Brooklyn's Finest - Part 2 - The Reception at Grand Prospect Hall
Angie Pontani and Brian Newman were married on February 16, 2013 in Brooklyn, NY. Visit my first blog post to revel in the beginning half of the their day and enjoy the beautiful ceremony.
After Angie & Brian had exchanged their vows, the party really began. And it was NO JOKE! Both the ceremony and the reception were held at the Grand Prospect Hall, so guests moved into the cocktail hour and were greeted by the Antique DJ's Mike & Mac, spinning on their Victrolas. Since both Angie & Brian come from show business, you could see that influence in every detail. They enlisted a few of their talented friends to help create their perfect wedding, including Artist designer Steven Hammel (designer of the Beauty Bar and lots of other amazing spaces) who created the custom back drop, band stands and centerpieces. Flowers were provided by Shannon Florist. NYC Stage Manager Krista Robbins helped to keep the day running alongside the Grand Prospect Hall staff. Lola Star, described by Angie as the "Coney Island Queen of Cool", hooked up the favors, a fabulous wineglass with a custom "Brooklyn is for lovers" logo, plus she made the goodies inside the hotel gift bags. The escort cards, menus, and other Art Deco inspired stationary items were custom designed by Victor Mingovits.
The reception music was led off by The After Dark Big Band. Brian played his trumpet with the band, as well as taking the mic and serenading Angie from the stage. They had two first dances, and during the main dance DJ Bruce Mancia (who helped keep the music going all night) followed them around with a smoke machine, creating a beautiful dance floor. In true live performance fashion, Angie slipped during the dance, but got right back up and laughed while spinning in Brian's arms.
Everyone danced their assess off, including me at one point in the night! They had an Italian style hora dance and showed pictures of childhood photos and home movies of both Angie and Brian. You could see how much they both loved their family and the friends who have become family to them. When Angie's Aunt sang Billy Idol's Money Money at the top of her lungs into a mic, Angie grabbed me and said that her aunt does this at every wedding and that I had to shoot it. I didn't know it was a live person singing because she sounded just like Billy Idol! I mean JUST LIKE HIM!
In the middle of the evening Angie decided it was time for a wardrobe change. Her party dress was designed and created by Garo Sparo and she worked that dress, let me tell you! Her petticoats had a life of their own! She and Brian danced throughout the night with all of their guests, only stopping to take moments to cuddle with one another. We only had a short time for formal portraits of the couple alone once Angie changed. Luckily the Grand Prospect Hall provided the perfect backdrop, including a room full of amazing artwork waiting to be hung, and a phone booth that turned out to be the perfect prop. We banged those babies out, and they are some of my favorite photographs ever.
I can't believe it took two posts to get this blog written. There were so many great photos, there was no way I could do it in just one post. Going through the images made me smile from ear to ear. It brought me back to February and how much fun it all was. So…..That being said, I have to just add this… Angie and Brian, not only do I love you heaps but I need you to get your Brooklyn Booties up here pronto. You have got to book a Boston venue and do a show up here so I can pack the house with tons of my friends! Everyone is waiting…especially ME! I miss you both so much.
Did you fall in love with Angie and Brian too? You can learn more about them and see more images at the links below - They were featured on Rock n' Roll bride: http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2013/04/1920s-art-deco-burlesque-fusion-wedding-angie-brian/ You can see them on the Knot: http://www.theknot.com/weddings/album/a-glamorous-victorian-inspired-wedding-in-brooklyn-ny-130715 Angie was also featured in Pin Curl Mag: http://pincurlmag.com/2013/04 You can also read more about them in the Daily News Wedding story: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/wedding-article-1.1266276
