This Couple Pulled Off a 150-Guest Wedding That Still Felt Intimate at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Chloe and Darwin originally met in San Francisco in March 2019, when a mutual friend brought him to his future bride's birthday party. They barely spoke that night, but a few months later, the same friend brought Chloe along to Darwin’s birthday celebration. The second time was the charm: The two hit it off and when they each went on separate trips to different parts of the world, they realized they were texting every day and night, despite a 12-hour time difference. “When we both got back to San Francisco, we were inseparable,” Chloe says.

Naturally, Darwin waited for Chloe's birthday to take the next step: He planned a proposal in New York City using her birthday weekend as decoy—and although she had her suspicions, he had a plan. “I asked my friend to build a fake website for a new bar opening up in New York City that weekend that we wanted to ‘check out,’ had her friends trick her into going to the ‘bar,’ and asked her mom to pretend to slip up about the proposal being on a different date,” he says. “It worked!” He popped the question on a rooftop in New York overlooking the Empire State Building. 

The two knew they wanted to host their wedding in New York, where they shared monumental relationship milestones. They fell in love with the outdoor garden and glasshouse structure at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and knew right away it was the right venue for them. “It really did feel like an oasis in the middle of the bustling city!” Chloe says. They played up the garden party theme with pastel florals, lots of greenery, and light and airy décor elements. They worked with Kim Pestalozzi from Chére Rosalie Weddings to pull off their vision of a wedding for 150 guests that still felt intimate.

Check out some of the highlights from Bo Shim Photography.

Chloe designed the couple’s wedding invitations, which featured an embossed floral frame, debossed fonts, and watercolor garden-themed envelope liners.

Chloe and her bridesmaids got ready for the wedding together in matching pajama sets. The bride wore white, while the rest of the bridal party wore blue stripes. As for her big-day beauty prep? Chloe began a routine of regular hydrafacials a year leading up to the wedding. The week of, she added dermaplaning for more exfoliation and smoother makeup application. “Sofia Richie’s wedding photos had just come out around the time of my wedding, and I loved how natural and effortless her makeup looked,” Chloe says. “I went with soft natural glam in neutral tones that I knew I felt comfortable in.” A white ombré manicure in an almond shape completed her natural look.

Chloe spotted an A-line silk gown with a scooped square neckline and beaded embellishments from KHYA Studios on Instagram. The dress wasn’t available for Chloe to try on anywhere close by, so she used their concierge service, where she’d try on sample dresses in a virtual consultation. “Even trying on the dress completely by myself, with no clips or assistance, and only KHYA’s consultant and my maid of honor on video chat, I knew it was the one,” Chloe says. “It was everything I wanted in a dress and none of the dresses I had tried on in-store anywhere else could compare!”

She accessorized with topaz and pearl drop earrings by Faris, white satin pumps from Aquazzura, and a 3D floral veil from Tania Maras Bridal.

Chloe’s mother wore a satin crepe magenta Sachin & Babi dress with a square neckline; the bridesmaids donned Maids to Measure V-neck slip dresses in champagne. “Early on, I sent out a questionnaire to my bridesmaids to get their preferences on the cut of the bridesmaid dresses, and everyone was aligned on V-necks,” Chloe says.

The bride held a bouquet of light peach, cream, and blush flowers, which Winsome Floral accented with pops of blue; her bridesmaids held smaller versions.

Darwin wore a black tuxedo from The Black Tux. “My grooming prep was a lot less involved than Chloe’s,” he says. “I pretty much woke up, styled my hair as I usually do, and went to hang out with my groomsmen.” (He did join Chloe for a few facials in the months before the event, though.)

Chloe and Darwin shared a first look in the greenhouse. “We knew we wanted a moment to ourselves before the ceremony, and honestly we wanted to hang out together as soon as possible!” the bride says. She was excited to finally show Darwin her wedding dress. “He said the dress had been exactly what he had been envisioning when we first started planning!” Chloe says.

The duo's ceremony took place in the greenhouse, where plenty of natural light filled the space. Guests were greeted with a welcome sign on a gold framed mirror covered in organic florals.

Gold and ivory European round back chairs were set up for guests on either side of the aisle; grounded arrangements and hanging floral installations introduced more of the couple’s pastel color palette. “We didn’t want the traditional ceremony arch and wanted a floral arrangement that felt more organic, like flowers were budding up from the ground,” Chloe says. “Our florist really did an amazing job with it!” 

A string trio, including a harpist, violinist, and cellist, performed as guests found their way to their seats for the ceremony. 

The pair's two flower girls wore cap-sleeve tulle dresses with floral headbands; these mimicked the embellishments on Chloe’s gown. “We hadn’t properly prepared them for how many people would be watching them walk down the aisle, so they were a bit shy,” Chloe says. “In an effort to encourage them, our guests started cheering them on, which overwhelmed one of my flower girls, my niece, and she covered her ears and shushed some people walking down the aisle! Everyone had a good laugh about it.”

Chloe’s dad walked her down the aisle to Coldplay’s “Yellow” before the pair exchanged their own vows. “Our vows accurately represented who we are and what we bring to the relationship,” Chloe says. “My vows leaned more sentimental, and his were lighthearted and funny—he’s always making me laugh!” The couple recessed back down the aisle in celebration to Toploader’s “Dancing in the Moonlight.”

Darwin’s card-based magic tricks caught Chloe’s attention at his birthday party back in 2019, so the couple thought it would be fun to incorporate playing cards into their escort cards and favors. They reached out to Julie King Studio for custom card boxes featuring their dog, Kiwi, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the background.

Guests found their table numbers on the cards, which were displayed inside an arched bookshelf. They enjoyed passed appetizers and their choice of two signature cocktails; a spiced pear cocktail with a kiwi garnish as a nod to the couple’s dog, and a spicy margarita, which is the bride’s favorite.

During the cocktail hour, the greenhouse was transformed for dinner and dancing. Chloe and Darwin wanted their reception to feel like a dinner party, so they opted for long banquet tables, which were dressed with floor-length ivory linens and paired with regal round-back chairs. Floral centerpieces in white bowl vases, bud vases, and lots of candles were scattered down the tablescape.

"For our place settings, Kim helped us find the perfect lace-inspired chargers, and we paired those with beige blush dupioni napkins that brought some shine and textural contrast,” Chloe says. The bride designed the menus herself, incorporating each guest’s name at the top. The newlyweds sat at a sweetheart table, which was decorated with an oversized floor arrangement with tons of greenery and movement. 

Chloe and Darwin’s wedding cake was a vanilla yellow confection with lemon curd filling and raspberry buttercream. The tiered dessert was decorated with fresh flowers and a topper of their dog peeking out between the layers.

As guests enjoyed dinner, the couple listened to toasts from their loved ones. The father of the bride's toast ended up being a highlight of the entire day. “He was so excited that he spent most of the speech gushing about Darwin, which we both thought was really sweet,” Chloe says. “He has just been so happy to be welcome Darwin into the family!”

Chloe and Darwin shared their first dance as a married couple to “Nothing” by Bruno Major. After, they shared a spin with their parents to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” 

Chloe changed into an open-back silk maxi dress from The Andamane for the last part of the reception. The couple hired DJ Benja Styles from Remixologists to keep the party going. “We had actually asked for song requests from our guests with their RSVP and passed those along to our DJ to play at his own discretion,” Chloe says. “It was so fun when someone’s song request came on because I could see them getting excited!”