The vision for our wedding was to keep it simple and for it to just be a really fun, happy and celebratory day that FELT LIKE US.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Hi, I’m Olivia Birch. I am from Auckland, New Zealand, and I have a background in fashion and design. I moved to New York in 2017 after winning a green card in the diversity lottery, having never been and knowing no one. I worked as an accessories designer for Madewell for almost six years there, and now live in Santa Monica, California with my husband Lee and my son Charlie, who is two years eight months old. I now work in the beauty industry in product development for a fragrance brand, and I own and operate my own jewellery brand with my sister and co-founder in New Zealand. I am a morning person who is obsessed with going on walks, daily yoga, a great cup of coffee and finding joy in the little things in life.
Hey! I’m Lee, and I’m originally from the north of England. I earned a French and Spanish degree at university. After travelling and teaching English as a foreign language, I moved to London and worked for a few years at a large recruitment agency before deciding to set up my own boutique staffing firm in 2012. I relocated to New York in 2016 to pursue the American Dream and take the company stateside, where we continued to grow to 150+ people. Having recently sold my stake in the business, though, I’ve been taking some time out to enjoy myself and figure out my next career move.
I love all things playing and watching sports – I’m a big Leeds United fan, a keen runner and also trying to perfect my golf and pickleball games. I love going to live music events and taking our little boy to the beach.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We were introduced through a mutual friend Michael O’Leary, at our favourite honky tonk dive bar in Williamsburg (called Skinny Dennis). We met on Friday, 4th May 2018, after we had both serendipitously moved to New York in 2017 (Lee from London, Olivia from Auckland). Once we met, we were inseparable; we became best friends and loved exploring New York together. New York attracts like-minded people who want to maximise every day and experience life to the fullest; it’s a city where you experience the highest highs but also the lowest lows, so to find someone to share these with was very precious.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We met on a Friday night and hung out Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I beat Lee in a game of Uno and chose my prize to be a proper date. Our first official date was at Zabloski’s (a bar in Williamsburg). We played pool against two literal pool professionals and won the game; I feel like we just knew we made a great team! From that first night we met, Lee and I continued to spend every moment we could together, despite New York feeling like a transient place where we both didn’t expect to find a lifelong partner, let alone have a child together there, but we both knew from that first weekend we had found something pretty special. Lee treated me like his best friend and always made me feel safe. We had so much fun together, travelling and exploring the city.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
In August 2021, whilst Lee and I were on vacation in Tulum, Mexico (a holiday that had been postponed for a year and a half due to COVID), we went for a sunset walk along the beach on our first night there. Lee knew I would want our proposal setting to be private, and there was no one else on the beach or around. Unbeknownst to me, Lee had a ring in his pocket (a big fake placeholder ring in a light-up box, because Lee knew I am very detail-oriented and would want to design my own ring, which turned out to be such a fun and special process to do together), and he got down on one knee to propose to me. Lee had convinced me from the time I’d met him that he ‘didn’t believe in marriage’ which turned out to be a long running ruse; and definitely made the proposal a total surprise (despite being 4 months pregnant haha).
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
The vision for our wedding was to keep it simple and for it to just be a really fun, happy and celebratory day that FELT LIKE US. I have always felt like there is too much pressure and expectation on weddings that they should be ‘the best day of your life’. I gained further clarity and perspective after we had our son, Charlie; we knew we wanted him to be a part of the day, but of course, having a 6-month-old there meant it was a little unpredictable (Charlie was such a happy little baby and ended up being the star of the show!). I wanted it to feel spontaneous, casual, light-hearted and full of love, almost like an elopement, but with most of our loved ones there. When I first started thinking of our wedding day and ceremony, I loved the idea of getting married in Brooklyn Bridge Park because I wanted New York as our backdrop, as it played such a big part in our relationship and felt the energy of the city. I am such a DIY girl, and I love doing my own flowers, hair and makeup. I felt really proud to walk myself down the aisle with my sister, best friends and my son because it symbolised a choice I was making (rather than my Dad ‘giving me away’). We really looked at each expected wedding tradition and analysed whether it felt right for us. There are a lot of traditions, but what I want to tell every bride is YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, AND HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DO IT.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
We absolutely love the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. We splurged on a suite for a couple of nights to enjoy the day leading up to the wedding, swimming in their rooftop pool and waking up together both on our wedding day and our first morning as husband and wife with the most beautiful view of New York City with our little boy Charlie.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Lee and I got married in July, which is prime Summer in New York. Our short and sweet ceremony was outside, and we had a five-minute walk to our reception. We felt pretty confident we would be safe with the weather, but literally 2 minutes after we said I do, the heavens opened and the HEAVIEST Summer downpour of rain came down on us and all of our guests and absolutely SATURATED us. We were all drenched, and there was literally nothing we could do except embrace it and laugh! It made for the most memorable photo of Lee and I kissing in the rain. And I feel like it was such a representation of the unpredictability of life! Plus, they say rain on your wedding day is good luck, right?
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
My main goal for our wedding day was that it felt like us, and the same went for what we wore. It just didn’t feel right for me to wear a gown, and I didn’t even try any on! It just didn’t feel like me or the vibe of our wedding day. I knew straight away I wanted to wear a print and a classic slip-style dress. I’ve always loved the brand Realisation Par, as they don’t buy into traditional seasons, but their styles are timeless and life year-round. I ordered ‘The Liv’ dress online (which coincidentally is also my name!!) And I just loved it and felt good in it and didn’t overthink it. I had my son in the January prior, and didn’t want to be hard on myself or feel pressured to lose weight because I didn’t know how I would feel or look, and I truly didn’t care I was just so proud of myself for having a baby HAHA. I was even still breastfeeding on my wedding day and breastfed Charlie right before I walked down the aisle. I loved the idea of color and prints that didn’t match for my bridesmaids, I wanted it to feel fun and full of life. Lee wore a cool navy linen suit and Adidas Stan Smith sneakers which definitely felt more like him than dress shoes.
CEREMONY LOCATION Brooklyn Bridge Park RECEPTION LOCATION Drinks – The 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge; Family Style Dinner – Vinegar Hill House, @vinegarhillhouse PHOTOGRAPHER Jeff Samaniego, @jeffsamaniego STYLIST & PLANNER By the bride and sister of the bride FLORIST By the bride; from Trader Joe’s Supermarket CELEBRANT Amanda Lea Mason, @curlymanders CAKE Vinegar Hill House, @vinegarhillhouse RINGS Roman Malakov, @romanmalakovdiamonds BRIDAL DRESS The Liv Dress – Realisation Par, @realisationpar BRIDE’S SHOE Bellini Leather Strappy Heel in Pearl White – ALOHAS, @alohas ACCESSORIES Hoop Earrings – The Everyday Fine Hoops in Gold – La Dailie, @ladailie HAIR & MAKEUP By the bride BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Philosykos – Diptyque, @diptyque SUIT J Crew, @jcrew GROOM’S SHOE Adidas, @adidas GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Spicebomb – Viktor & Rolf, @viktorandrolf BRIDAL PARTY OUTFIT Realisation Par, @realisationpar; Reformation, @reformation
