A Rustic Wedding With Glamorous Touches in Brooklyn

When Amanda Stewart first met Omari White—at a New York Fashion Week party in 2016—“his smile immediately captured me in the warmest way,” she says. “He really lit up the room.” They began following each other on social media and kept in touch, even as she headed home to LA. 

“We ended up talking everyday, and I found myself laughing more,” Amanda remembers. “He brought a much needed, unexpected happiness into my life.” In early 2017, though still living across the country from each other, the pair made it official. “After a year of traveling over 2,000 miles to see each other, and countless late night or early morning FaceTimes to keep up with the timezone difference, I had the opportunity to transfer to New York City for my job. I moved to New York in late 2017 and ever since then, we've been best friends and even better lovers.” 

They got engaged three years later, on Amanda’s birthday, August 1, 2020. “Omari and my sister, Ashlee, curated a surprise proposal with a few of our close family and friends in at a loft space in Brooklyn,” Amanda shares. “The space was filled with long stem red roses, candles, and a huge sign that said ‘Will You Marry Me.’” The answer, of course, was a resounding "yes." 

For their wedding in February 2022, they envisioned something romantic, with a modern twist on rustic glam. “We picked 26 Bridge as our venue because we wanted a raw space where we could curate our own design and vibe,” the couple shares. “We also loved the industrial feel of it and how New York it authentically felt to us.” It was the perfect blank canvas on which to draw their wedding, beginning with a color palette of black, white, emerald green, and champagne.

The planning process evoked “a spectrum of emotions in having to make decisions for one of the most important days of your life!” Amanda says. “The hardest part was the back and forth in my own head of making the right decisions on everything.” Overall, the struggle was a good thing. “This whole process taught us life lessons on being more decisive about what we want and not compromising.”

The ultimate silver lining, of course, was their impeccable wedding day, which came together exactly as they’d envisioned. They said “I do” in front of 130 loved ones on February 26, 2022. Keep scrolling to see all the rustic-glam details, as planned by Alyssa Burns of B Astonished Events and photographed by REEM Photography.

Amanda had an overall vision—graceful, chic, and timeless—but “I actually didn’t know exactly how I wanted my makeup to look on the wedding day,” she admits. “But, my makeup artist, Tia Cordington, is phenomenal and made sure I looked and felt absolutely stunning that day.

“I decided to wear my natural hair, pixie cut,” she continues. “I was intentional on looking like myself and feeling like myself; it was important that I showed up authentically in all aspects of this day.” She finished with ombre nails and a spritz of Creed’s Love in White.

She found a white satin Pnina Tornai gown at famed New York boutique Kleinfeld, and fell in love with the cut and material immediately. “I added long satin gloves and a satin-trimmed veil, and David Yurman stud earrings and bracelet," the bride shares.

Groom Omari is a fan of Pharrell’s skincare line, Humanrace, and follows its three-step regimen daily. “I took time to have my haircut the day of in my suite, to have a moment to myself with my barber to write my vows and reflect on the day ahead,” he says. “It meant a lot to me to have a moment before my father, brother, and best man arrived to the suite. After those moments alone, I felt like I could take on the day as a husband!”

Calm and collected, he suited up with a custom emerald green tuxedo jacket, Tom Ford bowtie, and Rolex. “He wore custom gold initial cufflinks and had our names and wedding date embroidered inside his suit jacket,” Amanda adds.

Their timeline was intentional. “We decided to do a first look because we had a winter wedding and wanted to capture the moments with each other while we still had sunlight,” Amanda shares. “The moment was everything! We were so excited and anxious to see each other and it was truly a moment we won’t ever forget.”

The bride carried a simple yet beautiful bouquet of white roses and varied greenery, and the ceremony decor followed suit: Greenery hung in abundance from the ceiling, and white roses lined the aisle and adorned an arch at the altar.

A live duo of violin and keyboard took up Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” as the wedding party entered, culminating with the bride who walked herself down the aisle. “We wrote our own vows, and Omari’s included special shoutouts to my parents and sister,” Amanda says. “Truly a surprise and beautiful touch.” 

“Our wedding party’s attire was all black and chic,” Amanda says. Her bridesmaids donned custom black dresses with subtle embellishments, while the groomsmen added their own flair to black tuxedos. “The party chose their shoes and makeup direction; it was important for everyone to feel like themselves and fashion-forward.”

The New York skyline served as the perfect backdrop for a few wedding portraits.

The reception decor mirrored the rustic-glam vibe of the ceremony, with verdant greenery hanging from crystal chandeliers, natural brick walls contrasting with luxe white linens, and elegant uplighting setting the mood.

“Our first dance was amazing,” Amana reflects. “We danced to our favorite jams in a custom mix and truly fell in love again in that moment. Time seemed to stand still, and nothing else mattered.” Amanda and her dad chose Notorious B.I.G’s “Hypnotize” for their dance, while Omari and his mom mashed up Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” and Lil’ Kim’s “The Jump Off.”

Meanwhile, guests sipped his and hers cocktails that reflected the bride and groom individually. “His drink—the ‘Clinton Hill Chill,’ a twist on a Hennessy Sidecar—resonates his calm demeanor and was named after where he grew up in Brooklyn,” Amanda says. “I opted for a tequila-based drink called ‘Not From 63rd,' which represents my feisty yet calm demeanor, and is representative of my hometown, Chicago.”

“The easiest part about planning was choosing the food,” the couple shares. “We are both foodies and have similar tastebuds.” They offered both meat and vegan options, plus dessert and yellow cake with berry compote. During dinner, the bridal party offered toasts. “The speeches were so amazing and genuine,” Amanda says. “We are still talking about how our best man, maid of honor, and friend wished us well and spoke so highly of our union.”

Before dancing began, it was time for a dress change. Amanda changed up her look with a crystal-trimmed sweetheart gown by Pronovias and a custom bridal hat by KYHA engraved with their wedding date. Omari later swapped his jacket, too, changing emerald green for a classic white dinner jacket.

“Our send-off was classic,” Amanda says. “We left our special night in a Rolls-Royce Ghost with our family cheering us on. It was beautiful to look back on video and see all the beautiful smiles as we left.” They drove off into the Brooklyn night, and flew out shortly after for a romantic honeymoon at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.