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Corey Golden, the lifestyle blogger behind @seegoldenstyle, and Brian Farber matched on a dating app not once, but two separate times a summer apart. The first time, “we only texted,” Corey says. Summer turned to fall and the texting faded. Then, a year later, another match.
“Our first date was at The Ludlow Hotel bar on August 1, 2018,” remembers Corey, a former merchandising editor at Harper’s BAZAAR and ELLE who recently started her own marketing consultancy. She felt an instant connection with Brian, a lawyer. “The first thing I noticed about him was his height. If you ask him, he would say he remembers my red dress. We spent hours talking and, not wanting the night to end. We walked to another bar for one more drink.” She continues, “When I got back to my apartment, I already had a text from him: ‘I know this is aggressively soon, but you’re awesome.’ They say when you know you know, and I truly did know something felt different on that first date. He has always just felt like home.”
Over the next few years, the couple fell deeper in love while dating in New York City and on trips to Westhampton Beach. On the first day of May 2021, Brian got down on one knee in that special place. “He proposed on the beach, just the two of us, with the ring of my dreams,” Corey says. She was impressed. “Even though we never went ring shopping, Brian somehow got the exact ring I wanted down to the littlest details: a gorgeous oval stone with a two-tone setting, white gold prongs, and a gold diamond band.” The surprises didn’t end there, though. “Our families had secretly flown in and were waiting to celebrate with us at my favorite restaurant, Dockers. This included both sets of my grandparents—who hadn’t traveled since the beginning of COVID—our parents, and our siblings. The entire weekend was so thoughtfully planned out by Brian. I still can’t believe he pulled off such a massive surprise without anyone spilling the beans!”
There was no other place to get married than Westhampton Beach; they’d known since before they even got engaged it was where they’d say “I do.” The venue? “My grandparents’ home,” Corey says. “We had the ceremony by the water in their backyard, cocktails by the pool, and a tented reception. Their home has always been my happy place. It’s filled with so many amazing memories. When Brian and I spent our first summer together at the house and fell in love there, it became even that much more special.”
The location set the tone for the entire vibe and aesthetic of the celebration. “I’d describe our wedding style as beach romance meets Hamptons elegance,” the bride explains. “My grandparents’ home is on the water, surrounded by lots of flowers and beach grass. So, the goal was to enhance the natural beauty. I never envisioned an all-white wedding, and the Hamptons provided the perfect backdrop for fun pops of color.”
It all came together with help from planner Ashley Douglass. “From hours-long Zoom calls to running around Long Island together, she was there every step of the way and truly helped bring my vision to life,” Corey notes. “I knew on the day of, I could truly be in the moment without any stress, knowing that Ashley and her team would make sure everything was perfect.”
Corey and Brian said “I do” in front of 165 guests on June 11, 2022, in a wedding bookended by Italian inspiration: a welcome dinner at Raphael Winery the night before, and a honeymoon in Capri right after. Keep scrolling to see all the gorgeous details of their big day, planned by Ashley Douglass Events and photographed by Stephanie Sunderland.
For the invitation suite, “we enlisted an artist to create a drawing of my grandparents’ house, which we used in the inside flap of our envelope as well as on our welcome cards,” Corey describes. The suite set the color scheme, as well: Hamptons blue, white, ivory, peach, and green. “We also created a custom monogram and incorporated it on everything from napkins to menus to bars.”
“Our welcome bags were a labor of love,” Corey says. “I wanted to give our guests a true Hamptons welcome, while also incorporating some of our favorite things as a couple.” They crammed custom Swag Bags Co totes—emblazoned with the phrase “Out East”—with goodies. “There were boxes of my favorite dessert Ladurée macarons with our monogram; bags of watermelon Sour Patch Kids, Brian’s favorite candy; Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Lip Pop; J.R. Watkins sandalwood hand sanitizer; Hampton Popcorn and Tate’s cookies, two Hamptons staples; Westhampton Beach hats; heel stoppers; waters; Advil; and our weekend itinerary.”
