Ariel Dearie and Andrew Simkiss’s Wedding in Brooklyn

Our venue, the Boathouse in Prospect Park, from across the lake. Our invitation, designed by my sister Marin Dearie and photographed by our amazing photographer, Lauren Balingit. My engagement ring is by Kataoka, and my wedding ring is by Noriko and Akiko Sugawara. My Jenny Yoo wedding dress and bouquet, styled by Kelly Lenard. All along, I had a very specific idea of the simple silhouette I wanted—and when I saw this dress, I immediately knew it was the one. The crown I made with freshwater pearls and rose gold. Me getting ready before heading over to Prospect Park. These were the boutonnieres for the guys. Andrew’s had a Blushing Bride bloom as the focal flower. Andrew heading to the ceremony in his J Crew suit. My niece, Aiye, our flower girl extraordinaire, as she makes her way out the door. My nephews, Tane and Bjorn, the ring bearers, as they make their way down the aisle. These two also gave incredible speeches later that evening. Here we are at the beginning of the ceremony. Our flower girl took her job very seriously and wasn’t ready to sit down. A view of the ceremony from inside the Boathouse as Andrew reads his vows. Andrew and I just after the ceremony finished. My bouquet was comprised of distant drum roses, scabiosa, orchids, Russian olive, and clematis vine. Andrew and I with my niece and nephews. The family of swans who visited just as our ceremony ended. Our escort card table designed by my wonderful floral designers Alicia, Aviva, and Latisha. The design was inspired by Victorian plant tables with ferns, orchids, and other interesting specimens, including a sweet little pineapple plant. Andrew and I making our way from the ceremony to the reception. The space was adorned with Bismarck palms. For the tables, we had flowing still-life arrangements pairing flowers, vines, and blue ferns with pomegranates and other fruit. Our friend Jenny McCoy, who is an incredible pastry chef, made a traditional New Orleans almond cake. It was delicious! One of the centerpieces. I love the way the smoke bush pops in this arrangement. Dinner started out with toasts from Andrew's two brothers as well as my nephews and 3-year-old niece. We chose Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is” for our first song. Throughout the night, our DJ, Chances With Wolves, played a lot of great old reggae and foreign covers of traditional Motown and R&B songs. It was definitely the best dance party I’ve ever been to. A view of the Boathouse during the reception from across the lake.