Chinoiserie Details Filled This Couple's Wedding at Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey

Katherine and Erik met when they were one step away from the altar—as maid of honor and best man for their close friends’ wedding. A few years later, they were the ones celebrating. “Our ultimate goal was to create an event that we would love years from now,” Katherine says. “We’re both traditionalists at heart but love to have a good time, so we didn’t want anything to feel stuffy.” They brought their timeless aesthetic to the Montclair Golf Club with all-white flowers, a candlelit dinner and mini creme brulees. Then, in a scene out of Top Gun, the Navy guys serenaded Katherine with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Katherine wore a silk gown with a beaded belt, while Erik sported dress whites with a gold Navy aviator pin. The ceremony and dancing were held under a clear tent, while dinner was inside. “I envisioned a clean, classic, candlelit reception,” Katherine says. Chinoiserie vases held peonies, lisianthus, astilbe and roses, and boxwood marked the sweetheart chairs. Guests dined on two raw bars, lobster and filet mignon. “We wanted to spoil our guests,” Katherine says. Per Navy tradition, the newlyweds used a sword to slice the chocolate chip cake with buttercream frosting. “It was way harder to cut into than we imagined,” Katherine says.