oldies, and went straight for the 2000s, 2010s, and top hits of today to drive our ‘pop concert’ wedding vision to life. From walking down the aisle to Kelly Clarkson to making our grand entrance to ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyonce, it was something that felt so us!”

See all the custom details and breathtaking florals from Jessica and Steven’s wedding ahead, as photographed by Twah Dougherty.

Classic, elegant invitations from Fancy That previewed the event’s luxurious aesthetic. “Timeless romance were two words that came to mind as the wedding vision started to come together,” says Jessica. 

Jessica surprised herself by trying on dozens of gowns without finding one that felt just right. “I skipped bringing friends or bridesmaids, and only brought my parents. I’m not going to lie, they started to get sick of me because I tried on so many dresses, and dragged them to multiple salons twice, but we did have fun with it,” she says. “Working at Brides, I see beautiful dresses every day. It was so hard to find something that felt different and fresh, but also fit my more classic bridal style.”

Finally, with help from her wardrobe-stylist mother and the Monique Lhuillier flagship store, Jessica opted for a custom gown that included a boned bodice, lace overlay, and A-line skirt. “I genuinely never thought I would wear a lace dress, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing like lace to make you feel like a bride,” she says. “I wanted to be in a wedding dress that I haven’t seen a million times before, and these customizations made me feel like I had my own special dress that I didn’t see all over Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and of course, the designer pages on Brides.com. It was definitely nerve wracking customizing a gown, because while I knew it was going to be beautiful, you really don’t know how it’s going to come out until you get that first fitting—but it really was my perfect dress.”

Jessica added borrowed sapphire-and-diamond earrings from her mother, a Stephanie Gottlieb diamond necklace, and a diamond bracelet that belonged to Steven’s grandmother—”the jewelry queen of the family,” she says. She kept her makeup subtle and her hair in loose waves. “I was really going for natural glam; I wanted to look like myself, but better!” she says. “The vibe for my hair was ‘the best blowout of my life.’ I’m a girl who loves a good blowout and gets them regularly, so I know how I like my hair.” (A “life-changing” De Frizz treatment by Rudy Pena at Julien Farel eight weeks before the wedding kept her locks glossy and smooth.)

Steven wore a bespoke tuxedo from Alan David Custom Suits NYC with mother-of-pearl cufflinks and studs—a gift from Jessica’s father in a “special and sweet moment” on the wedding day.

Before their ceremony, Jessica and Steven met in their apartment to share their personal vows privately. “We always knew we wanted to write our own vows, but the thought of saying them in front of 230 people gave me anxiety,” says Jessica. “If we did our vows in front of everyone at our ceremony, I knew I’d be nervous about it all day, and I decided I just don’t need that stress in my life. We exchanged our vows on the sofa in our living room, in our full wedding attire, in this special moment that was just for us. We wept, we laughed, we wept some more, and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision.”

Preparing to depart for the ceremony after the vows was a full-circle moment for Jessica. “Since I grew up going to this same apartment to visit my grandparents since I was a little girl, it was surreal standing in the same lobby in my wedding dress,” she says. “Our doorman, Jay, sent us off, and we actually walked to our wedding from there!”

Each woman in Jessica’s bridal party wore a custom silk dress designed by sustainable New York-based brand KES. “They each worked closely with Lia Kes Carmi Berman, the owner and designer, to find the best color that suits their skin tone and the silhouette that suits their style,” says Jessica. The bridesmaids carried round bouquets of white roses that complemented the bride’s creamy clutch of peonies. “I wanted a tight bouquet that was simple, classic, and romantic,” she says. “Nothing crazy.” 

Breathtaking displays of orchids, roses, baby’s breath, and greenery lined the stairs at the venue and filled the ceremony space. “While the wedding was fully indoors in New York City, we still wanted it to be lush and floral-filled!” says Jessica. “I really wanted the chuppah to be a dramatic ‘wow’ moment, and Pat and Glenn delivered! They created the custom chuppah of my actual dreams!” 

Garlands of individual phalaenopsis orchid heads hanging on crystal strands behind the chuppah fulfilled Steven’s single request. “The one floral moment Blaze has ever noticed in his life is the hanging orchids at The 1 Hotel, so we wanted to incorporate that in our wedding décor,” says Jessica. “We did it in such an elevated, glam, modern way. We also flanked our chuppah with ‘love ferns’— very Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-coded.”

Jessica took the inspiration for her flower girls’ dresses from the frocks she and her cousin wore 18 years before as flower girls in another cousin’s wedding. “We were absolutely obsessed with those dresses,” she says. Jessica’s mother suggested recreating the moment for Jessica and Steven’s ceremony. “We asked my cousin if she knew where she got those dresses for us all those years ago, and she sent over a link!” says Jessica. “”Our flower girls wore the same exact dresses—and they looked absolutely precious.”

Jessica and Steven wanted “all the pop concert vibes” throughout their day, so they asked their ceremony musicians to include classic songs from Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga during the ceremony. “The bridal party walked down the aisle to ‘Halo’ by Beyonce, an acoustic  version played by live musicians,” says Jessica. “Our Cantor sang ‘Edge of Glory’ as we walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife.” But it was the Cantor’s custom version of another iconic ballad that became one of the bride’s favorite moments of the day. “Walking down the aisle to ‘A Moment Like This’ by Kelly Clarkson, sung in half-English half-Hebrew, with both of my parents by my side, will always live in my head rent-free,” she says.

