Greek Traditions Filled This Rooftop Wedding at The Foundry in Long Island City, New York

Anastasia and Brian’s wedding at The Foundry in Long Island City, New York, blended a dark-and-moody color palette, Victorian- and apothecary-inspired design and decor, and Greek traditions. For the color palette, Anastasia and Brian settled on a mix of buttery yellow, blush, orange, rust, oxblood, indigo, midnight blue, and aubergine. With those hues as the celebration’s visual foundation, the couple brought in storied apothecary-inspired details, like glass cloches, to add a moody feel to the event. While the Victorian-inspired design was stunning on its own, the whole celebration was made even more meaningful and beautiful thanks to the incorporation of Greek details to honor the couple’s heritage. Anastasia and Brian exchanged vows in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Archdiocesan Cathedral and later had traditional Greek folk dancers perform in authentic costumes from Thrace.

Despite being surrounded by plenty of loved ones, Anastasia loved the intimacy she felt with Brian and her officiant during the wedding ceremony the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. “There were moments in the ceremony when, standing beside Brian, he would give my hand a squeeze, or I'd catch him in a moment of wry amusement. I also loved the quiet and genuine words of encouragement from Father Chrysostomos Gilbert gave us, inaudible to everyone else. Throughout the ceremony, I felt like we were truly cloaked in the mysticism of something holy, surrounded by the Byzantine chanting, enveloped in the incense, quixotic and romantic lovers partaking in the most ancient and worthy of rites.” Brian, meanwhile, looks back on their ceremony with a touch of levity. “At the point in the ceremony when we exchanged rings our photographer caught a very candid shot of me looking at Anastasia with a devious grin. What was going through my mind at that point was ‘HA! Tricked her! She's stuck with me now!’ I love that photo as it reminds me how lucky I am to have gotten away with it all.”
Following their traditional Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony, Anatasia and Brian invited guests out to Long Island City to celebrate with a reception at The Foundry. “As guests arrived at The Foundry, they were welcomed into an editorial-style Victorian garden setting. The look throughout felt as though the door was locked decades ago and these select flora were allowed to grow up and around the space, gently taking over. Wild vines and muted deep-toned florals were adorned throughout The Foundry. On the escort table and the main banquet table, statement arrangements were prepared with apothecary vessels, glass bell jars, vines and pressed flowers. Botanical books and magnifying glasses made for a curated statement,” recalls Anastasia of the apothecary-inspired decorations. Some of the flowers used throughout the celebration include: dahlias, chocolate cosmos, Vanda orchids, allium, zinnias, lisianthus, Lady Slipper orchid, anthurium, roses, gloriosa, iris, tulip, geranium, oncidium orchid, ranunculus, heliconia and hydrangea. To keep with the romantic, storied feeling of the celebration, the couple hired a poet to craft poems from the guests as an alternative to a traditional guest book. “During the reception there was a poet stationed at a booth with a typewriter to write a haiku with the guests based on a story, feeling or congratulatory message. This was typed on a note card and left for us to collect as memories of the day,” explains Anastasia.
Despite all the grandeur of the couple’s New York City wedding, the quiet moments the two shared in the cab ride from the ceremony to the reception were their favorite from the day. “Manhattan’s beloved, own ‘urban unicorn’, a vintage 1968 Checker Taxicab enchanted us for a drive from the ceremony in Manhattan to the reception in Long Island City. Our most treasured memories of our wedding day were the private moments we shared in the cab together in the moments after our marriage was officiated, and especially the shouts of congratulations from strangers on the street. We particularly remember a quick 30-second conversation we had with a cyclist stopped alongside us at a red light on 2nd Ave & 59th St, right before the turn for the 59th Street Bridge, on the way to The Foundry. She said, ‘Oh my God, did you guys just get married? Congratulations! This is why I love New York City!’”