Photography: Lauren Brooks | Styling: Champagne NW & Zest | Illustration & Stationery: Astrid Mueller

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A few weeks ago, Astrid Mueller teamed up with a handful of New York’s best wedding professionals to create an inspirational wedding photo shoot. Astrid adores such opportunities to collaborate since they allow her to develop innovative celebration design items that she’s never created before. For this photo shoot, Astrid designed with a fashionable bride and her girlfriends out for shopping day in New York in mind.

Follow Astrid in this new making-of to see her creative process from vision to design items and photos!

1. Recently auctioned by Christie’s in NYC: Liz Taylor’s magnificent jewelry collection
2. NY Neon signs at a Donna Karan DKNY fashion show
3. Henri Bendel NYC illustrations for the upbeat city style and girlfriend atmosphere
4. Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends as inspiration for the mood and NYC city style
5. Velvet as material, for a lush and luxurious feel. Shown here: purple velvet Louboutins

Continue to the next page to see the illustrations and design concepts

{Continued from last page} Astrid planned to hand-deboss illustrations onto velvet fabric and laser-engrave them on perspex. Inspired by the photo shoot’s mood board and additional imagery from this pinterest collection, Astrid created a series of jewelry illustrations to work with:

1. Illustration elements inspired by Liz Taylor’s Bulgari statement collection
2. Monogrammed pattern
3. Swizzle stick designs for the bride & bridesmaids’ cocktail hour
4. Pattern concept for hand-debossing onto velvet, to use in stationery
5. Alternative  stationery velvet embellishment idea
6. The names of the bride and bridesmaids, to use for engraving and as stamps for velvet-debossing. So that the names would read  if used as stamps, Astrid chose a font that was not too filigrane and tweaked the designs a bit.

Read on to the next page, to see what design items Astrid created with these illustrations…

{Continued from last page} Rings for the bridesmaids! Swizzle sticks! Astrid was head over heels for this bride and girlfriends’ NYC photo shoot. And, according to photographer Andrea Langer of AndreaAndMarcus, all the models were in love with the rings! Scroll down to see more:

1. Toasting with champagne over New York’s rooftops!
2. Tailor-made perspex drink stirs
3. And a collection of exclusive matching perspex rings…
4. … as unique and fun celebration favor
5. Matching hand-debossed velvet design accents for the table design
6. …with hand-made personalized napkin rings
7. Cheers to that!

Continue to the next page to see more of the celebration, and how it all came together!

Now that you’ve seen the inspiration,  illustrations and the design details for this NYC glamour day photo shoot (drumroll!), see how it all came together and indulge in the images that New York couture wedding photographer AndreaAndMarcus created with the contributions of a team of NYC’s top wedding professionals.

If you’re engaged and would love to book a fashion shoot or celebration in New York for you and your girlfriends, email Andrea (photography & coordination) or Astrid (design accents). We’d be excited to work with you to create a fashion-filled day for you and your bridesmaids, in your style, and with your own unique design elements.

After a fun fashion try-on session at Gabriella New York, the girls headed to Tribeca Rooftop for a toast overlooking New York:

This photo has just been featured on Style Me Pretty New York. See the full photo gallery here.

Contributing wedding professionals:

Photography: Andrea & Marcus Couture Wedding Photography / Second Photographer: Helga Schaefer/ Locations: Gabriella New York Bridal Salon + Tribeca Rooftop / Floral Design: Cornucopia Flowers / Tailor-made Perspex Drink Stirs, Rings + Hand-Debossed Velvet Design Accents: Astrid Mueller / Furniture Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. / Linens: Nuage Designs / Table Styling: Swank Productions / Wedding Gowns: Legends by Romona Keveza, Marchesa + Jenny Packham via Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Two Birds Bridesmaid / Hair: Keila Sone + Cha Cha Savoy / Makeup: Tanisha Faye / Fashion Styling: Lakeniya Kelly of The Dapifer

From top left to bottom right: Thank you card with illustration of the bride and groom and their dog, illustrated coloring cards for the children, wedding program, menu, table numbers and illustrated wish tree cards.

