When Julia Talisman met her now-husband, Jared, they slowly realized just how many times their paths had crossed without ever meeting. After discovering many synchronicities that spanned from being regulars at their favorite restaurants and bars to even living in the exact same building—missing each other by a mere month—the couple should have met a lot sooner than they did. However, once the stars aligned, it was ultimately meant to be. After dating for two years, they entered the next chapter in their relationship when Jared proposed to Julia on the night before New Year’s Eve in 2018 in their apartment amongst a dreamy background of holiday lights and champagne before a night out together.
Julia is a versatile beauty industry vet with an impressive resume that includes roles at NARS and Maybelline and currently freelances as a digital creator, brand consultant and public relations + social media specialist. In addition to her impeccable reputation within the industry, she is also known for her flawless manicures, shared on her beauty-centric Instagram, @xjuliatalisman. Her background in PR + event planning guided her to plan a strikingly gorgeous ombré-inspired wedding at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn—with a clear vision and next-level attention to detail.
In our conversation together, Julia shares her insights into wedding planning, from her decor inspiration to the importance of prioritizing guest experience and navigating a last-minute dress disaster.
After you got engaged, what were the first steps you took to plan your wedding day?
Jared and I immediately started talking about what we would want to do for our wedding. We knew we didn’t want a long engagement and we also didn’t want a big wedding. We spent a while deciding if we wanted to elope or have a smaller wedding. We thought about just jetting off somewhere. I still would have done the beautiful dress and the flowers. Something about eloping seemed so romantic. I’m not someone who always dreamed of her wedding day growing up, but I always envisioned this moment of looking over at my mom during the ceremony. And when we talked about eloping, I realized I wouldn’t get to experience that moment. We ultimately decided on a small wedding, which ended up being about sixty guests.
We then started the search for our venue, and thought of all our favorite places in the city. The places that immediately came to mind were too large or too small. After brunch one weekend in Williamsburg, we wandered into The Wythe Hotel. We’d been there for drinks, but we had never seen their outdoor garden, which is what we fell in love with for our wedding. It’s an enclosed area with beautiful black-and-white tiles and exposed brick. It immediately felt perfect. We fell in love with the mix of old and new elements at The Wythe—it felt like the perfect combination of our two styles, which are very different.
I think when you find the right venue, that all of the other elements form together to create your wedding day.
Absolutely. Once you find your venue, it really helps you figure out every other detail—like finding your wedding dress.
Let’s chat about your dress. You had quite the experience when it came to your wedding dress—which in the end was stunning, but I know there was a lot of stress leading up to the day. Can you share more about what happened?
I’m not normally into a streamlined aesthetic. I tend to gravitate toward bolder, edgier styles. But I wanted a more simple wedding dress, and I knew that if I wanted a more “fun” moment, I could always change into a second dress later in the evening. I went to a bridal shop near my apartment in SoHo and tried on my first dress. Bridal shops usually have sample dresses that are larger and need to be clipped, but this particular dress was a runway sample. It barely zipped but once I got it on, I felt like a million bucks! I tried on a few other dresses but ultimately went back to that first one. I was so excited!
The store ended up ordering the dress one size larger than I actually was. I’d always heard that wedding dresses were sized differently, but the dress I chose was actually part of a fashion designer’s first bridal collection, and it was sized normally. The shop said they would alter the gown and take it in for a perfect fit. I was hesitant, but considering they were bridal experts, I trusted them.
When the dress arrived a few months later, I went to the shop for my first fitting. As I had suspected, the dress was huge and didn’t have the same wow factor as the sample I’d tried on. To make a long story short, I disliked the dress more and more with each alteration. It looked nothing like the dress I’d originally tried on and after five fittings I realized it just wasn’t going to work. In retrospect, I should have realized that it’s much harder to alter a dress with clean lines versus one with tons of embellishment.
At what point did you know that you had to cut your losses and find a new dress?
I left the last fitting for my original dress in tears and realized that despite the fact my wedding was just 10 days away, I needed to find a new one. After waiting so long to find the right guy, I wasn’t willing to get married in the wrong dress. I was heartbroken—but on a mission!
I went straight from my last fitting down to Lovely Bride in Tribeca. I’d always heard great things about them. I called first to see if they were open, and when they said the store was closing shortly, I couldn’t help but burst into tears. “Where are you? Come in now,” they said. As soon as I arrived the woman I’d spoken to on the phone gave me a huge hug and assured me we’d figure it out. Five minutes later, I was on a couch in the Lovely Bride studio with the salesgirl and store manager, sharing my dress saga. Even though the store was closed they spent hours helping me find a dress. Since the samples they had on the sales floor had to be kept in stock and couldn’t be sold, they scoured the stock room and found a few older samples I’d be able to purchase. I tried on two dresses and immediately liked them both way more than my original dress. I was so relieved!
