Amanda & Luke’s wedding is filled to the brim with special touches that they hand-chose together for their romantic Hudson Valley wedding last fall.  Weddings by Two captured every detail of their heartfelt nuptials from Amanda’s gorgeous vintage-inspired Vera Wang gown, to their beautiful outdoor ceremony, and even the song that Luke sang for her when they exchanged vows.

Lovely: Tell us about THE dress and what inspired your look.

Amanda: Unfortunately for me, Lovely was not yet open while I was looking for my wedding dress. However, I was so thrilled with my dress and felt really lucky to find a dress that was “me” in dress form. When it came to my search I was hoping to find a dress that was timeless but not old, comfortable but not plain, vintage but new, elegant but still relaxed. I always had a thing for covered buttons down the back and was so excited that this dress had that detail. I also fell in love with the lace, I wanted a lace dress, but it wasn’t until I tried on this dress that I found the right lace that worked for me. It was wonderful to be able to make changes to the dress to make it just right for me. I lowered the back to have a scoop that matched the front and I also “de-volumnized” the floral belt. I wasn’t going to wear the belt at first but I’m so happy with the way it turned out and how it looks with the dress.

Lovely: What was the most memorable moment?

Amanda: There are so many but one that stands out for sure is when my husband sang a song he had written for his vows.

Lovely: What were the most important details to pulling off your dream wedding?

Amanda: The most important detail for me was being able to be hands-on with all aspects of the planning and look of the day. I loved that each and every element was personally decided on or picked out by my husband and I so that our guests could feel how special this day truly was.

Lovely:  If you could give future brides any advice, what would it be?

Amanda: There’s lots of general advice out there about enjoying the moments or making the day a reflection of you as a couple, which I definitely agree with, but I’m going to offer some more practical advice:

1) If you can avoid it don’t leave for your honeymoon the next day. You will be so tired.

2) On the morning of the wedding I woke up at 7am with excitement and couldn’t go back to sleep. No one else was awake and it wasn’t time to get ready. I just had to sit and wait. So my advice is maybe bring something to entertain yourself, a book, a movie, something.

3) A month of coordinator is a great investment.

DRESS DESIGNER: Vera Wang

BRACELETS: J. Crew

SHOES: Repetto

BRIDESMAID DRESSES: 57Grand

PHOTOGRAPHER: Weddings by Two

FLORIST: Steven Bruce Design

WEDDING PLANNER: Lydia from Charmed Places