While the presentations of New York Bridal Fashion Week showcase garments for buyers, press, and members of the wedding industry, recently engaged designers Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassel of Tanner Fletcher decided to host a special event for those actually about to tie the knot. On Friday, April 10—the last day of a very busy bridal week—the coupled creatives brought a handful of Etsy wedding vendors (as well as their newly debuted wedding and event fashions) to the rooftop of Nine Orchard on the Lower East Side for a wedding fair that was open to the public.
“Tanner and I are recently engaged and really went down this rabbit hole of planning a wedding,” Fletcher Kassel tells Vogue. Having previously partnered with Etsy for their September NYFW runway show, the pair dove into finding vendors on the platform they loved for their future celebration. It was this process that inspired the fair. “This is kind of the perfect opportunity to bring together our favorite things, and at the same time scope out potential things for our own wedding,” says Kassel. “We really wanted to have an opportunity to meet people who are part of our customer community we haven’t met before, meet some of Etsy’s customers, and meet some of the sellers that we’ll be working with for our wedding and for our events.” He adds, “I think it’s really community driven.”
Earlier in the week, the designer duo showcased their weddings and events collectsion at St. Bartholomew Church on Park Avenue with a fairytale-inspired show full of florals, ruffles, fanciful suiting, and cake-inspired details. The presentation also featured a love story narrative, culminating in a breathtaking ballet pas de deux between a prince and his soon-to-be groom, both wearing pastel brocade jackets. Pieces from the collectsion were on display throughout the fair space. “We’re trying to make the wedding fair kind of an extension of the collectsion itself,” shares Kassel. “So it’s very English countryside with French antiques—almost like a secret garden or backyard wedding.”
While the show was limited to invited members of the fashion and wedding industry, Kassel says that the inclusivity of the fair—which anyone could RSVP to online—is an important part of the brand’s ethos. “When we first started the wedding collectsion, we really wanted to make a kind of disruption in the industry. We really want to create something that doesn’t exist,” says Kassel. “I sometimes say the wedding industry can be dusty in certain aspects of it, because it can be so traditional. We really wanted to stand out as something different.”
It’s partly why the Etsy partnership felt like a natural fit. “For a big company like that to come on board and support like a small brand that’s doing something different is a really big deal for us. But then it’s also amazing to make it about the small businesses,” Kassel continues. “Getting to meet all these sellers, and collaborate with them, is really amazing.”
Jewelry designer David Watkins of RigbyLeighJewelry was one of the selected Etsy vendors at the fair, showcasing his bespoke pieces with Montana sapphires. “As a designer, I work incredibly hard to bring passion and individuality to all of my pieces, and it is so wonderful to show them in person at events such as this,” Watkins says. “Working with wedding clients adds an even deeper resonance to work that’s already incredibly meaningful to me.”
While some Etsy sellers simply showcased their wares, others, like calligrapher Katie Rhee, created an interactive experience for attendees. “I will be engraving specially selected gifts for guests that are both luxurious and practical throughout wedding journeys,” she explains. “I love these gifts because they are luxurious and beautiful, can be used during the wedding, and can be kept as a lasting keepsake.”
The mood at the fair was celebratory and light, as the sun streamed into the greenhouse-inspired space. Guests found new vendors, took home gifts, and perused the newly debuted collectsion. Kassel and Richie were on hand to meet with the attendees, walk them through the new collectsion, and introduce customers to sellers. The designers even pointed out a few vendors they just might be using for their own nuptials in the year ahead.
