by Danya Issawi

Wedding attire often tells a story. Brides and grooms may choose to highlight a side of themselves very few people see. Some look to symbolize a pinnacle point in their lives, while others pay homage to their heritage. The men and women featured in our Wedding announcements wore outfits that told many tales, but ultimately, all were meant to express the same testament of love. Here is a selection of photographs from their weddings, with details on what they wore.

1. At the Peak of Femininity

Caroline Gleich in Leanne Marshall

As a professional ski mountaineer, Caroline Gleich is often in male-dominated environments. Searching for a wedding Dress provided a breath of fresh air. “I probably tried on 50 dresses because I loved the experience so much,” she said. “To be in such feminine spaces, it was such a juxtaposition from the environments I normally choose.” Ms. Gleich found herself delaying her decision just so she could continue spending weekends shopping with her mother. When she finally did pick a dress, she chose one from the designer Leanne Marshall. “Environmental and social responsibility were important to me when picking my dress,” she said. “This one was made in the U.S. and purchased from a female-founded company that uses natural fibers, and the raw materials for it were sourced from reputable mills that meet environmental and working standard regulations.” And instead of dealing with the discomfort that often accompanies wearing heels, Ms. Gleich went with a more sensible option: sneakers.

Image: Megan Arcari– Blue Jar Photography

Image: Megan Arcari — Blue Jar Photography

2. It’s in the Details

Jackson Dodge Tilley and Michael Patrick Marano in Enzo Mari

For Jackson Tilley and Michael Marano, it all came down to the details. “We love small touches when it comes to clothing, so we went to our favorite custom suiting brand, Enzo, and asked them to help us make the day even more special,” Mr. Tilley said. The couple, who bought most of their clothing from Barneys, said it was a natural fit to purchase their wedding attire there. The two requested that the words “I Do” be embroidered into the cuffs of their shirts and “Just Married” stitched into the felt undercollar of their jackets. Mr. Tilley and Mr. Marano also chose to dress their 16 bridesmaids in white. “It was a nod to moving past old traditions that don’t match with gay couples,” Mr. Tilley said.

Image: Ammar Habib and Chancey June Gannett

Image: Ammar Habib and Chancey June Gannett

3. A Celebration of Two Cultures

Nazeela Nasseri in Shyamal and Bhumika, Shop Awadh by Birjees Fatima, and Rimple and Harpreet Narula

Nazeela Nasseri wanted her wedding day outfits — all three of them — to represent the fusion of both her Iranian and Indian heritage. “Each outfit I purchased had a special significance and was, in its own way, paying homage to traditions on both sides,” she said. To ensure authenticity, Ms. Nasseri shopped for her wedding dresses in Delhi, India. The bride chose an embroidered, green set from Shyamal and Bhumika for her henna party, a white and gold outfit from Shop Awadh by Birjees Fatima for the ceremony, and finally, a gown with a multicolored brocade train from Rimple & Harpreet Narula for the reception. Even her jewelry was carefully selected for its cultural significance and made by Khanna Jewellers in Delhi.

Image: Marielle Hayes/Marielle Hayes Photography

4. Planting Their Own Roots

Miki Paul in High by Claire Campbell

On their wedding day, Miki Paul and her husband, Jim Edmunds, couldn’t stop thinking about trees. “Our ceremony included many sayings about trees and the tree of life, since I am 71, and he was 80 when we married in July,” Ms. Paul said. Not only were they married in a park, surrounded by trees, but Ms. Paul decided to wear them too. She spent an afternoon shopping in Paris with her daughter and chose a tree-printed silk dress from High by Claire Campbell. “When I saw the dress, I knew immediately it was the one. It was the perfect design.” Not only did Ms. Paul say she felt gorgeous on her wedding day, but sensible, too. She plans on wearing her dress again in the future for special occasions.

Image: Gregory Ross

Image: Gregory Ross

5. Pulling From Timeless Classics

Stephanie Horner Covington in Vera Wang and Pamella Roland

On her wedding day, Stephanie Horner Covington drew most of her inspiration from those that came before her. She searched for a gown that both embodied the aesthetic of her muse, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (wife of John F. Kennedy Jr.), and matched the relaxed atmosphere of Santa Barbara, Calif. After a difficult search, she found the perfect dress from Vera Wang, with a deep-V sheath and a removable bow on the shoulder. “I wore the bow for the ceremony,” Ms. Covington said. “I took it off once my dress was bustled at the reception, which gave it an entirely different look.” Later on, she slipped into a shorter dress by Pamella Roland and a pair of black, shimmering Jimmy Choo heels, an outfit inspired by “The Great Gatsby,” made for dancing the night away.

Image: Miguel Ocque

6. An Extra Touch of Cuban Flair

Cessie Marie Cerrato-Jorge in Lazaro

Cessie Marie Cerrato-Jorge is proud of her heritage and wanted to showcase it on her wedding day, so she set her sights on a dress from the designer Lazaro, a fellow Cuban-American. “I love his designs because they’re so extra,” Ms. Cerrato-Jorge said. “Opulent, dreamy and elegant, with a dash of diva glam.” As she walked down the aisle of the same Spanish monastery in North Miami Beach, Fla., where her parents were also wed, Ms. Cerrato-Jorge said she felt like a modern-day princess.