The women at Lovely Bride were so lovely (hence the name, I guess!) and supportive. And again, they did this in their spare time after the store was closed. I ended up choosing a Chosen by One Day gown. it was modern, simple, and structured. It was perfect. The Lovely Bride team arranged a fitting for me (there was only time for one!). I picked my altered dress up on the way to our wedding—and it was perfect!
So much of a bride’s beauty look plays off of her dress. Did your original vision adjust as you changed gowns?
I always knew I wanted a simple hair and makeup look. Even when I do a full-on glam for an event, I typically do an exaggerated version of my natural look. With the new dress, I adjusted my vision, but more so in terms of accessories. My original dress was stark white, but the second was a softer, off-white. That sounds ridiculous to someone not in bridal-mode, but to me, it was such a to-do. I was able to exchange my original, single layer, white veil from BHLDN, for one that was off-white and tiered. I also made a last-minute decision to wear a pearl headband down the aisle. I removed the headband and veil after our ceremony and switched my hair to a half-up style, fastened with a simple Lelet NY barrette. Later in the evening, I changed into a short dress and added super-fun feathered earrings by Mignonne Gavigan. I also adjusted my nail look a few days before the wedding, with the new dress in mind.
Tell me about this because you are known for your nails, so let’s hear the details!
Something people always say when it comes to the beauty look for their wedding is that they want to look like themselves. I always have a fun nail look so for me, it would have been weird if I didn’t do something special. That said, I didn’t want to go too crazy and distract from my overall look. I ended up wearing a minimal pink and white nail art look, with tiny gold and pearl embellishments on each nail. You could really only see the detail up close but it was so pretty. I had them done at Paintbox, one of my favorite nail salons in the city.
Your wedding was one of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen, and I want to discuss every detail. So first, what were your main sources of inspiration for the overall aesthetic?
I knew I wanted a modern aesthetic with tons of flowers. I’ve worked in beauty forever, so color is always top of mind for me. I started with a warm palette and had a hard time narrowing the colors down. I had six or seven shades that were all within the same family, so eventually I decided to go with an ombré theme. The palette went from light pink, to lavender, to mauve, to orange, to coral, to a beautiful deep ochre shade. These tones worked so well together, and they look gorgeous against the exposed brick and other elements in the space.
The color story first came to life through our paper products—starting with our save the dates and invitation. For day-of, we created programs in two different colors, and had the full ombré effect at our escort card table. We worked with Swell Press for all our paper products. They’re a carbon neutral company and they use 100% cotton paper that’s eco-friendly. It’s manufactured from cotton linters, which are a byproduct of the textile industry.
I’m also flower obsessed so I put a lot of thought and budget into flowers. The ombré theme carried over into all the floral moments. I think it was most impactful when guests entered the reception. We had long tables in each color that went from light to dark. We brought this to life with bud vases, table linens and menus, which were created in multiple shades.
Did you have your vision before you booked your venue or did it inform your decisions?
I had a million ideas in my head before we booked the venue. I love an all-white wedding, but I knew I wanted color. I’ve always veered towards warm colors, pinks and oranges and purples. And I knew no matter what, I wanted tons of flowers.
What were some of your favorite décor elements that you incorporated into your wedding day for both ceremony and reception?
Our flowers were by far my favorite element. They came to life so perfectly. I got to see some of the flowers the day before the wedding just as our florist, Victoria Ahn, was setting them up. I was immediately thrilled with how they turned out. Victoria is incredibly talented and brought my vision to life so beautifully.
We had a beautiful, deconstructed flower arch that served as the first “wow moment” when our guests arrived in the ceremony space. Victoria created a gorgeous arrangement for our escort card table. It looked so pretty with our ombré escort cards. We used long, connected tables in the reception space, and they were lined with all different types of flowers in varying heights and colors (to create that ombré effect). She created the most incredible hanging arrangement above our main table. At the last minute, we added some hanging greenery to the space for balance. It was a botanical wonderland!
For our wedding, we purchased pink glassware at Ikea to use as our water glasses at our reception, since renting colored glasses was so expensive. Did you come across any wedding décor hacks that you could share?