The weekend kicked off with a welcome party at Raphael Winery on the North Fork. “We fell in love with Raphael the second we saw it,” Corey recalls. “It looks like a little slice of Italy! We played up the Italian theme with a rosé and Prosecco cart, and table settings complete with florals, lemons, limes, grapes, and festive linens.”
For the kickoff, groom-to-be Brian opted for a forest green linen suit from Suitsupply with a patterned green pocket square and brown Gucci loafers.
“I wore a custom Mestiza dress that I worked with the brand to create from scratch,” Corey says. “The dress started as a drawing, so watching it come to life was incredible and something I’d never experienced before. I knew I wanted something white and gold, with a Grecian goddess feel to it.” She accessorized the gown beautifully: gold Amina Muaddi heels, a Rosantica bag, a necklace by VRAI, and her grandmother’s earrings. “My other grandma gave me the most unique vintage gold watch to wear, with bows on each side of the watch face,” Corey notes. “I loved that I was able to wear a piece of jewelry from each of my grandmas.”
She went bolder with her beauty for night one. “My hair guru, Dina DiPietro, gave me a beachy, half-up hairstyle; and Kerin Chadwick created a bronzy, golden makeup look.”
“I enlisted Cakes by Andrea to create the groom’s cake—a life-size interpretation of Brian’s family dog, Archie,” Corey says. “It was a HUGE hit!”
On the wedding day, “I truly wanted to feel like myself, but a little more glam,” Corey says of her beauty look. “I love a dewy glow, shimmery bronze shadow, an inner corner highlight for the eye, a neutral pink lip, and a subtle cat eye.” A few must-haves? “Kerin introduced me to the best product for an inner corner eye highlight: Armani Beauty’s Eyes to Kill in Moonlight. For concealer, I’m a Shape Tape girl all the way, so we stuck with that for the wedding day. For lips, I used MAC lip pencil in Boldly Bare as a base color to overline and fill everything in, then Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick on top.”
“I feel the most like myself with my hair down, so it was never really a question for me how I would wear it on the big day,” Corey continues. “I kept it classic with my go-to curls—however, I did amp up my length and volume with clip-in hair extensions from The Hair Shop.”
The morning of the wedding, Corey gifted her bridesmaids, mom, and mother-in-law with champagne-colored robes by Robed With Love and faux fur slippers. The bride wore a matching white robe. “I fell in love with the lace detail on the arms,” she says. “I just thought they were so unique and loved the way they looked in photos.”
Getting ready was a special event all its own. “The girls were greeted with sweet treats: a tower of Ladurée macarons with our wedding monogram and a candy charcuterie board by Ruby Bond,” Corey says. “Along with the robes and slippers, I gifted each of the girls monogramed cosmetic bags by Tissu Quotidien filled with all of my favorite products from OUAI. I also gifted them Laneige lip sleeping masks—my all-time favorite lip balm—and eye masks by 111Skin to use while getting ready. I had custom claw clips made on Etsy with each of their names in rhinestones. Lastly, everyone got a delicate diamond bezel bracelet by VRAI to wear with their bridesmaid’s dress, the perfect finishing touch!"
Corey’s mom helped her into her gown, an A-line Mira Zwillinger with a sheer bodice, cascading skirt, and three-dimensional floral appliqués. “This may surprise a lot of people, but I never had a vision of my dream gown before I got engaged,” Corey notes. “But once I started setting up appointments, I took a deep dive on Pinterest and quickly knew exactly what I wanted. I think our venue definitely made me want a certain look: something flowing, with floral appliqués to complement the landscape in the backyard.”
“The one” turned out to be the very first dress she tried on at Mark Ingram Atelier. “It definitely felt meant to be. I walked out of the dressing room to my mom and future mother-in-law exclaiming, ‘We’re done!’ I honestly didn’t believe it! It took the rest of the day trying on other dresses that didn’t compare for me to realize I had found the one.”
Again, her accessorizing was on point. “Jimmy Choo heels as my something new, a matching Mira Zwillinger veil, a Mach & Mach bag, a YI Collection aquamarine ring as my something blue, my grandma’s diamond tennis bracelet as my something old, and stunning emerald cut diamond drop earrings from Ring Concierge as my something borrowed.”
