Spotlight on Erica Beckman

Dempsey & Carroll’s Austin Ackles asked Erica Beckman of Clean Plate Pictures to tell us about her absolute favorite spots for engagement and wedding photos in and around New York City.

DUMBO/Brooklyn Bridge

Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Tina and Chirag’s engagement shoot on the Brooklyn Bridge, around DUMBO, Brooklyn, the meat packing district in Manhattan and the Gansevoort Hotel New York City.

Vinegar Hill and DUMBO Brooklyn Engagement shoot

The Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO are classic shooting locations, and for good reason. The bridge itself is iconic, and it’s absolutely stunning at sunrise. The DUMBO neighborhood has an amazing variety of environments in a a small, walkable area. With gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline, tons of cool graffiti, and lots of cobblestone streets and alleyways, it’s ideal for getting lots of different locations. Even after shooting there for years, I always find something new!

Vinegar Hill

Vinegar Hill is right next to DUMBO, so I usually shoot in both locations together. Vinegar Hill is such a colorful neighborhood; it’s filled with brightly painted doors and store fronts and lots of industrial brick and wood textures. It also has tons of my two favorite things: graffiti and vines!

Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tryon Park is another hidden gem. Most people immediately think of Central Park when they want a green location in the city, but Fort Tryon is just as gorgeous – and usually a lot less crowded! The gardens there are stunning, especially in the spring, and there are amazing stone structures and steps (plus, it’s got incredible views of Hudson)!

Rockwood Hall – Tarrytown, NY

Thursday, August 11, 2016. Carleigh and Joe’s wedding at Rockwood Hall at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY.

If you’re willing to venture out of the city limits, Tarrytown is just a short train ride away and home to Rockwood Hall Park. The grounds of the former Rockefeller Estate overlook the Hudson River. The ruins of the old mansion are a great spot, and the park is full of these weeping trees that are dreamy to photograph.

A Special Location

Sunday, June 23, 2013. Allyson and Joe’s engagement shoot at Blackbirds in Astoria, Queens, Socrates Sculpture Park in and Graffiti murals Long Island City, Queens, NY.

Friday August 24, 2013. Jackie and Marco’s engagement shoot in Livingston Manor, NY.

I love when clients suggest a new location to me. Photographing a location that’s special and unique for them makes the photos that much better, and it’s always a pleasure to find new places! Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City was suggested to me by a couple and I was so pleased to see how cool it was – full of awesome structures and with a gorgeous view of the city. Another couple invited me to their country home upstate where we got to shoot in this dreamy, woodsy atmosphere– we even found this amazing covered bridge in the area. I encourage everyone out there to think about spots that are special to you!

Erica Beckman makes the experience of being photographed easygoing and fun, so couples look and feel happy and relaxed. She started Clean Plate Pictures 8 years ago with the goal of capturing the heart and soul of a celebration, recording the big events as well as unexpected candid moments. Today Erica runs her busy wedding photography business from her studio in the Hudson Valley, photographing weddings all over the Tri-State area.

Real Weddings: Lauren & Sam

Real Wedding

Lauren & Samuel

Brooklyn Museum

December 17^th, 2016

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Wild winter weather provided a spectacular backdrop to Lauren and Samuel’s ceremony. Sided by charming brickwork from the original Beaux-Arts structure that was designed by the legendary firm of McKim, Mead & White, ensconced guests could gaze past the chuppah, over a joyous gospel choir, and through a modern glass addition with evolving weather cascading safely beyond.

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Lauren first visited with Dempsey and Carroll’s Austin Ackles last June with her sister Carolyn and their mother, Wendy, in tow. The three (all sharp, design savvy and decisive) arrived with a very clear vision and with a great appreciation for the tried-and-true engraving process. Our Pewter ink and Dempsey White paper thrilled them, while the hand calligraphed names of the bride and groom contrasted perfectly with the modern font for the text. After the calligraphy is handwritten, it is then etched into a copper plate that’s inked and pushed to paper, one by one, on an antique press. Finally, edges of the invitation were carefully beveled and hand painted with silver ink and envelopes were finished with a subtle, shimmering silver lining.

With cocktails in hand, guests mingled amongst masterpieces by Corot, Cassatt, and Degas in the colonnade before moving in under the impressive skylight space. The overall feeling was of a classic ice palace, but one given warmth and an edgy modernity, with magically-hued lighting effects in pinks and greens and lavenders.