Contributing wedding professionals: Photos by: Roey Yohai | Full Service Planning: Private Receptions | Flowers by: Blossom & Branch | Make-up & Hair : 360 Beauty | Venue: Caramoor Music & Arts Center | Catering: Great Performances | Video: Love In Progress | illustrations and stationery design: Astrid Mueller Exclusive

When Moscha told Astrid about her wedding vision and about the story of her and Nikos, Astrid was in seventh heaven. Firstly, Moscha’s celebration details were going to be absolutely stunning. She is actually a wedding designer, specializing in Exclusive Greek Island Weddings (www.StellaAndMoscha.com). Secondly, Moscha and Nikos seemed to be so happy together. Astrid loves to create illustrations that reflect a couple’s story and love!

1. Nikos’s last name is Pagonis, which means “peacock” in Greek. In Greek mythology, a peacock is a symbol of immortality, beauty, and love. So, Moscha asked Astrid to incorporate peacock illustrations into her design elements.
2. Moscha was going to wear this gorgeous Burberry Prorsum coat (collection winter 2011), but without the black details.
3. For her wedding dress, Moscha chose this gorgeous Monique Lhuillier gown (Fall 2011 Bridal Collection, Amaranth)
4. The wedding was going to be a luxurious but very private affair in Venice, Italy
5. This statue of Venus (or, in Greek mythology, Aphrodite), the goddess of love, carried a lot of symbolism for Astrid in her design vision. The couple was Greek and getting married in a palazzo on the Grande Canale in Venice, a venue rich in history and design heritage. Also, the goddess of love seemed to be a perfect inspiration for the mood Astrid wanted to convey in the couple’s designs.
6. This was Moscha’s engagement ring and one of the key colors in the wedding – emerald green (the other being peacock blue). Ring by Nick the Greek in Santorini, Greece (nickthegreek@otenet.gr)
7. Moscha’s wedding bronze heels by Yves Saint Laurent

Continue to the next page to see the illustrations and design concepts

Astrid created several illustrations for the couple. Below is Moscha & Nikos’s feature illustration, inspired by the bride’s actual wedding gown, her earrings (made by her grandfather!), and Nikos’s last name (Pagonis. Greek: peacock).

One of the sketches and the finished illustration

These were sketches for additional illustrations and design elements:

1. Concept for the wedding program
2. Draft for an acrylic glass sculpture, to be placed on the wedding cake display (and later in the couple’s home)
3. Concept sketches for tailor-made swizzle sticks.
4. One of the finished swissle stick illustrations.
5. Concept sketch for a table card. The blue dots are placeholders for Swarovski crystals.
6. Finished table card design, ready for production.

These are the finished design details, which Astrid created for Moscha & Nikos’ elegant wedding:

1. Wedding program with feature illustration on the cover, artisan debossed (by Digby Rose)
2. Large engraved sculpture to be presented with the wedding cake, and crystal embellished laser-engraved table card
3. Details, showing the hand-applied Swarovski crystals
4. Close-up of the tailor-made swizzle sticks of a peahen and peacock
5. The laser-engraved swizzle sticks, ready for a toast!

photography by Andrea and Marcus (except for the first 2)

go to the next page to see photos of the wedding, and how it all came together!

Now that you’ve seen the inspiration, the illustrations, and the design details, get ready for a glimpse of the magnificent celebration! Here it is, Moscha & Nikos’ gorgeous Italian palazzo wedding in beautiful Venice, Italy, orchestrated by Greek wedding designers Stella and Moscha and the Italian wedding designer Andrea Naar Alba from Wed-Couture. Enjoy!

couture silk flower and crystal bouquet by Emici Bridal

wedding program illustration and design by Astrid Mueller Exclusive, artisan printed by Digby Rose

 Monique Lhuillier gown (Fall 2011 Bridal Collection, Amaranth)

venue: Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, Venice, Italy 

bronze heels by Yves Saint Laurent