“Brian and I wrote our own vows, but decided to read them privately the morning of the wedding,” Corey says. “I started crying after the first two lines and memorized them immediately: ‘On our first date, when you walked in wearing that red dress, I immediately knew that I liked you. But when we left, I knew you were the one.’”
Attaining her perfect wedding-day look—which she revealed to bridesmaids in an emotional first look—took some prep. Leading up to the wedding, Corey went for monthly HydraFacials at Marmur Medical and “drank a TON of water,” she says. “A few weeks before the wedding, Colleen at Spoke & Weal freshened up my highlights. I used the OUAI hair treatment mask twice a week. The week of the wedding, I got my brows waxed and tinted by Rebecca at Bespoke Brows. Glow2Go gave me that perfect just-off-the-beach tan.”
There was at-home skincare, too. “If you’ve ever seen my medicine cabinet on Instagram, you know I am a total product junkie. I love discovering new products to incorporate into my routine, but there are certain ones I’ve used for years that I will always have in my arsenal. A few of my favorites are Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy, First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream, and anything by iS Clinical.”
“Shany Gali is a nail whisperer,” Corey continues. “I went to see her a few months before my wedding and she totally transformed my nails. For the wedding day, we chose a pearlescent white—Kyoto Pearl by OPI—with a natural, almond shape.” Finally, she spritzed on Aerin’s Mediterranean Honeysuckle eau de parfum, “a special fragrance that I wear on vacation. It always brings back the happiest memories.”
The family pup Archie looked stylish as well with a cute bow-tie collar.
“Brian got his tux from Michael Andrews Bespoke—this place is every man’s dream,” Corey says. “The studio is tucked away in an alley in the West Village. Once inside, you’re greeted by the owner’s French bulldog and a full bar. Brian went with a midnight blue tux jacket with black lapels and matching blue tux pants. He wore black suede loafers by To Boot, a black bow tie, and black suspenders.”
The bride surprised him with one more special accessory: gold Tiffany & Co. cufflinks engraved with their initials and wedding date. He also got emotional reading vows before the ceremony.
Having that first look with just the two of us before all our guests arrived was so special and a moment I will cherish forever.
“Because we needed to sign our ketubah before the ceremony, we wanted to have a special first moment just the two of us,” Corey remembers. “Brian always wanted his first time seeing me to be walking down the aisle, which I would’ve loved as well—but it couldn’t work with the schedule for the day. Honestly, having that first look with just the two of us before all our guests arrived was so special and a moment I will cherish forever.”
“Putting on your wedding dress is so special every time, but it’s even that much more special when your soon-to-be husband sees you in it," shares Corey. "Right before our first look, I got butterflies! And right after, I didn’t want to let go of Brian’s hand again for the rest of the night.”
Floral designer Ode and Bastille wrapped a bouquet of creamy white peonies with a soft satin ribbon closed with pearl pins; it made the perfect accessory for fun photos. Bridesmaids carried mixed blooms—roses, lisianthus, Queen Anne’s lace, and peonies—in all white, wrapped with the same ribbon.
“All of the girls wore champagne Show Me Your Mumu dresses,” Corey says. "I loved the look of everyone wearing the same color, but with different styles and textures. Some girls wore silk, some wore lace. My two sisters and co-maids of honor wore the same style dress. They all looked so stunning!”
The groomsmen kept it classic for the night in tuxedos with black bow ties.
Entering the ceremony, guests were greeted with welcome drinks and a fruit-infused water bar.
“I wanted our chuppah to feel effortless and blend in with the scenery,” Corey says of the ceremony decor. “We chose a birch chuppah embellished with flowing white fabric and clusters of blue and white florals and greenery. Flowers for the ceremony included a combination of garden roses, peonies, delphinium, spray roses, Queen Anne’s lace, tweedia, and hydrangeas. Low floral clusters lined the white aisle runner, with two garden-style urn arrangements marking the head of the aisle.” Each of the 165 guest chairs was hung with a monogrammed cone of rose petals for tossing after the couple said “I do.”
