A Lush Garden Wedding Overlooking the Hudson River

Two years after their first date (at a Starbucks after meeting on OkCupid.com!), Sarah Hagerbrant and Arjun Ramachandran both knew they wanted to get engaged. “We decided to go ring shopping together,” Sarah recalls. “I picked my three favorites, then Arjun chose his favorite from there.” Once the ring arrived, Arjun came home early from a work trip, surprising Sarah in the middle of the night with a proposal at home.

From there, the couple (who each took one another’s last name as their new middle name) got to work planning their May 5, 2018, wedding at Wave Hill, just outside of Manhattan. “When we visited, there were four inches of snow on the ground and it was freezing, but we could tell it was exactly what we were looking for,” says Sarah, who dreamed of an outdoor celebration overlooking the Hudson River. The couple wanted their wedding to be "relaxed and romantic" and full of the colors of spring in the Northeast. Ang Weddings and Events made planning a New York wedding all the way from Miami a breeze, and photographer Mademoiselle Fiona captured every romantic, garden-inspired detail. Keep scrolling for all the pretty pics!

The lush garden and greenhouse at Wave Hill blended seamlessly with Sarah and Arjun’s lush floral vision. It all started with the invitation suite, which featured watercolor blooms and adorable illustrations of Sarah, Arjun, and their three "fur-babies"—Sammy, Pumpkin, and Georgia.

Sarah was sure she wanted a gown with long sleeves and no veil, but did a complete 180 at a Lela Rose trunk show. “I tried on the Primrose Hill dress, and loved how romantic and feminine the floral appliqué s were,” says Sarah. “As soon as I put on the matching veil, I was sold!” She paired her textured gown with an equally textured bouquet of peonies, ranunculus, and parrot tulips in blush, orange, pink, and peach.

Arjun looked dapper in a burgundy velvet jacket, a black velvet bowtie, and matte black shoes. Sarah’s bridesmaids also wore color, in shades of lavender, lilac, and blush. Arjun’s groomsmen wore black suits, white shirts, black suspenders, and no ties. “Arjun wanted them to have a more laid-back look,” Sarah explains.

The ceremony took place beneath a pergola flanked with lush arrangements of peonies, roses, and cherry blossoms.

“The most personal part of our wedding was definitely our ceremony,” says Sarah. “We decided to walk down the aisle together, because we’d decided to get married together. We also asked my sister and Arjun’s brother to serve as our officiants. They’re definitely the people who know us best.”

Guests sipped blackberry and basil lemonade and nibbled on Hudson Valley foie gras with sour cherry preserves, lobster rolls with chives, and smoked tofu tacos—but cocktail hour actually took place before the ceremony! “The shuttles bringing our guests in from Manhattan got stuck in traffic, so we had cocktail hour first with the guests who had already arrived, then went from the ceremony right into the reception after,” says Sarah. “We wanted a non-traditional wedding, but we didn’t know we’d be flip-flopping the timeline, too!”

Once all the guests had arrived, they found their table assignments written on cut-paper butterflies, scattered around an enchanted display of cherry blossoms, peonies, roses, and tulips in ceramic vessels.

Inside Wave Hill, guests were seated at tables topped with champagne-hued linens and lush, vibrant centerpieces. Mercury vases overflowed with peonies and ranunculus in shades of pink, peach, orange, and blush, while nearby votive candles cast a romantic glow. Menus and table numbers, coordinated with the invitations, were a perfect match for the floral design.

After a salad of tomatoes and burrata, guests enjoyed seed-crusted arctic char with einkorn risotto and apple and endive slaw.

Arjun and his mother danced to “A Song for My Son” by Mikki Viereck, while Sarah and her father danced to Ray Allaire’s “A Song for My Daughter.”

The couple’s wedding cake was elaborately decorated with hand-painted flowers and handmade sugar flowers to match the couple’s invitation suite. Inside, alternating layers of almond and chocolate cakes were layered with vanilla buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, and fresh raspberries. “We also served a strawberry Eton mess, warm chocolate chip cookies with vanilla milkshakes, and late-night bacon and cheddar grilled cheese bites,” says Sarah.

“Getting a wedding planner was so worth it,” says the bride. “Planning a wedding is no easy task, and having our planner on our team kept everything moving smoothly.” That left more time for Sarah and Arjun to focus on why they were planning a wedding, and to enjoy it once the day arrived. Says the bride, “Try to slow down and absorb the moment instead of rushing around to greet everyone. The day is for you and your spouse, so enjoy it!”