Read more on Harpers Bazaar:
Talented Team:
Styling: Bride, Meghan of Mega Mega Projects http://www.megamegaprojects.com
Photography: Elena Wolfe http://elenawolfe.com
Engagement Ring & Jewlery: WWAKE http://wwake.com
Flowers: Flower Blossom Farm http://www.flowerblossomfarm.com
Dress: Houghton NYC https://houghtonnyc.com
Party Dress: Odylyne the Ceremony http://odylynetheceremony.com
Custom Headpiece & Groomsmen Pins: Lady Grey Jewelry https://www.ladygreyjewelry.com
Jewlery: Lissa Jewelry http://lissajewelry.com, AnaKatarina Design http://www.anakatarina.com, SheBee http://www.shebee.com
Custom Shoes: Isa Tapia http://isatapia.com
Hair & Makeup: Dre Donoghue http://www.dredonoghue.com
Catering: Eliza Glaster http://www.elizaglaister.com
From Harpers Bazaar:
“It’s been said that finding true love in New York City is an impossible task. However, Meghan Folsom and Garrick Ambrose are proof that the impossible can happen. In the Spring of 2009, Meghan and Garrick were introduced by mutual friends, who coincidentally, all lived together. “I like to joke that Garrick just came over one evening to hang out with our friend Jason and never left,” says Meghan with a laugh. “I really really really liked him but managed to play it cool for long enough to not scare him away. We developed a really nice friendship and spent lots of time together before we became seriously romantic.” Meghan, who was working as a stylist’s assistant to BAZAAR’s former Fashion Editor Melanie Ward, was instantly smitten, and a long courtship between the two creative minds ensued. With Garrick happily working as an architect, Folsom moved on from the styling world to launch her own PR company, Mega Mega Projects, which is fittingly focused on emerging accessories labels with a penchant for jewelry. After seven years together conquering the fashion and design worlds respectively, Garrick finally popped the question during a hike along the cliffs in Montauk. “As we walked along the edge of the cliff above the ocean, he asked me to spend the rest of his life with him. I was beyond elated,” says Meghan. “The ring is perfectly us. It’s quite minimal and sleek. Garrick worked with Wing Yau from WWAKE on the design and was a part of the entire process from start to finish. After our hike, we spent the whole day together—just the two of us. We walked on the beach and went to brunch at the Maidstone Inn and drank champagne by the fireplace. We didn’t call our friends and family for about six hours after the proposal so we could truly relish in that very special, private moment.” With eons of event experience behind her, Folsom set out to plan the wedding in six months whilst attending to every detail herself, save for the sage advice of wedding director (and family friend), Susan Smith. “Susan is my mother’s best friend and the mother of my maid of honor,” says Meghan. “I was so grateful to have her help because I’ve known her my entire life; she made everyone feel so comfortable. She is a perfect southern lady and a professional wedding coordinator in Birmingham, Alabama. Without her help we would have been lost at the rehearsal, and because of her everything worked like clockwork during the ceremony!” Having grown up in the South—her father served as the Governor of Alabama and her mother is a doyenne of Southern style—Meghan sought to emulate the relaxed nature and Southern charm she was raised with. And with a group of talented friends around her, she and Garrick combined their aesthetic prowess to plan most of the event themselves, collaborating with their friends and family to make the party personal and authentic. For Folsom, every detail was of the utmost importance. They enlisted the help of Meghan’s dear friend Amber Magee, a graphic designer, to create the Save the Dates, invitations, and custom website as their wedding gift. “Garrick and I worked together with Amber to create the design,” says Meghan. “Garrick has a minimal aesthetic—so we kept the look of the invitations simple and clean. We chose the square shape because we wanted them to look more like an invitation to a gallery opening than a typical wedding suite. They are no-frills—which was a recurring theme in my wedding planning!” Deciding on a location was also an easy decision. Longtime fans of the Hudson Valley (Meghan’s family owns a home there, where she and Garrick often spend weekends with their dog, Georgie), they settled on Garrick’s cousin’s stately home, called Teviotdale. The majestic property is reminiscent of a French chateau, and when filled with wild garden-inspired bouquets created by Kim Thomas from Flower Blossom Farm (a neighbor and friend to Meghan and Garrick), Meghan’s vision of a relaxed, nature-filled outdoor party was complete. Built in 1774, the house is on the National Registry of Historic Places and was once the home of Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat. Fulton’s marriage to Harriet Livingston in 1806 was the last wedding to take place there. “Teviotdale is one of the most magical places that I have ever been! Being on its grounds is like stepping into another world,” says Meghan. When it came to the dress, Meghan took her time deciding on the perfect piece, settling on a simple, A-line gown with structure to flatter her body and serve as a blank canvas for (her first love) jewelry. After an extensive search across New York and Paris, her frustration ended when her friend suggested she go to the Houghton atelier in New York. “[Houghton’s designer] Katharine and her team were so kind and welcoming; for the first time, I finally felt at home in a bridal environment,” Meghan says with a smile. “I almost didn’t try on my dress because it looked so simple on the hanger! But when I put it on, the silk was so yummy on the inside and it hugged my curves in all the right places. I also loved that it had a slit up the front–it looked a little like a vintage jumpsuit when I walked.” Meghan allowed her bridesmaids to choose their own dresses—providing that they opted for something blue—whilst her flower girls donned vintage lace dresses Meghan wore herself as a little girl. “My bridesmaids are all gorgeous, talented, unique individuals and I in no way wanted to stifle their personalities with bridezilla demands. I suggested a French blue color palette (inspired by the painter Yves Klein) and made a Pinterest page with basically every beautiful blue dress for sale online so