“Our adorable nephew was the ring bearer in a tux and white Converse,” Corey says. “He stole the show!” The white linen pillow he carried was embroidered with the couple’s names.
Live musicians from Jenna Wynne Band—composed of a guitarist, strings, and keys—performed. The groom entered with his parents to “I Get to Love You” by Ruelle, followed by the wedding party walking in to “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
It marks the best moment of my life, walking down the aisle to my forever love.
After affixing her matching veil, “I walked with my parents to ‘I Choose You’ by Sara Bareilles,” Corey recalls. “It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about that song. It marks the best moment of my life, walking down the aisle to my forever love.”
Their traditional Jewish ceremony included traditions like wrapping the tallit, or prayer shawl, around the couple’s shoulders as a symbol of unity.
I’ve never felt that kind of happiness.
The musician’s took up Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing” for the couple’s joyous recessional.
The ceremony was everything Corey had dreamed it could be. “When I walked down the aisle and saw Brian’s face, it was without a doubt the best moment of my life,” she remembers. “I never see Brian cry, so anytime throughout the day when he had tears in his eyes, I also had tears immediately in mine. I’ve never felt that kind of happiness.” They basked in the joy while taking photos, just the two of them, around the beautiful property.
Meanwhile, guests headed to the pool for cocktail hour. “I felt like this was the perfect moment to play with color and do something a little unexpected,” Corey says of decor. “We had bright blue delphinium in patterned blue-and-white ceramic vases adorning the tabletops. Brian and I designed a custom monogram for our wedding invitations and wanted to make use of that throughout the wedding. Emily from Ode and Bastille helped bring to life my vision of our monogram in florals, floating in the pool during cocktail hour. It was stunning!”
“We had two signature cocktails, named after special places in Westhampton Beach,” Corey describes. “The Main Street Margarita was a a spicy watermelon margarita, and the Rogers Beach Rosé was a peach sangria.”
“Instead of the typical escort card table, we chose to create a Champagne display, where each guest grabbed a glass of bubbly to find their seat for dinner on an acrylic drink stirrer.”
There’s truly no better feeling than brainstorming ideas and watching them come to life.
“When you’re planning a wedding at a family home, you have to build the entire venue from scratch,” Corey notes; hers blossomed under a nautically inspired sailcloth Sperry Tent. “I definitely had a few stressful moments, but there’s truly no better feeling than brainstorming ideas and watching them come to life. I guess that’s why I’m in marketing!”
“Guests were ushered into the reception tent by candlelight,” she continues. “We chose rattan basket lights to hang throughout the tent, matching our rattan chargers at each place setting. We chose a gorgeous blue-and-white printed linen, a pop-of-color cobalt cup, gold-rimmed glasses, and gold and white utensils,” Corey says. Florals were mostly white, with pops of blush and butter shades.
“Since our tent size didn’t allow for a custom dance floor, we opted for custom bars, complete with our monogram in the center and the hand-drawn hydrangeas from our wedding invitation around the edges.” They did give the dance floor a little customization, though: a monogram gobo light. “Above the dance floor, Emily and her team created a stunning ceiling treatment made of greenery, dotted with white roses hanging upside down. It was so beautiful!”
The dance floor was the place to be, after all. In addition to the couple’s first dance to “Butterflies” by MAX featuring Fletcher—and family dances to John Mayer’s “Daughters” and Céline Dion’s “Because You Loved Me”—the newlyweds were lofted into the air during the hora.
“The weather had gone back and forth a million times in the two weeks leading up to our wedding, but as of the day before, it was looking to be overcast with no rain,” Corey remembers. “Right before our ceremony, the weather changed and predicted 100 percent chance of rain, which nobody told me until after. Somehow, it rained in every other area of the Hamptons, including Westhampton, but it never rained at my grandparents’ house. Shortly after cocktail hour when everyone entered the tent, the sky turned completely orange and pink and a rainbow formed over the water. It was the most magical moment, straight out of a fairy tale.”
