The Bride Designed Her Own Blue Wedding Dress for Her Contemporary Outdoor Nuptials in New York's Hudson Valley

Yahoo

a day ago

The duo tied the knot between two rows of maple trees.
Niki Korman and Sage Usher connected on Hinge in the early days of the pandemic. They had both just left New York City for their respective hometowns, and they didn't realize how long they'd be away from the city—ultimately, the lockdown restrictions gave them a chance to get to know each other virtually, and when things opened up a few months later, they got together for their first date in the Big Apple.
In June of 2022, Sage proposed to Niki at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Shortly after their engagement, they stumbled upon Wildflower Farms in Gardiner, New York; the beautiful locale stopped them mid-Instagram scroll, and they wasted no time booking a little Valentine's Day getaway to the Hudson Valley hideaway. 'We had such an amazing time and loved the property that once we knew it was the only option for us,' Niki says. 'When we were there, we pictured all of our family and friends there together, enjoying both the indoor and outdoor activities together on top of the beautiful hotel itself.'
And that's exactly what Niki and Sage did. They envisioned an elevated camp weekend with activities like tennis, hiking, and pottery for guests to enjoy, so they planned three days of events with help from the team at Pat Glenn Productions. The celebrations kicked off with a rehearsal dinner with their families on Friday night, which was followed by a welcome party for all guests on Saturday. The next day, on September 1, 2024, the couple exchanged vows beneath a canopy of maple trees with 165 of their closest loved ones watching. Their goal was to let the natural beauty of their venue shine, but they also knew they wanted a tented reception that could later transition into a club-like after-party.
Read on to see how the details came together—from the bride's blue wedding dress and the dainty ceremony florals to the textural wooden elements and high-energy after-party—in these photos by Kristin Piteo.
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Niki and Sage invited their immediate families to join them for a rehearsal dinner on the porch at Wildflower Farms the Friday before their wedding. There, everyone enjoyed a family-style meal while sitting at one long, communal table. A live musician performed throughout the evening, and the intimate, family-centric event was the perfect way for Niki and Sage to kick off their wedding weekend.
On Saturday, guests were encouraged to enjoy activities on the property. Cocktail making, tennis lessons, hiking, pottery classes, and focaccia making were all on offer. After a busy day, Niki and Sage invited all of their 160 guests to join them for a welcome party, which was held on the great porch and spilled inside to the hotel's Clay restaurant. Niki wore a Jean Paul Gaultier dress featuring suspender buckle straps paired with Valentino heels and a Bottega Veneta clutch, which she paired with jewelry borrowed from her grandmother.
Niki owns the clothing brand TT Studios, so she worked with Sage to create his custom matching set for the pre-wedding event. He accessorized with white sneakers and a Hublot watch.
The indoor-outdoor welcome party ensured that guests were able to enjoy all that the property had to offer. 'It had a very nice indoor-outdoor flow to it,' the bride says. Later that night, the couple moved the party into the green room below the restaurant which acts as a speakeasy. 'We had a bartender down there and music—it turned into a full on dance party until 1 a.m., which was a lot of fun!' Niki remembers.
Niki knew she wanted to wear blue on her wedding day, and as the owner and designer of TT Studios, she decided to create her own wedding and after-party dresses. She dreamt up a slim-fitting silk dress with hand beading and a plunging neckline for her walk down the aisle, and it was the only bridal look she tried on throughout the process. 'I do partly regret not going to bridal stores to try dresses on in a more traditional fashion,' Niki admits. 'I think it would've been nice to do so with my mom but also it would've maybe given me more ideas with my own design. Ultimately, it all worked out well and I was happy with the result of my design.'
She accessorized with Amina Maudi heels, her grandmother's diamond bracelet and earrings, blue earrings she borrowed from her mom as her "something blue," and custom rings from Louis Newman Jeweler.
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Niki shared a memorable first look with her dad on the morning of the wedding. He wore custom heart-shaped cufflinks featuring a photo of them together when the bride was a child.
Sage wore a black tuxedo and shoes from Dior, which he accessorized with a Rolex watch that was a wedding gift from his bride.
