A Custom Valentino Dress and Clandestine After-Party Made This Hamptons Wedding Uniquely Cool
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead1/53Stephanie Fishwick helped us create all of our invitations and artwork, which incorporated elements from the landscape: the blues of the ocean, the neutrals of the beach, and the florals from the garden. The vintage stamps were a favorite detail of mine. I loved working with LouLou Baker on the custom playing cards that guests received as a parting gift.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead2/53Saying goodnight to our dog, Wallace, before heading out to the rehearsal dinner. Wallace stayed behind to bark at the construction going on out back.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead3/53Topping Rose House has been around since 1842. We brought our guests here to kick off the weekend at a place that is enduring…a place we can return to many times.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead4/53A sweet moment with Mom and Dad.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead5/53I’m not normally one for too much PDA, but I think we managed to slip this one in when no one was looking.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead6/53The morning of the wedding…blue skies and tents up!
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead7/53Getting ready with Kelsey and Alex was a special part of the wedding weekend.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead8/53Max’s mom, Dorothy, a former Ford model, showing us all how it’s done.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead9/53Max and I created these bands together. I love a simple gold band. His ring has a double band, which is a nod to the double band style of my engagement ring.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead10/53My Valentino dress!
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead11/53My mom zipped up the dress as the final step. Her tears kept our makeup artist busy…so much for waterproof mascara!
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead12/53My ultimate glam team—Paul Venoit for makeup and Tony Kelley for hair.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead13/53My dress is Valentino. I loved that it was unconventional—it was perfect and appropriate for our wedding.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead14/53The vintage jadeite Cartier earrings played off the green in my dress.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead15/53Our first look. A special private moment before the wedding got going.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead16/53We gravitated toward casual, free-flowing calligraphy.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead17/53Wallace, the other man in our family, looking regal as ever. David Stark, our event designer, gifted Wallace a floral collar that matched my bouquet.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead18/53Last-minute words of advice from my loving parents before walking down the aisle.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead19/53Our ring bearers, Andrew and Wallace, were definitely best dressed.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead20/53We were originally supposed to get married on the beach, but you can’t control the weather. The waves were unusually large, so at the last minute we moved the ceremony to the pool deck. It was perfect regardless…not to mention, the wind didn’t mess up my hair then either! Max’s sisters, Jenn and Ally, were the most hilarious and heartfelt officiants.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead21/53We could feel the excitement—everyone was laughing and crying throughout the ceremony. Our friends joke that Max is not the most verbose, so he really surprised everyone with his vows. They read like poetry…it was, admittedly, a tough act for me to follow. His vows were so special that he got a gig officiating at a friend’s wedding next summer.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead22/53Time froze for our first moment as a married couple before our family and friends stood to cheer and kick off the celebrations.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead23/53We worked with Olivier Cheng, our caterer, to incorporate local ingredients into the food and drinks. Pictured is “A Walk in the Garden,” which included rosemary from the nearby farmstand.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead24/53Cocktails featured a French, Italian, and American jazz band. A big thank-you to Josh Friedman of Elan Artists for organizing this and all of the other performances.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead25/53Our friends and members of Next Town Down, Leon and Malik, looking cooler than everyone else.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead26/53We opened up the house during cocktails so our guests would feel welcomed and relaxed, like they were at an intimate dinner party rather than a formal affair.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead27/53Some of my bridesmaids—Alex, Michelle, and Lauren—all in navy floral dresses of their own choosing.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead28/53Because it was a backyard wedding, we chose decor that felt intimate, comfortable, and beachy. We emphasized natural features from the property such as the ocean and greenery. The dusty pink lanterns were a charming addition.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead29/53Our tables…we selected small deconstructed arrangements that included blue tweedia, myrtle topiaries, and yellow peonies. We added organic elements like lemons, grapes, and thyme plants to create a fresh feeling. Every table had a slightly different setup.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead30/53Summertime accents.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead31/53The iridescent cake was created by Madison Lee’s Cakes. It was carrot cake, the same flavor my parents had at their wedding.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead32/53Jenn and Max’s dad, Marty, greet guests after their star turns as co-officiant and speaker.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead33/53We had a surprise themed after-party for just the “kids” while the “adults” stayed in the reception tent for their own party. We secretly placed after-party invites on our friends’ chairs. The envelope read “Shhh,” and it had special instructions…
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead34/53The room was filled with love.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead35/53Ally and Neil laughing from and cheering on the speeches.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead36/53My sweet dad, victorious after a successful speech.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead37/53Max immediately forgot all the steps we practiced for our first dance. It was probably for the best. We laughed and I doubt anyone noticed.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead38/53Beautiful friends enjoying dinner—Michelle, Alex, and Kelsey.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead39/53Our amazingly talented friends and Max’s clients, Next Town Down, performed during the reception. We are really close to these guys—Chris, Leon, Tre’von, Terence, and Malik—and we are so grateful that they were a part of our night. They rocked it.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead40/53Chris, Terence, and Tre with some more moves.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead41/53NTD fan club in full effect.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead42/53It all went by too fast.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead43/53The late-night tent set the stage for a wild party. Palm-leaf wallpaper, table service, and zebra carpeting transported us back in time.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead44/53Keeping with the theme, arrangements with areca palms and xanadu leaves dressed up the space. This one sat at the edge of our bar that served “tequila poppers,” drinks made famous at the venue our after-party was modeled on.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead45/53Our friends—Mike, Kelly, and Woods—being led to the surprise location.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead46/53Jenn and Andrew, ready for action.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead47/53Making our entrance! Bill Bull, Cynthia Cook Smith, and I collaborated on this custom outfit. We wanted to create the quintessential party dress, which actually withstood the hours of dancing.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead48/53On the dance floor with Lauren.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead49/53The boys in the zone, using suspenders as party accessories.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead50/53We used the clock to create anticipation, counting down to different themed performances throughout the night. Unexpectedly, at one point, our friends threw us up onto chairs.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead51/53Max’s best man, Johnny, breaking it down. Alex Bramall, our photographer, did a great job capturing the fun as he danced alongside us all night.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead52/53DJ Valida played until the morning hours.
Photo: Alex Bramall and Lucy Birkhead53/53What a night!