they could have a starting point. I loved all of their choices— and was so happy that Kate rocked a jumpsuit! I brought tons of jewelry from Mega Mega so they could get decked out in fun, colorful pieces by She Bee, Lady Grey, and WWAKE. My mom also wore gorgeous fine jewelry by Ana Katarina.” When it came to her own bijoux, Meghan turned again to her close friends. Lady Grey created a custom headpiece to wear over her veil, and bespoke lapel pins for the groomsmen (in which tiny flowers were placed). “We wanted the headpiece to look like a sleek and minimal ‘crown’ but also use it to anchor my veil,” says Meghan. “The designers, Jill Martinelli and Sabine Le Guyader, are two of my very best friends. We have known each other for almost 10 years and I couldn’t walk down the aisle without wearing something made by them.” For her jewelry, Folsom opted for statement hoops and a necklace by Ana Katarina and beautiful diamond Casato ring from Lissa Fine Jewelry. Lastly came the shoes. Meghan enlisted the help of her friend and emerging shoe designer Isa Tapia to create a pair of custom, ’70s-inspired platforms. “My favorite shoes from Isa’s collection are some amazing platforms with bows in front,” says Meghan. “We decided to take that shoe style and make them in a custom color-way. I’m not a fan of white shoes, so we figured a nice light blue would be beautiful in a grosgrain that would make them more ladylike and less disco. It was Isa’s idea to do the glitter heel ‘because why not!?’ and we figured it would be a little pop of fun that peeked out on the dance floor. I have a restrained aesthetic but I’m a Southern girl at heart and love a little bling! They were super comfortable and I wore them all night until I went barefoot around the yard in a vintage Indian cotton kaftan.” For hair and makeup, Meghan referred to her years of experience on the sets of photoshoots, and worked with Dre Donoghue. “Dre has an extensive fashion background and has worked with all the industry’s top stylists,” says Meghan. “She still does some editorial work, but now does a lot of special occasion hair and has a beautiful salon in the East Village called Laurel. A few weeks before my wedding, I went to her salon and we drank wine and talked about Bridgette Bardot and tested the Lady Grey headband. She also helped me apply my veil–which I bought it on Etsy for under $100! I did my own makeup because I wanted to look like the best version of myself and not overdone—plus, Garrick doesn’t like it when I wear a lot of makeup.” In keeping with her desire for a laid-back, fabulous outdoor party, Meghan forewent a tent, opting for circular tables surrounding the dance floor and interspersed throughout the garden. “It was important to us that everyone be comfortable, well-fed, well-boozed and surrounded by love and totally sublime nature,” she said. Staged outside in the gardens, the ceremony was officiated by Wickham Boyle, a close friend, writer and poet. “Garrick and I were both too nervous to read or write vows, and knew that Wicki would be able to weave our words into poetry. The feeling I had when Wicki was speaking and Garrick and I were standing in front of our loved ones, holding hands, and looking at one another—it was beyond words. I will never, ever forget it,” she says. Meghan and Garrick danced out down the aisle to Bo Diddley’s “Pretty Thing,” while their dog Georgie—bedecked in a flower crown—trotted along behind them. Following the ceremony, guests mingled amongst the wildflowers before meandering over to enjoy a family-style feast prepared by by close friend Eliza Glaister, a chef who owns a catering company in New York. “The food had to be great—and it had to have a Southern influence,” says Meghan. “Eliza is from New York but spent time in Savannah, and we share a love for Southern cuisine. She was super excited to do some Southern-inspired dishes for us. During the cocktail hour there were beautiful hor d’oeuvres served on mismatched antique platters from the house.” In lieu of a cake, the pair opted for an array of Southern inspired-pies and desserts, which guests feasted on before gathering on the dance floor. The bride’s second “party” dress was from the incredible designer Odylyne the Ceremony in Los Angeles. “Stephanie’s designs are a gorgeous blend of vintage and modernity,” says Meghan. “Her pieces are super dreamy and are basically every childhood dress-up fantasy come true. The dress is made of shimmering iridescent lace and is totally otherworldly! I wanted my second dress to be a big contrast to my first one and be a little far out” A group of the couple’s friends–all of which play in different bands—put together a rocking soundtrack. “So many of our friends and family are talented musicians — we had to include them in our night!” she beams. “They totally fulfilled my ultimate fantasy of creating a ‘Friends and Family Band’ to bring everyone together on stage to collaborate. Our friends Jason Klauber, Simon O’Connor, Rikky Walsh, Patrick Wimberly, and James Richardson all play in Brooklyn bands like Acrylics, Glyph City, Simon Doom, MGMT, and Chairlift. Garrick and I put together a wish list of some our favorite classic songs and our friends performed them. My Maid of Honor and fabulous actress Morgan Smith brought down the house singing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Garrick and I hadn’t even planned to do a first dance but we got inspired and excited by the band and just went for it! My brother sang Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” — and then for the grand finale my dad took the stage.” As a special gift, Meghan’s father took to the stage toward the end of the night. “For my entire life, my dad has played piano and guitar and written beautiful songs,” she says. “He can be very shy about his musical abilities but I begged him to play “Folsom Prison Blues” with the band at the wedding. We always played that song at family functions and had a big laugh about how Garrick is now in “Folsom Prison.” When my dad took the stage he had a big surprise for me—and all our guests; he had written a special song for us on our wedding day. It is a beautiful ballad with an uplifting message. He even taught the band how to play it! It brought tears to my eyes and, as a daughter, it was the perfect ending to one of the the most special moments of my life. The End.”
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