Purchasing her Isolde gown from Lovely Bride NYC, beautiful bride Ellen tied the knot in a stunning NYC wedding.
‘This dress was GORG! I loved that it was fitted on my body and really accenturated my figure. I had definitely wanted cap sleeves so that was a plus. The architectural aspect was so perfect for our wedding and vibe – it felt like a true mix or modern and classic. The low neck and sheer back gave it a bit of sexiness while still being timeless and classy. And the train detail! It was beyond perfect!’
Names: Ellen and Antoine Ibrahim (maiden name Gray)
Wedding Date: March 7, 2020
Guest Numbers: 130
Wedding Location: Parish of our Saviour (Ceremony); The Bowery Hotel (Reception)
Photographer: Brian David Weddings
Tell Us Your Love Story – How did you meet?
We met at a PGA golf tournament on Long Island in August 2016. I was there with some friends and actually was supposed to have a date but he did not show up (ouch!). Antoine was there for work and knew one of the people I was with – so he came over for a drink and that was that! We hung out for about five days straight after that meeting.
How did he put a ring on it? I thought it was coming so I was so anxious and ready – every time we went out anywhere I thought it might happen. We went to a comedy show with some friends on a Saturday night (actually a year ago today – April 27!) and then we headed home. I figured that was that for the night but then when I came in from walking our puppy Antoine had champagne out and was on one knee. He proposed in our apartment in front of our loving puppy – throwing me so off, I was completely blindsided! We then had some friends and family over to celebrate.
Where did you draw inspiration from? My sister did a lot of the wedding planning. We were inspired by a mix of Wuthering Heights and Art Deco. Our three key words for everything were natural, romantic and wild- but then we also tried to mix in a lot of gold & architectural elements throughout. The Bowery is a really romantic and lush venue, so we also took inspiration from the space when doing the planning and made sure to let the beauty of the space speak for itself.
What made the wedding personal to you? So many things! We spent a lot of time obsessing over the music, even outsourcing to friends and family what they would want to hear. We also felt like we had a pretty specific dream for the flowers and bouquets and our florist (Ahna at Dear Bayard) did the most amazing job getting everything just right. In general, when picking vendors we really went for those that we felt we had a personal connection to and who “got” us. We worked really closely with every vendor – and especially Dawn Mauberret (the BEST wedding coordinator) so we feel like we were totally reflected in every aspect. And of course, having our friends and family together, especially two siblings from abroad, was amazing – especially now that we don’t know when we’ll all be together again.
What were you most nervous or excited about? Our wedding was on March 7 and the Coronavirus was starting to become a bigger discussion in the US. The week of the wedding I started to get a little nervous about people flying in and being able to make – especially my brother and Antoine’s sister who both live abroad. Luckily – everyone made it! And I was most excited about that :). We are also just extremely grateful because the city started locking down just a few days after our wedding and we cannot believe how lucky we are that we had such an amazing weekend with all of our loved ones. It’s the best memory to hold on to now that we are apart from friends and family.
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress? I wore the Tara Lauren Isolde in nude. GORG! I loved that it was fitted on my body and really accentuated my figure. I had definitely wanted cap sleeves so that was a plus. The architectural aspect was so perfect for our wedding and vibe – it felt like a true mix or modern and classic. The low neck and sheer back gave it a bit of sexiness while still being timeless and classy. And the train detail! It was beyond perfect!
I only went for one dress try-on and this gown was maybe the fourth dress they put me in. I remember they pulled back the curtain and my mom and sister were really quiet. I was obsessed with it and thought that they didn’t like it so felt devastated. Finally I asked them to speak and it turns out they both also loved it and thought it was the one but didn’t want to sway me. We tried on a few more but ultimately we all knew this was the one. I feel really lucky that finding my dress was so easy.
What stockist did you get it from? Lovely Bride, Tribeca
What was your most memorable moment from your day? I would say walking down the aisle (for me) or seeing me walk down the aisle in my dress for the first time (for Antoine). And the speeches! My sister and my Dad and Antoine’s best man gave three amazing toasts.
Vendors to credit: Bowery Hotel – Venue // Dawn Mauberret – Wedding cpordinator // Brian Elleridge – Photography // Katie Osgood – Video // Ahna Hughes – Deary Bayard – Flowers // Lulus – Cake // Michelle Coursey – Makeup // Raquel Martuscelli – Hair.