Find Your CenterPIECE.

        Weddings can be so tricky to plan. The easiest things can become the hardest tasks to complete like the wedding reception décor. It is common knowledge that the décor should coincide with the theme of the wedding. If you have a "Halloween" them it is very much expected to see a lot of skulls and ghosts. If it is something more romantic like "love is in the air," then hearts and a lot of red is to be expected.  Some couples like to branch out and do something that is personal to them. So for our wedding Shay and I decided to have a "New York Nights" theme.  Since we are both born and raised in New York City (NYC) and we credit many of our accomplishments and overall development to the fast paced city, it was a no brainer to show homage to our hometown. It didn't hurt that we met there as well.

       We currently live in Baltimore, MD. We both have planted some roots here and it only seemed befitting to have the wedding here as well. Everyone knows Baltimore is not NYC, but we can definitely bring a little NYC to Baltimore for a day. We began to consider all the things that reminded us of home. New York City is know for its skyscrapers, transportation system, nightlife, various art forms and high energy. Those key factors are the things we wanted to highlight in the décor for our big day.  We decided to showcase a lot of our talents and those of close family and friends. I hand-painted wine bottles collected by my sisters to use as centerpieces. Each one was designed differently.

 This one was a color block bottle with our wedding colors of Teal and Persimmon throughout.

 

This was a very special one. It was a henna design that I admired and it had  our ne family name on it. The wine bottles allowed me to showcase art all over the reception space.

 

You can not celebrate NYC without mentioning the elaborate and efficient metro transit system. Growing up in NYC, we took the trains everywhere. I do mean EVERYWHERE. Shay and I went all over the city by train on dates, family outings, adventures and numerous spontaneous travels. It's significance in our upbringing and relationship made the NYC Metro the lifeline to the theme of our wedding. I made a unique place card seating chart using the NYC Subway Map. We chose specific train stations that were important to us as names for our guests tables.

 

My mentor and very close friend, Nia  D. helped me tie together my theme effectively. She created a NYC skyline for the table name cards. Using large close pins, poster paper, a gold glue pen and a silver marker; the NYC skyline came to life.