Image: Elyse Hall

Image: Elyse Hall

7. A Dress That Came Second

Jenny Beaudry Westin in Liz Martinez and Erik Westin in Trunk Club

Jenny Beaudry Westin gave the boot to the order of traditional wedding dress shopping and picked her accessories first. She knew she wanted to wear black, statement earrings, so her dress needed to fit that vision. The bride turned to Spina Bride in New York to find a gown that not only matched her earrings, but was also whimsical and fashion-forward. She decided on a dress from the designer Liz Martinez. “From the 3-D appliqué to the peplum detailing and oversized crystals, the details on the dress embodied what I was looking for,” Ms. Beaudry Westin said. “I felt like a glamorous Cinderella.”

Not to be completely upstaged by his wife, Erik Westin also saw an opportunity to let his personality shine. “I wanted something special,” he said, “not just something typical, predictable or, quite frankly, boring.” He sought guidance from Sophia Kessler and Helen Wang at Trunk Club to customize his look. As an avid comic book fan, the customizations included a superhero lining for his jacket as well as the couple’s wedding hashtag embroidered on the inner cuff of his pants and the groom’s initials stitched into the collar of his shirt. ““I felt special, handsome, cool and so comfortable — it was fantastic,” Mr. Westin said.

Image: Mike Morby/Morby Photography

8. A Contemporary Take On A Traditional Silhouette

Christina Zipf in Romona Keveza

Christina Zipf knew she wanted to feel like herself on her wedding day. She wore her hair in a ponytail, like she always does, and in lieu of light pink nail polish, which she never wears, she chose a burgundy instead, which she said “felt rich and went with the moodier color palette we had selected for the wedding.” Even her leopard-print heels exemplified a part of her, paying homage to her and husband’s alma mater, Lafayette College. So when it came to selecting a wedding dress, it was important that her gown represented who she truly was. Ms. Zipf chose a simple, yet modern, silhouette from the designer Romona Keveza. “I loved how simple and interesting it was at the same time. The overskirt provided this architectural element that I thought was beautiful,” Ms. Zipf said. “What I loved even more was that you could see the silhouette of the dress through the skirt. It felt like a contemporary solution to a more traditional wedding gown.” She later removed the overskirt for the reception in the evening.

Image: Loreto Caceres

9. Kismet and Kisses

Adriana Xhakli in Noir by Kei Ninomiya

When she envisioned her wedding day, she wanted to be able to eat, drink, laugh and cry comfortably. Adriana Xhakli knew anything form-fitting wouldn’t cut it, and while she wasn’t in a rush to find a gown just yet, fate had other plans. While on vacation in Tokyo, Ms. Xhakli stumbled upon a dress from Noir by Kei Ninomiya on display at Dover Street Market. “I had just gotten engaged a month earlier and wasn’t even looking for a dress, but like all things kismet, it came to me when I wasn’t searching for it,” Ms. Xhakli said. She tried the dress on and put it on hold, only to find herself coming back to the store every single day for a week. Finally, without any family or friends present, the bride decided to say yes to the dress. “I think more women should try doing their wedding shopping alone,” she said. “It gives you space to choose something that makes you happy without being weighed down by other people’s opinions.”

Image: Tom Moks

10. Couture to Take the Heat

Brian Focarino and Brian Shea in Alexander McQueen and Dolce and Gabbana

The couple were sunburned and covered in bug bites during their ceremony, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way. In unorthodox fashion, Brian Focarino and Brian Shea celebrated their wedding over the course of three days on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Before their ceremony, they had hiked five miles through the Mexican jungle with 30 of their closest friends and family to toast with champagne at the foot of a waterfall. The couple decided to continue kicking convention to the curb when it came to their outfits. “Being exposed to nature and the elements, including scorpions, bats and coatis, a type of Mexican raccoon, we decided to pay homage to the flora and fauna of our immediate surroundings with our wedding attire,” Mr. Shea said. Mr. Focarino chose a white Alexander McQueen dress shirt with ferns embroidered on the front while Mr. Shea wore a Dolce and Gabbana white tuxedo shirt with scarab beetles sewn to the bib. “The ensemble was elegant, appropriate for the setting, and perhaps most importantly, breathable,” Mr. Shea said.

Image: Lin and Jirsa Photography

Image: Lin and Jirsa Photography

11. Traditional. Modern. Personal.

Anisha Chikarmane in Angadi Galleria and Natasha Dalal Label

With her family from a small community in India, known as the Konkanis, Anisha Chikarmane wanted her pride in her heritage to shine through on her wedding day. Konkani brides typically wear a traditional sari with green glass bangles and often wear a white sash, known as a khol. After searching stores in Mumbai and Bangalore, Ms. Chikarmane decided on a rose-colored silk sari with metallic embroidery from Agandi Galleria, which she wore with a traditional khol and her mother’s bangles. She also added her own modern twist to her traditional ensemble. “I had always dreamed of wearing a wedding veil, which isn’t traditionally worn with a sari,” Ms. Chikarmane said. “My friend Natasha Arora custom-designed an organza veil with pearl edges and light pink beading to complement my sari, which I wore with roses in my hair.” For the reception, the bride decided to slip into a custom, light blue beaded gown with uncut diamonds and pearls from the Natasha Dalal Label. “I wanted an outfit that was modern with an A-line, flattering silhouette, but had Indian-inspired elements and embellishment,” she said.

Read the original article here : The New Hork Times