Long Island City Circus Wedding

We’ve made no secret of our love of Long Island City’s Metropolitan Building, and have featured quite a few wedding at this always-gorgeous site. Nerissa and Jared’s wedding takes place at the same historic location, but brings in a fresh new theme: circus carnival. You’re going to want to carve out some time to look through all of Photo Pink‘s images from this big day, and take in all the incredible details:

From the bride, Nerissa: When it came to the wedding theme, that came pretty naturally. At first, I actually didn’t think that we’d have a “theme” per se, but on the night that Jared proposed he sang me a song that he wrote & played on his acoustic guitar — “round & round & round so we go…”. So while I was trying to figure out the design direction & decor for the wedding, those lyrics kept ringing in my head. And then it was like an “Aha!” moment where ferris wheels, carousels, acrobats & circus rings all danced in my head… and there it came to be.

Jared also has a son and I really wanted him to be a part of it all. When I was thinking of ways to incorporate him I remembered how he liked to walk around the house with his drum and play “marching band”. So then I thought, why not give him his moment and play that down the aisle in front of everyone?! So he did… with drum in tow… and he banged and banged all the way to the end of the aisle. I heard it was pretty amazing.

My hat was my biggest surprise and most loved creation of the wedding. At first, I didn’t know what to wear. There were sooo many choices — headbands, hats, veils, birdcages — and they were all so pretty! I actually tried them all — probably about 60 in total. But after considering my theme and talking to a few people, I decided to have it custom made. Luckily for me, I found the perfect person to do it! I met with her several times to discuss what I wanted and to hear her thoughts, as well as for fittings and rearranging. The result was better than I expected and I am absolutely in love with it every time I see it!!

As for all the decor & vibe, I really wanted to focus on Jared & I and who we were and what we stood for. I absolutely hate waste so to me, having big, beautiful centerpieces and tons and tons of food just for a 4-hour party was wasteful. It also didn’t fit with our theme. So instead, I decided to go with the overall effect. We had little groupings of flowers that reminded me of wildflowers — the type that you might see outside of a circus tent back in the day. A circus tent also served as a chuppah which was also set up by my florist. A few of the men in my family put up the lights around the poles to help create the dim lit mood that I wanted.

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

There was actually supposed to be just a bit more stuff but Hurricane Sandy & the noreaster came crashing through NY just 1.5 weeks before the wedding and rendered me homeless for a week. It therefore became pretty much impossible to finish with no power, no heat, no gas and 20 degree temperatures to contend with. For a while, I actually had a plan that if something happened, we’d fly to Vegas and just get married anyway and deal with it all later. But luckily, like a miracle, everything came together and right on time. On the day of the wedding, Jared and I promised each other that no matter what happened (or didn’t happen), we’d live in the moment, enjoy our day and not nitpick at what wasn’t exactly right (and looking back, there was A LOT that I could’ve been upset about, but that only I would’ve noticed). When it came time for me to walk down the aisle, I was just so overwhelmed — by all the faces that I loved that actually made it; by all the hard work that everyone put into it despite the worst; by the relief that the day and moment was finally here and my groom was at the end & my dad, family and friends were surrounding me — that I couldn’t help but cry and cry all the way to the alter. Looking back, we both say that it was honestly one of the best and most fun and memorable days in both of our lives.

Wedding Location: Long Island City, NY / Wedding Photographer: Photo Pink / Wedding Venue: Metropolitan Building / Wedding Coordinator: Fernanda Dos Santos / Event Design: Bride, Yen Squared / Florist: Melarosa / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm / Reception Dress: Bebe / Bride’s Hat: Barbara Feinman Millinery / Bridal headband: Untamed Petals / Bride’s Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, Steve Madden / Hair: Kristan Serafino / Makeup: David Maderich / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bill Levkoff, Bari Jay, David’s Bridal / Bride and Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: Betsey Johnson / Flower Girl Outfits: Crybabyz and Hannah’s Tutu / Tambourine Boy Outfit: Apple & Ivy / Groom’s Suit and Shoes: Topman / Groom’s Socks: Hugo Boss / Wedding Caterer: Red Table Catering / Wedding Cake: Nine Cakes / Rainbow Cookie Cake: Lulu’s / Pies: Jericho Cider Mill / Cupcakes and Lemon bars: made by the sister-in-law/bridesmaid to the bride / DJ: DJ Kahn of 74 Events / Rentals: Broadway Rentals / Photobooth: Sweet Booths / Wedding Videographer: Crafthouse Productions / Wedding Invitations: Bride, Yen Squared / Paper Printing: Official Offset