We wanted the entire experience to feel transportive.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We live in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia with our beloved dog Homer, the sweetest lazy bones. Though it’s not how we met, we both went to art school–Steve studied industrial design at Philadelphia University and Lauren studied painting at RISD. Steve works at a contract furniture company as a Product Development Manager and has an upholstery business on the side; Lauren is a photo Art Director for a fashion and lifestyle brand. We love living in Philly and together we spend a lot of time trying new restaurants, revisiting our favorites, cooking and making cocktails at home, exploring local hiking trails, taking day trips to the shore, driving up to our family’s lake house in the Poconos, and skiing in the winter. Just recently we’ve started playing golf together which has been interesting! Steve loves his bowling league and anything on two wheels: cycling (he’s about to ride in a 100 mile bike race!), dirt biking, and working on his 70’s motorcycle. Lauren loves reading and writing fiction, interior design and experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. We’re slowly ticking off destinations on our travel bucket list–currently planning a trip to Japan in March!
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We were set up by our friends Sammi and Kenny! Sammi, Lauren’s manager at her first post-grad job, had become a close friend, and Kenny and Steve had bonded over riding 90’s dirt bikes and 70’s motorcycles together. One night, after a few beers with Steve at their house, Sammi and Kenny started brainstorming who they could set him up with. The next morning, Lauren got a text from
Sammi something along the lines of: “Can I set you up with Kenny’s friend Steve? He’s cute and seems like he pays his taxes. ” Lauren was hesitant–previous setups hadn’t always gone well–but eventually she agreed to a date. That first date surprised both of us. Steve found Lauren exciting and a little intimidating; she was juggling multiple creative projects and talking (maybe a bit too much) about a possible move to New York. Lauren thought Steve was refreshingly earnest and direct; she admired his humble, down-to-earth confidence. It was a chilly February night, and we discovered we were both in the first week of the same training program for the Broad Street Run, a ten-mile race through Philadelphia. Things started slowly after that date, but by the time the race rolled around in early May, we were starting to fall for each other.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
When we discovered the TWA Hotel, everything just clicked. We loved the connection drawn between Steve’s background in furniture design and a venue created by such an iconic designer, Eero Saarinen. For Lauren, it was the icing on the cake to realize that Saarinen had also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the city where she spent much of her childhood. In general we loved how iconically gorgeous and specific the hotel felt. Once we landed on the TWA, we leaned into the terminal’s history to guide our vision and aesthetic. A wedding is a celebration of a moment in time and the transitory nature of an airline terminal felt like a perfect metaphor. The bold red of the space was inescapable, but Lauren found opportunities to balance it with inspiration drawn from flight itself: clear skies, fresh horizons, and vintage airmail. She painted blue skies and fluffy clouds for the Save the Date postcards and the ceremony welcome sign, and sourced vintage airmail stamps for the invitations. These sky blue details carried through to her shoes, party dress, and other design touches. Though many of our guests came from Philadelphia and New York, others flew in from across the country and even as far as Tokyo. We loved that they could arrive directly at the wedding, with some never leaving JFK before flying home again! The hotel became our own bubble with many guests staying there the whole weekend, and it was so fun to keep bumping into our friends and family while they explored the amazing property. Embracing the TWA as both venue and concept, we wanted the entire experience to feel transportive.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
There were too many favorite elements to count. The Solari board where we held our ceremony displayed all the places we’d lived and traveled together. The 1962 Ballroom, once TWA’s baggage claim, was so unique and intimate. Our florist, Tasha, created exquisite arrangements in sunset colors which once again tied back to the sky. The building’s mind-bending lines and geometry felt almost otherworldly. And of course, our vintage piped robin’s egg blue New June cake topped with Maraschino cherries was as stunning as it was delicious. We were also so impressed by all of our guests and their creative outfit choices, everyone looked so incredible and stunning! Being in such a historic, distinctive building, we knew the event could easily feel like a time warp, so we worked to keep it grounded in the present. We mixed subtle retro touches with modern elements: a vintage-inspired cake topped with a ceramic 60’s figurine beside contemporary ikebana–inspired flower arrangements, and a classic landline phone reimagined as a digital audio guest book. We also had fun with the little details, like paper airplanes as place cards and luggage tags for the escort table.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
Start early and don’t take it too seriously! When in doubt, we prioritized fun and joy above all else. If you have friends who have had weddings, talk to them and ask for their takeaways. There are so many existing wedding traditions and the great thing is that you can pick and choose what works foryou but leave behind what doesn’t; there were plenty of traditional wedding elements we nixed from our own celebration, but we also leaned into some as a way to connect us to family and nostalgia. Think about the flow of your day and guest experience from start to finish when making decisions. If it ever feels like too much, remember a wedding is really just a big party! Wedding planning can become stressful and overwhelming quickly, so try to support each other as much as possible and have fun with it. We made our invitations ourselves by hand which was very memorable. In preparation we took a letterpress class and made a date out of it. Planning our honeymoon was another great escape and felt like a carrot on a stick when the wedding planning became exhausting–planning detailed trip itineraries is essentially one of Lauren’s favorite hobbies. We left the day after our wedding for Greece and it was so dreamy.