Niki and Sage wanted to have a first look before the ceremony to make sure they had time for photos. They kept it light and casual, and remember it being a fun way to kick off the celebrations. 'We both laughed,' Niki says. 'We are not super emotional people and we giggled and gave each other a hug and kiss. It was very nice, but quite on brand for us.'
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The couple's ceremony took place outside beneath two rows of maple trees. Wooden chairs were arranged on either side of the aisle, facing in, and loose wildflower-inspired floral arrangements of white blooms, greenery, and grasses were displayed at intervals. The aisle itself was created with a platform that had been covered in astroturf to blend into the existing landscape.
'I wanted the chuppah to flow and connect within the trees to look natural,' Niki says, so the floral team weaved it into the canopy of trees with vines and cascading white flowers.
The couple hired live musicians to play acoustic versions of some of their favorite songs for the ceremony prelude and processional. Sage walked down the aisle with his parents to 'Smile' by Uncle Cracker. Niki's parents walked her down the aisle to an acoustic guitar version of Kacey Musgraves' 'Rainbow," which the bride says has always been an important song to them.
Niki held a bouquet of white wildflowers finished with a diamond brooch that Sage's mother gifted her.
Niki's grandfather, Steven, officiated the couple's ceremony. Instead of exchanging personalized vows during the ceremony, the duo elected to write their words to one another and share their promises in cards on the wedding morning. Then, at the ceremony, they swapped traditional vows.
One they were announced as husband and wife, the newlyweds recessed to 'Heaven' by Avicii as guests showered them in flower petals.
Guests gathered around a circular bar on the open-air patio during cocktail hour. An oversized arrangement of greenery with pops of white flowers was displayed in a large ceramic urn as the focal point of the space. Everyone mingled and enjoyed passed appetizers and drinks before making their way to the tent for the reception.
Ivory draping lined the walls of the reception tent, and the space was filled with a mix of round wooden tables and farm tables dressed with white gauzy table runners. Plenty of white candles at varying heights were used throughout the space, lending a warm glow to the tent.
"I had a clear vision of a ceiling flower installation,' Niki explains. "Because of that, I wanted the flowers on the tables to be more dainty and whimsical." The place settings featured wildflower chargers and custom distressed linen menus, which the bride sourced from a company in London.
Niki and Sage shared their first dance to the tune of Rex Orange County's 'Loving Is Easy." Then, their band played Carol King's 'You've Got a Friend' for a combined father-daughter and mother-son dance. 'The band was incredibly talented and we loved how their dancing got the crowd going on the dance floor,' the bride says.
The Hora was one of the couple's standout memories from the night. 'Sage's friends in Toronto have a special styled Canadian Hora where they get very rowdy and excited,' Niki says. 'It brought amazing energy to start the night.'
The couple wanted their reception to transition straight into an after-party, and their planning team and band helped ensure that happened. 'We knew we wanted an extreme juxtaposition at the after-party—a full-blown club built in a barn-like setting,' the bride explains. 'Everyone was enjoying how much it resembled a real club.'
Niki designed a fitted dress with long sleeves, a keyhole detail, and hand-beaded accents as her after-party look. 'I initially designed it being shorter, but it felt a little too young and wanted a bit more of a mature look so decided to make it longer,' she explains. She styled her look with her grandmother's double diamond bracelet and Rene Caovilla shoes.
The couple and their guests danced all night long, which was exactly what Niki and Sage dreamed of. Their late-night DJ was integral in keeping the dance floor packed. "Niki found our DJ on TikTok and we have become fans of his going to his shows in New York City,' Sage explains.
After the wedding, the duo spent nearly a month traveling through Thailand, Vietnam, and Tokyo.Real Weddings Credits
Photographer Kristin Piteo
Planning, Design, Flowers, and Rentals Pat Glenn Productions
Venue, Catering, and Accommodations Wildflower Farms
Bride's Hair Duke Duquette
Bride's Makeup Cat Mignano
Invitations Paperless Post
Reception Music Element Music
After-Party Music Luke Alexander
Videographer Kenneth CooperUp Next: 40 Décor Ideas for a Dreamy Forest Wedding
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