A winter wonderland and subtle pine scent surrounded Dempsey & Carroll escort cards. Columns of birch echoed those of marble and massive scale that bordered the space.

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Additional lighting effects gave the impression of late in the day sun weaving its way through a cluster of swaying aspens.

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A smartly conceived floor plan ensured that the guests were wowed by the immense history of place while still close enough to one another for an intimate vibe. Lauren and Samuel’s marriage celebration carried on as everyone let go to classic Motown, R&B favorites and early hip-hop.

Dempsey & Carroll is pleased to have had a role in such a brilliant affair. Congratulations to a most lovely couple!

Credits:

Photography: Ira Lippke Studios

Wedding Planner: Vanda High Events

Vintage Valentine’s Day Greetings

The roots of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to Ancient Rome, though the modern incarnation of the Holiday didn’t begin until the turn of the 19^th century.This article in Town & Country Magazine illustrates a brief history of how Valentine’s Day has evolved and why the tradition of sending greeting cards has become a fixture of the season.

We love looking back at vintage Valentine’s Day cards from the 19th and 20th centuries to see changing trends. Many of the bold illustrations and puns of the past have given way to more subtle designs, though we can’t help but smile when we look at how people have expressed their love through the ages.

The Yacht signals of love

First Bank of Love

We should be well matched

The Queen of every hand

A St. Valentine’s Greeting

“V” is for Valentine

I’ll never shake you, my Valentine

“Please be my Queen of Hearts”

From New York, with love

In a “flash”

A token of love

“I’d be De-Lighted to go out with you”

“I cannot wait”

Please feel free to share some of your favorite Valentine’s Day cards that you have received over the years and tag us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In the Mail: A “When-to” for Wedding Invitations

The beginning of a new year marks the beginning of a new wedding season. Dempsey & Carroll’s Austin Ackles answers some of the frequently asked questions about the most optimal timelines for ordering and sending wedding invitations.

Congratulations! You’re getting married, you’ve locked down your dream location, and now you need to spread the word. Here are a few tips for a wrinkle-free work flow that will result in perfectly timed wedding paper.

When is the best time to send Save the Dates?

Save the Dates are usually sent anywhere between six and twelve months before the event. Consider sending them out on the early side if your wedding is in a location with limited flights and accommodations such as Aspen or St. Barts. If the wedding is located in New York City, six months ahead is usually fine. Be sure to include the hotel block information with the Save the Date and not later with the invitation because that’s when guests need it most. If everyone is invited to Friday night festivities and Sunday brunch, call it a “Save the Weekend” so that your lucky guests will know to book a longer weekend.

OK, my Save the Date is in the mail! When do I need to start the wedding invitation process?

Trusty sources say that invitations should be posted between six and eight weeks before the wedding, but here at Dempsey & Carroll, our clients generally prefer eight weeks out. Working backwards, producing fine engraved papers with hand finishes takes about six weeks and calligraphy of the envelopes takes a minimum of two or three weeks. For design time, allow about three weeks. Faster results are certainly possible when required, but to get the most enjoyment out of the process, come to see us at least five months in advance of your big day for a stress-free, luxurious experience of a lifetime!

And what about the paper I need for the day of?

We usually start working on menus, welcome notes, ceremony program booklets, escort cards, and place cards right after we send the wedding invitations to print. All the paper then has a congruent feel for a perfectly polished wedding!

Reply Cards Made Easy

Dempsey & Carroll’s Austin Ackles discusses the many forms that reply cards have taken on as modern wedding etiquette has evolved. We invite you to explore our wedding site to view our inspiration gallery and learn more about our offerings.

Response cards are a relatively new addition to wedding suites. In the past, those invited would know to respond and would do so on their own engraved stationery.

Generally, reply cards come in two varieties.The simplest and most classic reply card might only have “The favor of a reply is requested” engraved along the bottom though most of our clients add a date, resulting in something like “Kindly reply by June 8^th.”

Next, there are those reply cards that are more form-like with check-offs. Disliked by some, preferred by others who consider them more fail-safe, these cards typically have a minimum of four lines of text: The “M” serves as a prompt for the would-be guest to write her name, a line each to select “Happily accepts” or “Regretfully declines.”The last line usually includes the “reply by” date. reply-card-1

Depending on the arrangement with the caterer, a host may need to have check-offs for meal choices. If there are other events, separate lines may be needed for indicating attendance to those as well. At Dempsey & Carroll, we’ve done reply cards with over a dozen possible selections.