And then, the feast. “For the first course, we wanted something summery and light; we chose an Amalfi salad. For the second course, guests could choose either branzino or strip steak. We chose to do passed desserts so that everyone would be back on the dance floor as quickly as possible! One of the desserts was a double chocolate brownie with our monogram in gold.”
After dinner, the bride changed into a second dress. “I knew I wanted to have my princess moment walking down the aisle, but loved the idea of changing into something a little slinkier before hitting the dance floor,” she says. “Katie May is a designer I have admired from afar for years, but I never knew she made custom bridal gowns until I came across one of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen on her Instagram. I had been looking at dress options for months, but when I saw this dress, I just knew it was the one.” She goes on: “The dress had a removable cape, so it was almost like three looks in one. It hugged in all the right places and made me feel like a bridal goddess. I accessorized with a pearl choker by Cult Gaia and Cinderella heels by Amina Muaddi.”
After their epic (and uber-realistic) groom’s cake at the welcome party, the duo went classic for the wedding cake—a three-tire confection with white buttercream, adorned with florals. “We had two flavors, vanilla cake with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream, and chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.”
“Picking our band was probably the easiest decision we made for the wedding,” Corey shares. “The Jenna Wynne Band from Hank Lane was absolutely incredible—our guests kept telling us throughout the night that it was the best band they’ve ever heard at a wedding. We asked for a mix of music to get guests of all ages on the dance floor, with a focus on late ’90s and early 2000s pop-rock and rap.” The newlyweds passed out TKEES flip flops to make guests comfortable, and “nobody ever wanted to leave the dance floor, which was our goal!”
“One of my favorite moments on the dance floor was when our band played ‘Ocean Avenue’ by Yellowcard, one of our favorite songs,” Corey recalls. “When we requested that they play it, we weren’t sure how our guests would react. But the second that first guitar riff started, everyone was jumping up and down shouting every word. It was epic!”
The night was just getting started. Before heading to the afterparty, though, it was time for one more fit change. “I wanted to celebrate my last night as Corey Golden in style,” the bride says. “In a nod to my maiden name, I changed into a gold sequined Carolina Herrera gown that channeled the ‘late night disco’ theme of our afterparty. I accessorized with a floral Carolina Herrera statement necklace, gold Amina Muaddi heels, VRAI diamond studs, and a YSL heart-shaped bag.”
“Because we knew we wanted to keep the party going, we decided to have our afterparty at the most adorable bar in Westhampton Beach, Salt & Loft,” Corey says. “Our theme was late-night disco, complete with custom glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark cowboy hats, and lots of disco ball decor. The DJ booth was adorned with a neon sign that said ‘The Farbers.’” Guests noshed on chicken nuggets, French fries, grilled cheese, and pizza. The final detail? “The most insane disco ball cake from byPensa.”
As the weekend came to a close, it was off to their honeymoon: “Two weeks in Italy and Greece—Rome, Capri, Positano, and Santorini,” Corey shares.
Venue Raphael Winery; Private Estate; Salt & Loft
Bridal Gown Designer Mira Zwillinger; Katie May; Carolina Herrera
Bridal Salon Mark Ingram Atelier
Wedding Dresser Francesca Dispirito Styling
Social Media Coordinator Jessica Bam
Bride’s Jewelry Carolina Herrera; Ring Concierge; VRAI
Bride’s Shoes Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Hair Dina DiPietro
Bride’s Makeup Kerin Chadwick or Elite Bridal Beauty
Bridesmaids’ Hair & Makeup Elite Bridal Beauty
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Show Me Your Mumu
Mother of the Bride’s Dress Jenny Packham
Groom’s Attire Michael Andrews Bespoke
Floral Design Ode and Bastille
Calligraphy Society Scribe; Greenwich Calligraphy
Music Jenna Wynne Band via Hank Lane; DJ Rocco via Party Up Productions
Cake Leanne’s Specialty Cakes & Treats
Rentals Broadway Party Rentals; Ode and Bastille
Lighting Matt Murphy Event Lighting
Welcome Bags Swag Bags Co
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