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
Our photographer, Brittney, is an absolute gem. Her photos are stunning, but it was her fun, gentle, quirky energy that instantly put us at ease. She captured our emotions so beautifully; the images she created are treasures we’ll cherish forever. Brittney has a gift for reading the room–she knows when to slip quietly into the background and when to step in with just the right amount of direction. We truly couldn’t imagine our day without her. Julie, our month-of coordinator, was a godsend. From the moment we met her, she felt like an old friend–if we ever have another wedding, she’d be on the guest list. She was thoughtful, accommodating, and had an uncanny ability to anticipate what we needed before we even realized it ourselves. Thanks to her guidance and calm presence, we were completely relaxed on our wedding day. Ben, our DJ, was fantastic. He played exactly the music we wanted (something we’ve learned not to take for granted at weddings!) and kept the energy high. He walked us through everything in advance so we felt at ease, and his mashups and creative transitions kept everyone on the dance floor all night. And Tasha, our florist, brought our vision to life with breathtaking arrangements of seasonal blooms. We gave her only a loose color palette and a few of Lauren’s favorite flowers, and she delivered something beyond what we could have dreamed. Her ikebana-inspired table arrangements–sculptural, fleeting, and exquisite–were especially unforgettable.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Once again we took inspiration from the TWA for our outfits–we wanted to feel classic and modern with vintage touches, balancing formality with whimsical details. Lauren never really felt like a classic white wedding dress was for her until she discovered Danielle Frankel. The Hazel gown was a perfect combo of effortless and chic that she was going for, and with all of the color of the venue a white dress suddenly made sense! She wore blue Manolo Blahnik slingbacks, an heirloom pearl ring passed down from her late grandmother, and two pairs of gold and pearl earrings from WWAKE–one pair that she purchased herself, the other pair borrowed from a childhood friend from her own wedding day outfit. After dinner she changed into a floaty sixties-inspired blue mini dress that matched her shoes.Steve knew right away that he wanted to wear an ivory tuxedo dinner jacket–the vibe he was chasing was Sean Connery as James Bond. He paired it with shiny patent leather dress shoes, a black bowtie, and silver airplane shaped cufflinks. A hand embroidered red silk pocket square gifted from Lauren was the perfect surprise finishing touch.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
When we got engaged, we were lucky to have Lauren’s aunt Andrea help us design a custom ring through the fine jewelry store where she worked in Atlanta. The engagement ring features a round-cut diamond set between two pear-shaped diamonds on a yellow gold band. For our wedding bands, we turned to Catbird in New York: Lauren chose a multicolored stone eternity band by Leo Black, while Steve went with a timeless solid yellow gold band.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
Lauren envisioned a cocktail hour inspired by the second line wedding parades of New Orleans–the first place we ever flew to together. At the end of our ceremony, a five-piece brass band (the Brooklyn based Stoop Kidz) came out playing “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie as our recessional. They kept the energy high throughout cocktail hour in the sunken lounge. When it was time to head to the ballroom, the band led us and all our guests down the long hallway alongside the tarmac while playing “Love on Top. ” It was the perfect way to carry the celebration seamlessly from one space to the next–they truly didn’t miss a beat. Once in the ballroom, they played a few more songs while guests found their seats. Booking the band felt like a splurge at the time, but it was a risk that ultimately paid off–it became one of our absolute favorite parts of the day. The after-party in the Connie–a 1958 Lockheed Constellation repurposed as a cocktail bar on the tarmac (a must-visit!)–was another extra expense we nearly skipped. But the stars aligned, and it became the cherry on top of a perfect day. After all, what’s cooler than a party on a vintage airplane with a DJ and champagne?! Not much!