Keep in mind when hosting, the simplest reply card will get you the most novel responses back and they will make wonderful keepsakes. If you have creative friends, all the better!

Now It’s Your Turn To Reply?

Always remember that you’re addressing the host, not the guest of honor.

bermuda-reply-1 For example: “Dear Mrs. Wilcox, I deeply regret that we will not be able to attend your daughter’s wedding but will most certainly be toasting from afar. Warmly, Helen Schlegel”

When replying, there are just two essential things you’ll be communicating: who you are and whether you’re coming or not. Consider using a tone that is consistent with the invitation design and wording. While you are obligated to reply, you do not have to give a reason if you cannot attend.

Spotlight on Leo Mascotte, Part II

Austin Ackles sat down with Creative Director, Leo Mascotte, to discuss more of his favorite Dempsey & Carroll wedding suites.

AA: This wedding took place on a family property in Old Chatham and we drew a marvelous tree the couple was to be married beneath. (The resulting steel engraving die was a sculpture in and of itself!) What makes this wedding suite one of your favorites?

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LM: Old Chatham’s charms, to no surprise, are notably old school. This Columbia County hamlet oozes classic Yankee Town & Country charm, and is home to one of America’s most storied fox hunts, The Old Chatham Hunt Club. The blind engraved tree motif could not be more inspired. So too the navy blue and white color palette, classic and crisp, yet decidedly modern for a wedding. These colors perfectly set the stage for this type of “Down East” event. As does the Chevalier font, as naturally handsome as the chocolate labs I imagine sleeping under the couple’s table.

Old Chatham Hunt Club jpeg

I Would happily take odds that the weekend felt like a trip back to a cherished campus. The Groom and groomsmen in navy blazers, with Hermes ties chosen to recall shared sport. Radiant and crisp in Oscar de la Renta organza, the bride, seemed to be the source of the reception tent’s glow. Her mother, effortlessly triumphant spending an evening at home amongst abundant flowers, planned to appear picked from the property’s gardens.

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AA: This wonderful couple was married in the bride’s grandmother’s garden just outside Melbourne, Australia. They loved the watercolors from our Mark Ingram collection (which we used for their save the dates) and they wanted to incorporate them into their wedding suite. I think the colors are delicious!

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LM: Tasty indeed, the palette reminds me of tea at Laduree, in Paris. The pale pistachio walled salons filled with a dazzling array of pastel tinted macaroons. The wedding stationery is kept from getting too sweet by the underlying hint of rich ochre in the custom sand colored ink.

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Attention to detail here is remarkable. Each piece of the extensive suite was engraved, such a wonderful and increasingly rare touch. Rarer still, each item received edge treatment using a custom pale french pink. The invitation is set apart by it’s exquisite beveled edge. My favorite touch is named Henry B. the couple’s beloved Labradoodle. He sits atop the reply card, bestowing a welcoming glance encouraging all to join.

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AA: How we love a perfectly-sized New England church wedding and then a celebration afterwards at a yacht club! This wedding suite is one in a series that is a variation on a very classic theme. How do you see it reinvented this time?

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LM: I love the look of this suite almost as much as I revere the venerated yacht club where it was held. This group sets up a carefully balanced interplay of established forms set off against modern elements. A generation ago this piece would have been printed on a folded sheet. Today so rarely used, the foldover’s scarcity may as well predict it’s return to favor. Here, a stiff Embassy card reflects the current currency of chic. This nod to today is set in contrast to timeless Italian script. For me this font remains, the unassailable definition of impeccable old school elegance. The suite’s painted edges are left un-beveled, at once old school handcraft, and not expected. The rich pewter ink color manages a similar duality, with Commodore worthy aplomb.

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AA: Dempsey & Carroll has this long running creative partnership with the legendary firm, Schumacher, and this is a beautiful example of our collaboration. The font here feels old and new to me at the same time. What is it that makes this invitation suite at once breezy and stately?

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LM: This celebrated print “Birds & Butterflies” was based on a hand printed 1960’s wall covering found in Schumacher’s archive. Available as both a fabric and wallpaper it has a lovely density that never overpowers. Set amongst charmingly drawn foliage, rendered in spare black on white, a flock of colorful creatures takes flight.