A living wall escort display flanked by towering floral arrangements made a major impact at the couple’s reception. At their seats, the bridal party found place cards customized by the bride and groom. “Instead of putting the super formal names of our friends, we put their nicknames,” says Jessica. “I'm known in the friend group for nicknaming everyone, so it was really fun to juxtapose these casual name cards at our formal wedding. It really felt like us. My place card even said ‘JChass’ and Steven’s said ‘Blaze.’”

During the cocktail hour, the couple’s planning team turned their ceremony space into a flower-filled spectacular. “One of the highlights of my wedding day was the moment I saw the reception florals for the first time,” says Jessica.

Pat & Glenn Productions created three different centerpiece arrangements for the room, incorporating white hydrangeas, white playa blanca roses, pink mondial, and quicksand roses throughout. Tall crystal candelabras, low arrangements accented by crystal taper candles, and six-foot-tall Caelia trees dotted with orchids and baby’s breath combined sophisticated opulence and natural beauty to turn the room into a dramatic indoor garden.

Jessica and Steven designed two signature cocktails in honor of their favorite cities—New York and Miami—and one in a nod to Steven’s frequent work travel schedule. “Sutton Place Spa Water is the signature drink I always make for our friends and family at home: Tito’s vodka, soda, extra lime juice, and cucumber,” says Jessica. “The South Beach Skinny Spicy Marg was our Miami-inspired cocktail. I mean, who doesn’t live for a spicy skinny marg with Casamigos? And Blaser In-Fight is none other than Woodford on the rocks, American Airlines’ finest!”

The signs were “one thing that slipped through the cracks,” says Jessica, so she used Canva to design them the day before the wedding. “They wound up looking really good (if I do say so myself) and I fully did it from the bridal suite the morning of the rehearsal dinner,” she says. “Never a dull moment!”

The couple extended their pop-music references into the cocktail hour, where custom napkins showed off “Jessie’s Version” of the couple’s favorite songs—each with Steven’s nickname worked into the lyrics. “We had ‘Love on Top’ by Beyonce, ‘Always Be My Blazey’ by Mariah Carey, and the deepest cut of all, ‘You and I’ by Lady Gaga,” says Jessica. “The cocktail napkins were super personalized, to the point that I knew some people might not even get the reference, but that wound up being one of the most Instagrammable moments of our wedding. Who would’ve thought?”

Jessica and Steven also requested “Love on Top” for their first dance song from Bobby Attiko. “Want to know why we got married on June 24? That was the date our fabulous band Bobby Attiko was available,” says Jessica. “We really wanted a big dance party, and personally, I wanted our wedding to give all the pop concert vibes—I’m allergic to cheesy wedding music, I’m not a big fan of oldies, and I knew I didn’t want our wedding to be like that opening scene of 27 Dresses where Katherine Heigel’s character is shown in a montage dancing to ‘Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough’ at multiple weddings. My mom and I also had the best time writing down our favorite songs and nailing the music vibe together. Bobby Attiko may or may not have done a mashup of ‘Low’ by Flo Rida and ‘Lip Gloss’ by Lil Mama at our wedding. And it was absolutely epic.”

During the reception, Jessica changed into one of the first gowns she tried on while shopping for her ceremony dress: The Margot gown by Ines Di Santo. Though she and her mother both loved it from the beginning, the backless, strapless dress immediately felt like a second-look option to Jessica. “My mom thought I was crazy for even bringing up a second dress—especially when she could totally picture me walking down the aisle in it—but I had a gut feeling that it would be incredible for the reception,” says Jessica. “I was still dreaming about that dress a few months before the wedding.” She emailed the brand’s press department and went back to Mark Ingram Atelier to see if sourcing and altering the gown was possible on such tight notice. “Their team made all my customizations happen with the short timeline,” she says. “From closing the slit and removing the train to altering the neckline slightly, I made the Margot my own and danced the night away in it!”

A multi-tier cake from City Sweets was decorated with an orchid bloom motif that called back to the ceremony design. Along with mini ice cream cones, the couple also handed out Steven’s favorite treat—Milk Bar cake truffles—as favors.

After the reception, the couple hosted an after-party—”fueled by espresso martinis and buffalo chicken spring rolls,” says Jessica—in another room at the venue. “We brought in clubby, loungey furniture, tons of afterparty food, and a DJ who exclusively played all the songs that we danced to at college frat parties,” she says. “Blaze really wanted to have a cigar moment at the wedding, so towards the end of the afterparty, at 12:45 a.m.-ish, we had a cigar station set-up outside. Since his last name is Blaser, and everyone (myself included) calls him Blaze, I went on Etsy and ordered custom ‘Just Blaze’ cigar labels.”

For Jessica and Steven, the time spent personalizing their day—from the bespoke fashion to the personalized music—was well worth the effort. “As an editor at Brides, I had a lot of fun with wedding planning, but I’m not immune to all the stress that comes with it,” she says. “It’s a lot of work, but at the end of the day, it was so rewarding and satisfying to see my wedding vision come to life on the day-of.”