Modern Black Tie New York Wedding at the Bowery Hotel

October 28, 2023

This modern fall New York wedding at the Bowery hotel serves as a perfect example of how to celebrate a 200+ guest wedding. A fun wedding that also included the sophisticated stylish elements of New York in its music, food, and fashion choices.

The Couple

They say music makes the world go round. It couldn’t be more true when it comes to Rosemary and Kyle’s love story. To start, the couple met through mutual friends in 2017 at the Gray Mare. That night, they danced their hearts out to a shared love for music. Afterwards, many nights were spent cooking and hosting at their apartment, always with musical tracks playing in the background.

Cut to, on a typical Thursday evening after work, it was business as usual listening to records. Not to sound like a broken record, but Kyle set the mood utilizing their common love for music. He played all of Rosemary’s favorite songs throughout dinner. Then, he played her all time favorite song – At Last, by Etta James, while down on one knee.

The Bowery Hotel

The couple are both from Oklahoma, with a majority of their guests coming from the South and the Midwest. As such, they wanted an elegant, modern, and unforgettable New York themed wedding.

For the venue, they chose the Bowery Hotel, located in the Bowery district near south Manhattan. After the war, the Bowery was known as New York City’s “Skid Row,” to accommodate the down-and-outs. Today, the neighborhood has completely transformed, and the hotel evokes the speakeasy glamour of New York. Undeniably, it contains velvet furniture, an immense woven antique wall tapestry, Moroccan tiled floors, and medieval cast iron chandeliers.

The hotel vibe is dark and moody with exposed wood beam ceilings and dark brick walls. At the same time, it’s also romantic and intimate. For example, it has two candlelit bars, and the rooms have floor to ceiling doors sliding out to an open air terrace.

The night of the wedding, it was pouring rain. Therefore, the couple dimmed the lights and opened the windows to see and hear the storm. It completely met the goal for guests to feel like they were at an intimate, but slightly upscale, dinner party.

Stunning Decor and Preparations

A&P Design Co created the wedding invitations, which included green etched imagery of the Bowery Hotel. The imagery matched the green accents inside the hotel as well as the wedding palette. The bride’s reflections: “The colors were whites, greens, light pinks, and purples, timeless but whimsical. Whimsical like a secret garden with lots of texture and greenery.”

Getting ready the day of, the bridal party stayed in the hotel’s suites upstairs. The rooms featured exposed brick painted in white. On the bed were crisp white linens with coral accents, and views of the tenement buildings outside on the street. It was: “The best setup for a perfect day. There was so much love and music, champagne and energy!”

Florals were simple, but outstanding as the bride was: “very obsessed with Amaranthus and needed it to be everywhere!” She called her florists, Vanessa and Michael from Verde Flowers, “magicians.”

The decorators used candles and wedding theme colored beaded napkin rings as the main decor pieces on the tables.

Chic Fashion

The bride wore a chic satin low back dress by Ines Di Santo. Moreover, it had a giant accent bow just above the derrière. Additionally, satin buttons ran down to the train. She paired it with Sophia Webster pearl heels and borrowed diamond earrings and a tennis bracelet from her mom. “My sister and both of my sisters-in-law have all worn the tennis bracelet in their weddings, so that was very special to me.”

The green accents at the Bowery hotel inspired the color palette for the bridesmaids. Each of whom wore a satin green dress of their choosing. Meanwhile, the groom wore a striking black tuxedo by John Varvatos and the groomsmen wore matching black tuxedos.

New York Wedding Reception

When dinner was served, the room was transformed and completely bathed in candlelight. The room’s full length windowpane wall reflected the light. Ladder-back chairs in dark wood were guided from end to end by the simple white clothed community tables. The altar facing the dark green tiled backsplash of the central fireplace became the band’s stage area.

Throughout the night, guests were treated to two specialty bespoke cocktails – a spicy margarita and an espresso martini.

Dinner was New York themed. A Waldorf Salad was first, followed by a Flatiron Halibut and NY Strip steak, and finished with a play on Black and White cookies with a chocolate and vanilla cake by Wild Flour NYC. The after party on the terrace featured slices from their favorite pizza place, Scarr’s.

The music list was curated by the groom, bride, and father of the bride’s shared passion for music. It was materialized by two live bands embodying the wedding couple’s daily lives. As such, Cover Story, a Doo Wop band that busks around town, played during cocktail hour. For the reception, Cafe Wha illuminated the dance floor.

Wedding guests wore yellow and green boa feathers and pink cowboy hats. The accessories elevated the festive energy of the dance floor.

As every song must come to an end, so did the elegant wedding at the Bowery Hotel for Rosemary and Kyle. The bride’s special moment was: “Having all of our favorite people in our favorite place at the same time. And the bow.”

The bride’s advice for future brides: “Don’t cry! Everything works out! Have fun, you’re marrying your best friend! Write thank you’s as gifts come in! Don’t let that pile up. Take a dance lesson or two.”