We had our florist build our wedding arch in pieces so that after the ceremony, parts of it could be repurposed in the reception space. The reception space had a large bar, so we used two of the pieces there, and we used another piece of the flower arch on our dessert table.
Did you have any vignettes or moments to set the tone of your wedding for your guests?
In terms of setting the tone, we focused on little, affordable details that would make a big impact. We added wax seals to our invitations as well as vintage stamps that had special meaning to us. We fastened the contents of our invitation with ombré string (in our colors, of course).
When guests arrived on the day, we offered them a glass of champagne (or a mocktail) that contained an edible flower. I purchased the edible flowers on Etsy, and they were shipped from a farm in California the day before the wedding.
I think guests appreciated the unexpected touches and special details.
Were there any family or cultural traditions you incorporated into your ceremony and reception?
Jared and I are both Jewish, emphasis on the “ish.” We didn’t have a religious ceremony but we wanted to recognize our background and incorporate the traditions that are meaningful to us. Jared stepped on the glass — and we included a Jewish prayer in the program that we had selected together. The flowers we stood in front of during our ceremony were dedicated to those who couldn’t be with us, including my father who passed a few years ago, and our grandparents. We wanted to make sure that we honored them on our wedding day.
We need to talk about your flowers—they were breathtakingly gorgeous and truly unique. What was the process like for finding a florist and sharing your inspiration?
I found Victoria Ahn from Designs By Ahn on Instagram. From the minute I first connected with her, I loved her communication style, which was so important to me. We were speaking the same language from the start, which made things so much easier.
How many times did you communicate to get your vision across?
We had a lot of emails back and forth initially, and then two or three in person meetings. Keep in mind we planned the whole wedding in six months.
The flowers were so important to me and Victoria really understood my vision from the beginning, which made things easy. In addition to doing all the flowers, she sourced all the table linens, and she was super-thoughtful about shade matching the linens to the paper products to the florals.
What was your reaction when you saw your vision come to life?
I was so emotional on the day of the wedding, given the drama any bride goes through. I had seen the flowers the day before and I loved them, but to see everything come together on our actual day was just incredible. It was overwhelming (in a good way).
Looking back on the day, was there anything that you wish you had done or could change?
After everything was said and done, our wedding was perfect. I wouldn’t change anything. One of the advantages of having a smaller wedding is that it’s more manageable, so we were able to get to basically every detail.
We ended up not having a wedding video. I feel they can be so cringey and I guess we thought, “will we ever watch this?” Also, since our wedding was small, I was worried a camera crew would feel intrusive. That said, I would definitely add a wedding video if we could do it again. Thankfully, we do have lots of iPhone videos from our guests, even though we originally asked guests not to take photos and videos during the ceremony!
We didn’t prioritize a wedding video either. We weren’t excited about the traditional video, so instead, we hired a videographer to be an “uncle with a camcorder”—capturing small moments and interviewing our guests. We requested just the unedited, hours-long footage after the wedding. For details that you aren’t certain about, there are usually ways to work around it.
Definitely. I also think the moment it came up and I decided against it, Jared was just happy not to be consumed with another task.
What advice do you have for future couples planning their weddings?
Think of your wedding through the eyes of your guests. From the moment they arrive, what are they seeing and experiencing? If it’s a hot day, are they comfortable? Is there something for them to drink? Somewhere for them to sit? If everything is beautiful but your guests are hot and starving, they’ll be focused on how they feel versus the beautiful surroundings you’ve put so much time and effort into. It might be hard to put yourself in that mindset when you’re focused on the bigger picture, but I feel it’s important to be thoughtful and really consider how your guests will experience your wedding day. You want them to be on cloud nine right along with you and your partner!
Julia’s Wedding Vendor List:
- Engagement Ring: Azlee
- Wedding Bands: Betteridge
- Venue: The Wythe Hotel
- Wedding Planner: The Bride
- Coordination: Check Creative
- Photography: Holtz Photography
- Floral Design: Designs by Ahn
- Paper Products: Swell Press
- Wedding Dress: Chosen by One Day
- Bridal Shop: Lovely Bride
- Bride’s Hair: Jasmine Burnside
- Bride’s Makeup: Landy Dean
- Bride’s Headband (worn for the ceremony): LPA
- Bride’s Reception Dress: Alice + Olivia
- Bride’s Reception Earrings: Mignonne Gavigan
- Bride’s Shoes: Sophia Webster
- Groom’s Tux: Todd Snyder
- Music: James Mulry of 74 Events
- Catering and Cake: The Wythe Hotel
- Custom Macarons: Dana’s Bakery
