Caroline Constas Designed Her Own Dress for Her Classic New York City Wedding

Caroline dressed her bridesmaids in some of her brand’s most popular designs. “They wore a curation of some of our best-selling gowns from—I chose dusty rose, champagne, and silver gray tones to be worn by each friend,” she says.

The bride describes her ceremony as “imperfectly perfect.” As her father passed away in 2013, she asked her mother and brother to walk her down the aisle instead—without realizing not all three could fit. “It made for incredible comic relief before the ceremony and just took the pressure off and allowed us to have fun with it,” she says. Her cousin, Luc—who was the first member of her family to meet Will—officiated.

After their vows, Rina Ketty’s “J’Attendrai” began to play as they walked back down the aisle. Music from a bygone era continued for the rest of the evening, first as the guests migrated to the terrace for the reception. “It was a blend of 1930s jazz like ‘The Sheik of Araby’ and ‘Je Suis Seul Ce Soir,’” Caroline recalls. Upon arriving at Gemma, the restaurant where the reception was held, canapés of pizzas, grilled cheese, and crab cakes were served, while an on-site cigar roller drew a curious crowd. The guests then sat down to dinner on long, white candle-lit tables adorned with white flowers, where they ate cacio e pepe—the very same dish Caroline and Will ordered the night they got engaged.

As an avid baker, dessert was very important to Caroline. “I find that few wedding cakes are actually delicious and I was determined to serve only cakes that our guests would remember,” she says. She worked with Charlotte Neuville to craft two separate cakes of her dreams. The first was an almond cake covered in white sugar paste calla lilies, ranunculus, and sage green eucalyptus leaves, whereas the second was a lemon cake covered in a white and blush printed toile Caroline herself designed. The third was a chocolate cake, made by La Tulipe in Mount Kisco.

The couple also served custom ice cream flavors made by Katayushka Melo of Culture Cream in Hudson, whom they stumbled upon during a spontaneous trip upstate. “She created and served corn jalapeño for Will’s southwestern roots and rose and black sesame halva for my Mediterranean roots,” Caroline says.

Their first dance was to “O What a Thrill” by the Mavericks. “It’s soulful, Western, and the title says it all because being together is the biggest thrill we have ever had,” the bride says of her choice. “I think it’s why we chose each other: we both wanted excitement out of a partner.” Their friends and family soon joined them on the floor—and didn’t leave—dancing to a playlist curated by Caroline and Will themselves. “I just keep thinking about the music,” Caroline remembers. “It’s one of the things guests commented about the most, how they loved the soundtrack we played.”

Months later, Caroline says she wouldn’t change a thing about the wedding. “It represented us perfectly,” she says. “Funny, playful, sentimental—and not taking anything too seriously.”