real wedding: tzo ai + ken part I

27th August 2010 in real wedding

real wedding: tzo ai + ken part I

We’re so lucky today. Not only do we get to welcome photographer Susan Stripling to Perfect Bound, we have a sweet love story narrated by the bride to spend the day swooning over. Tzo Ai and Ken were married at Wave Hill, a lush a 28-acre public garden and cultural center located in the Bronx, NY. The bride filled us in on every last detail, from the personal gifts she and her groom exchanged on their wedding day to the special way she incorporated tradition into her wedding gown. A generous thank you to both Susan Stripling and the happy couple. Endless cheer and a stylish congratulations to you both!

The bride writes, “The asymmetrical Angel Sanchez gown was made of silk mikado with organza floral embroidery. I found it at Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier, which I always found to be a calm oasis in the hectic city of Manhattan. The dress was so elegant and the drama of the roses made me feel like a bride. It was simple with clean lines, yet so interesting with the asymmetrical seams. I was ecstatic when I found the flower girl dress at J Crew with rose appliques. Roses then became an important floral element to the rest of the wedding design.

Something old was the brooch my mum lent me to pin to my bouquet. Something new was my gown. Something borrowed were the diamond earrings my sister Tzo Tze lent me. Something blue were our names and wedding date embroidered in blue to the inside of my gown (found on Etsy). I wore a single white phalaenopsis orchid in my hair, which I loved against my black hair.”

“I had been planning to wear a chunky statement bracelet, but Ken gave me a diamond bracelet as a wedding gift, so of course I had to wear that instead! Ken had secretly gone to almost every restaurant in Manhattan that we had dined at while we were dating. He took pictures of each and had them printed into a book for me to remember our courtship. We both love to eat and I was so touched by the time and effort he spent making this book. I gave him an Omega watch that I knew he had been eying for a while.”

“Wave Hill was the first venue that we looked at and we fell in love at first sight. It is a 28-acre garden overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades Cliffs. Wave Hill House was built in 1843 and residents included Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain and Arturo Toscanini. In 1960, the Perkins and Freeman families gave the Wave Hill estate to the City of New York. We saw the Pergola on the Great Lawn, framing the view of the Hudson and the 500-foot high Palisades, and knew that it was where we wanted to say our vows. The gardens there are spectacular, especially in June, when we were getting married.

“My bouquet was composed of ivory roses, freesia, lisianthus and sweet pea, wrapped with extra silk mikado from my gown. I was ecstatic when I found the flower girl dress at J Crew with rose appliques. Roses then became an important floral element to the rest of the wedding design.”