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
Early in the morning of our wedding, we snuck up together to the rooftop pool. The night before a massive rainstorm had brought near-historic flooding to New York, and though the rain was still falling lightly, the pool was heated and perfectly comfortable. We sipped coffee and watched some of the coolest planes we’d ever seen land and take off–it was peaceful, grounding, and exactly what we needed. Sharing those quiet moments together before the whirlwind of the day was so special, especially since we’d be getting ready separately. Time slowed down, giving us space to really take in the weight of what we were about to celebrate after so many months of planning. Eventually, a few of our closest friends joined us in the pool, and the calm turned to giddy excitement. It remains one of our favorite memories of the day. The entire day felt magical, filled with unforgettable moments, but a few that come to mind: Steve trying not to cry as Lauren walked down to the sunken lounge with her dad; finally listening to the vows we had both worked so hard on; Lauren losing a shoe, Cinderella-style, as we exited the ceremony up the stairs; and the group of women dressed as TWA flight attendants who crashed the reception, helped themselves to the open bar, and hit the dance floor (yes, that really happened, lol).Even without a formal wedding party, our friends and family made the day feel so full of love. Our friend Jeremy officiated the ceremony; Kenny, Lauren’s sister Claire, and her mom Marcy delivered hilarious and heartfelt toasts at dinner; Steve’s sister Melody and Lauren’s aunt Andrea gave beautiful readings; and Lauren will always cherish the memory of dancing with her dad, Chris, to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
BRIDE Lauren, @laurenmartin_llc GROOM Steve, @__bucko__ CEREMONY & RECEPTION LOCATION TWA Hotel, @twahotel New York, NY , USA PHOTOGRAPHER Brittney Raine, @brittneyraine HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST The Bridal Artistry Co., @thebridalartistryco PLANNER The Get Together Events Co, @thegettogetherevents FLORIST Bloom Bloom, @bloombloom.studio CELEBRANT Jeremy Keys (friend), @keysopendoors ENTERTAINMENT DJ- Non-Traditional Wedding DJs, @ntweddingdjs Brass Band- Stoop Kidz Brass Band, @stoopkidzbrassband CAKE New June Bakery, @newjunebakery STATIONERY & SIGNAGE all made by Lauren with help from Steve ENGAGEMENT RING custom from Jewelry Artisans in Atlanta, GA WEDDING RINGS Leo Black, @leoblackstudio c/o Catbird, @catbirdnyc OTHER SIGNIFICANT JEWELLERY Earrings- WWAKE (one pair borrowed, one pair new), @wwake; Ring- antique pearl ring, family heirloom from my grandmother BRIDE’S MAIN OUTFIT Danielle Frankel, @daniellefrankelstudio BRIDE’S SHOES Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES pearled cape veil from Noon on the Moon, @noononthemoon.bridal BRIDE’S MAKEUP Lipstick- Gucci, @gucci lipstick in Peggy Taupe BRIDE’S HAIR STYLE slicked back low chignon BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Mixed Emotions by Byredo, @officialbyredo BRIDE’S PARTY OUTFIT LoveShackFancy , @loveshackfancy GROOM’S MAIN OUTFIT Brooks Brothers, @brooksbrothers tuxedo jacket; J.Crew, @jcrew tuxedo pants GROOM’S SHOES Allen Edmonds, @allenedmonds GROOM’S ACCESSORIES embroidered silk pocket square, gift from the bride GIFT REGISTRY Zola, @zola
