The Art Factory | Paterson, NJ - The Wedding of Andrea & David

This wedding was, hands down, one of our favorites from 2019. Our couple had a vision and it was executed masterfully. It was clear how much time, planning, and thought went into their event and they put on a wedding that all of their guests will remember and talk about for years to come. It was a true joy, and not to mention honor, to be the wedding photographers for this incredible day. The vibes subtly shifted from industrial to vintage to art deco and then back again, and it was simply a feast for the eyes and creative mind all day long. We can’t thank them enough for adding us to their carefully curated experience.

How did you and your partner meet?

We don't remember!

We attended the same college (Stevens Institute of Technology) and met, through mutual friends, sometime in 2009. We remained close friends until 2014, when David asked me for the last dance at our friends wedding. We have been together ever since.

When did you first know he / she was "the one?"

David - There was no specific moment. I just remember thinking during one of the class we had together during my senior year that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with this girl.

Andrea - I knew David was the one when I called him one night after a work function "slightly" intoxicated. He insisted on driving the 45 min from his house to pick me up in Hoboken to make sure I made it home safely.

How did he / she propose?

David brought me to Bear Mountain right before my birthday in April 2018. He told me that he wanted to start using his camera again and thought that he would be able to get some amazing shots on the mountain. We hiked the trails for about 2 hours with a tripod and took pictures at different locations. I even fell at one point, which thoroughly freaked him out. At the end of our hike he asked to go back to one of the overlooks. After setting up the camera for 15 minutes, to ensure he got the perfect picture, he got down on one knee and proposed.

What are you most looking forward to?

Wedding planning to be over...the tax breaks....combined health insurance, you know the general perks of being married. Ha ha.

We are genuinely looking forward to starting our lives together as a married couple. We are truly inspired by the lives that our parents have lived together and want to have marriages similar to theirs. Additionally, we can't wait to grow old and yell at the local kids to get off our lawn.

What was your favorite moment from the day?

First Look! And all the benefits that came with doing all of our portraits ahead of time. We were able to get all of the pictures we wanted out of the way before the party started. This allowed us, our parents and our wedding party to enjoy everything a lot more by doing this.

Why did you choose the ceremony and reception locations?

We both enjoy history, speakeasies, the 1920s and movies. The Art Factory combined all of these things in one location. It gave us the industrial, unique venue we had be looking.

We make a quick jaunt over to Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park for some wedding day portraits of the bride and groom, and a few with the whole bridal party. What an incredible spot!

How would you describe your reception theme?

Art Deco. Industrial. Vintage. Eclectic.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding?

Walking around the factory as many times as we did really inspired us. Seeing the factory as a blank slate gave us a million ideas. We really wanted to highlight the history of the location and incorporate some of the things we have fallen in love with together.

What is your ceremony music?

Processional: "The Cello Song" by The Piano Guys

Bride: "At Last" by Etta James

Recessional: "You're My Best Friend" by Queen

What was your favorite thing about your wedding ceremony?

Andrea - Seeing David waiting for me at the end of the aisle surrounded by all our friends and family. Even though we had a first look this was an incredibly special moment that I will think about forever.

David - The fact that I spent the previous 3 hours looking at Andrea during our First Look and portraits and still couldn't keep it together when she showed up at the end of the aisle.

How did you go about planning your ceremony?

We focused on accenting the location and made sure it centered on sharing the experience with our friends and family.

Who is your officiant? How did you choose him/her?

Andrea's Uncle Bob. We always felt that he was a phenomenal public speaker and we wanted someone who could speak to who we truly are.

What were your vows like?

We opted to write our own vows. They included inside jokes, touched on each of our personalities and were written with the other in mind. They were perfect for us!

Were there specific blogs / websites / apps / resource materials you found useful during your planning process?

The Knot was our main source of information for vendors and resources. Etsy was extremely helpful in conceptualizing a lot of our ideas.

What food are you most looking forward to on the wedding reception menu?

All of it really. We are having a tapas style dinner and created the personalized menu with our chef. If we had to choose though, we are extremely excited for the short ribs, which will be braised in the family wine.

Tell us about the cake!!

The cake is extremely special to us. Andrea's cousin, Danielle, is an incredible professional baker. David has been joking over the past year and a half about how he wanted our wedding cake to be a tiramisu cake. Andrea kept insisting that this couldn't be done because tiramisu cannot be stacked that high. Amazingly, Danielle figured out how to incorporate all of the flavors of tiramisu in a 5 tiered cake. We cannot wait to eat it!