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The Open Antique Roman font almost seems to have been picked from amongst the fabric’s vines. The letter forms have a polished yet unfussy 1930’s feel. Designer Thomas O’Brien coined the phrase “Vintage Modern” which seems to describes this Schumacher print, the and this this suite perfectly. I can think of no better way to mark a marriage in Millbrook, NY. Very top drawer.

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Spotlight on Leo Mascotte

Austin Ackles sat down with Creative Director, Leo Mascotte, to discuss some of his favorite Dempsey & Carroll wedding suites.

AA: This wedding took place in beautiful Lake Bluff, on the shores of Lake Michigan, just outside of Chicago. How do you feel that location is reflected in these designs?

LM: Beautiful indeed. No less an authority on the American scene than F. Scott Fitzgerald “Once I thought that Lake Forest was the most glamorous place in the world. Maybe it was.” Chicago’s Lake Forest and Lake Bluff are, to my mind, the most beautiful, and most American suburbs in the country. Architectural treasures abound. One finds the work of Howard Van Doren Shaw, Henry Ives Cobb and Frank Lloyd Wright. But it is David Adler’s work that makes this place like no other. He designed the original club house of the venerable club, Shoreacres, where the ceremony and reception took place.

This wedding stationery, like Adler’s work, is informed by, and respectful of, a rich heritage, drawing on a comprehensive understanding of tradition and precedent. It is however, uniquely American and modern in the way it modulates a purely formal model.

The decision to use handwritten calligraphy, in this marvelous crisp style, arrives at a similar easy going elegance. The seeming effortlessness of the text is balanced by the formality of timeless hand engraving. The beveled edges, and rounded corners riff on the expected, introducing a note of cool aqua, repeated by the lovely tissue liner. Assured, and impeccable, the suite’s offhand, jazz age cool finds no better expression than its opening flourish.

AA: By comparison, this suite for a Fishers Island wedding feels so edified while still retaining an airiness.

LM: An airiness which shows that less can be splendidly more. The understated élan of this invitation and stationery suite could not be more appropriate to the wedding’s location. Set at the north eastern end of Long Island Sound, just off the Connecticut coast, this tiny strip of New York state is a world apart. Prized for its pristine beauty, privacy and remove, Fisher’s Island is timeless.

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The epitome of old school, east coast, Summer as a verb propriety.

The marvelous font born of this storied way of life. Chevalier lets the hand of the engraver shine within its handsome block forms. An unexpected polish comes from the Oxford Gray ink. It softens letter forms that would have felt rigid rendered in a darker tone. But it is the white space that I find most compelling. Calling to mind trim sails, tennis attire, and freshly pressed linen collars, this suite announces with an insider’s whisper. The subtle edge treatment, like the family silver, manages to shine, not shimmer. The reception card is my favorite piece, am certain that the smart glint of it’s sterling trim won it pride of place on many a mantle. I would have tucked it just so, to remind all who saw it: black tie, naturally.

AA: For oceanfront nuptials at the storied Breakers in Palm Beach, this family with impeccable taste wanted to push their boundaries. How do you think these invitations (our largest, Empire size) strike a balance between boldness and refined taste?

LM: Is there a request more fully aligned with this location? A theatrical, larger than life, tropical aesthetic has defined Palm Beach from its beginning. Built in 1925, The Breakers tile roofed, Mediterranean Revival, Neo-Moorish stage set world defines Palm Beach. From the shops of Worth Avenue, to The Everglades Club, from Doris Duke’s Mar-a-Lago to The Bath and Tennis Club, Palm Beach’s heart beats Lilly Pulitzer pink and acid green. All this sumptuous extravagance walks a resort town tight rope of good taste, tipping it’s hat to the staid conservatism of the East Coast cities from which America’s uber-posh winter resort draws its crowd of swells.

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The suite takes up this theme, playing in a key that all but glitters with gold. The sheen of the tissue lined envelopes sets the tone. This matte midas touch is echoed in the ink, a tone that harmonizes beautifully with the bold sweeping forms of the Bickham font. Gleaming hand applied leaf shimmers, setting off precious and pains-takingly hand beveled edges and eased corners. The blind engraved, marital monogram, is set apart. Like an orchestra’s rest, the matte white silence the suite’s largest motif makes for a lily that is impeccably un-gilded.

Eighteen Seventy Eight

Gracious Corresponding

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