Are there any DIY details you’d like to tell us about?

Paper Flowers - Andrea has been an extreme Harry Potter fan for as long as she can remember, however, we didn't want the wedding to be completely Harry Potter themed. She and her aunt made over 250 paper flowers from the pages of her favorite Harry Potter books.

Guest Book - We didn't want a typical guest book. Over the last year and a half we have acquired 3 vintage typewriters and designed cards for our guests to type on. Additionally we put together the box which will hold the notes from our guests after the wedding.

Wine - Andrea's family has been making home made wine for the past 40 years. Since we started dating David has completely jumped in to the process. We are serving our 2016 Zin at the wedding.

Beer - We brewed our beer with Andrea's family in Ohio in July. We will be serving this beer at the wedding as well.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception?

Andrea - Taking a moment with my husband to look around at all the people who came out to celebrate with us. The room was filled with so much love and excitement.

David - Seeing our guest enjoy our mixologist, Wolfsbane Cocktails. We wanted to share something we truly love with them.

What is the first dance song? Father/daughter or mother/son dance?

First Dance - Our first dance song is a custom mix of "What A Wonderful World" by Louie Armstrong and a song called "Married Life" from the Pixar movie "Up". The mix is called "What A Wonderful Married Life"

Father/daughter - "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra

Mother/son - "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon

What was your favorite part of the planning process?

David - Working on crafts together with Andrea. Focusing on repetitive projects such as stuffing invitations, putting together our favors, or creating our guest book.

Andrea - Its a tie between finding my dress and making the paper flowers, which will be incorporated throughout the wedding, from the pages of Harry Potter books.

What was the worst part of the planning process?

David - The Knot checklist. Andrea has to make sure that everything is always done to 100%. She constantly checks the app to make sure we are keeping up with the suggested timeline.

Andrea - Contracts.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding?

Stay organized. Start working on the little details and personal touches as early as you can. Also, read your contracts!

If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently?

David - Being more involved from the beginning. Checking in with some of our vendors on a more regular basis.

Andrea - While there were a few ups and downs throughout the planning process, I"m not sure I would change a whole lot. The hiccups, in the end, allowed us to have an amazing wedding

Do you have any budget tips for other couples?

Save a little from every paycheck. It is so much less stressful to see a couple hundred dollars disappear than a couple thousand. Also, open a shared bank account just for wedding expenses and use that to stay organized.

What was the best advice you were given?

Breathe and remember that at the end of the day its about marrying the person you love most!

This wedding took place at:
The Art Factory
70 Spruce St,
Paterson, NJ 07501
(973) 930-9626
https://www.myfactorystores.com/
https://www.instagram.com/artfactorypaterson/
https://www.facebook.com/ArtFactory/

Additional wedding portraits took place at:
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
72 McBride Ave,
Paterson, NJ 07501
https://www.nps.gov/pagr/index.htm

Wedding Planner: 
Alana Gamarro
info@belladonnaweddings.com 
(973) 951-9081
www.belladonnaweddings.com
https://www.instagram.com/belladonnaweddings/
https://www.facebook.com/BellaDonnaWeddingsEvents/

Florist: 
Gardenias Floral - Samantha Monday
297 Main St,
Metuchen, NJ 08840
gardeniasfloral@yahoo.com 
(732) 662-9967
 www.gardeniasfloral.com
https://www.instagram.com/gardeniasfloral/
https://www.facebook.com/gardenias.floral

Dress Designer: 
Rosa Clara
https://www.rosaclara.es
https://www.instagram.com/rosa_clara/
https://www.facebook.com/RosaClaraOficial/

Dress Shop:
L'Fay Bridal
215 E 58th St., 6th floor,
New York, NY 10022
212-671-1051
https://www.lfay.com/ny-newyorkcity
https://www.instagram.com/lfaybridal/
https://www.facebook.com/LFayBridal/

Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist
Hilights Salon
314 Ridge Road
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071
(201) 939-0322
www.hilightssalonnj.com
https://www.instagram.com/hilightssalon/
https://www.facebook.com/HilightsSalon/

The wedding DJ was:
DJMC Entertainment
Michael Chieffo  
michael@djmcent.com 
(973) 759-7880
https://djmcent.com/
https://www.instagram.com/djmcentertainment/
https://www.facebook.com/djmcent/

Wedding Theme / Colors: Vintage / Art Deco / Industrial. Our colors are variations of purple and green.