By Once upon a time, a beautiful blonde-haired girl met a dashing young man. At a glance, you'd assume they were made for each other. But like the most interesting of love stories, it wasn't that simple.
Upon first meeting Henry Connell, Megan Reynolds wasn't quite sold. It took a year of friendship and another of dating to convince the stylish American—who was working at BAZAAR's retail arm, ShopBAZAAR—to fall for Connell, a real estate scion with a British accent and perfect manners to boot. “In true Aries/Leo fashion, our first date was a fiery disaster. We got in a full-blown argument—over something hugely trivial of course—within the first hour, which resulted in me nearly storming out of the bar. He thankfully stopped me, walked me home, and sealed the date with a kiss goodnight. Immediately following that date, we both left feeling like we would never see each other again; after a day or so we cooled off, and were drawn back together again.”
Six and a half years later, here they are. Megan, now the Fashion Market Director at MATCHES Fashion, and Henry, the founder of The Uncommon—a newly launched British wine company—could not be more in love. A fact that their small, British-meets-American wedding illustrated perfectly.
For their pre-wedding party (no rehearsal dinner for the couple, who set out to do things as untraditionally as possible), Megan and Henry welcomed guests to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club for drinks, games, and Mexican food from a local food truck. Megan’s attire for the evening was appropriately festive—a Ganni white sequined wrap dress with blousy sleeves, pastel blue suede sling backs from Attico, and oversized, crystal heart earrings by Alessandra Rich.
Currently based in London, Megan and Henry spent a year engaged before finally deciding on an intimate wedding in New York City. The locale that allowed them to meet and build a life together proved to be the perfect backdrop—and allowed for wedding guests traveling from the U.K. and U.S. to combine both of their worlds. “Our vision was to take our family and closest friends on a mini tour of what New York meant to us,” said Megan. “A celebration of love in our way: A casual weekend that made everyone feel comfortable, but that would also provide lasting memories.”
The Ceremony
Always organized and a purveyor of exceptionally good taste, Megan planned most of the wedding herself, calling in a wedding planner to help with the details a few days before. Her desire to create a quintessentially British affair with touches of New York glamour was garnished with romantic touches—a nod to her fiancé, Henry. “Henry is a true romantic, so I must say I am spoiled, but the memory that is easiest to recall involves a packed lunch. He is a good cook and would make me lunch from time to time, but on this particular day, he wrote a love poem across five different sandwich bags, which ended with him telling me I was the one. I obviously cried at my desk.”
Careful attention to detail permeated the entire wedding. From the invitations—hand illustrated by Bianca Diaz, Megan’s brother John's girlfriend—to Megan’s wardrobe, no stone was left unturned.
When it came to the ceremony, Megan and Henry embarked on a search for the city’s best view. They settled on The Wythe Hotel’s penthouse suite, with a view of New York’s iconic skyline. The two were married in an intimate ceremony of only 60 guests.
Megan’s brother, the comedian John Reynolds, officiated the ceremony, which, suffice to say, induced guests and the betrothed to tears of laughter. Megan’s mother and Henry’s father also gave readings of the couples favorite poems. To all who were there, it was clear love was in the room.
Upon each chair rested a Pendleton blanket for guests to keep (a thoughtful touch on a chilly winter's day), and floral arrangements in honeyed tones—created by Doan of A.P.—filled the room. “We wanted the color palette to nod to the season without being kitschy, it being a December wedding,” said Megan. “Aiming for understated, natural, and a bit-of-fun we landed on using majority cream, burgundy, and burnt orange hues, along with lush greenery. It felt romantic, sophisticated, and organic simultaneously."
The Gown
Then, there was the gown. Megan—who is known for her razor sharp eye and excellent taste—knew exactly what she wanted. “Gabriela Hearst was a clear choice for me," said the bride. "Beyond loving her work, she was one of the first designers I met early in my career, which was years before she started her label. Her vision, sophistication, and efforts in sustainability have been fundamental since I’ve known her; seeing a strong, assured woman execute that clear vision has been inspiring. My dress was a customized variant of Look 18 from her Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Completely unrelated to the wedding, my heart skipped a beat when I saw it walk down the runway."
"In our first meeting about the dress, I told her I envisioned myself in something along the lines of a simple slip, but that felt a bit unfinished...and then it hit us. The same look that gave my heart a pang was just that: a structured, more refined slip dress with all the elements I always dreamt of. The barely-there straps, defined waist, and square neckline were all perfectly fitted by Gabi’s incredible design team, Linda, Nancy and Shirley. In true Gabi fashion, she advised me, 'It’s a winter wedding, the coat is just as important as the dress.' I’ve never felt more like a princess in anything."
The color of the dress is possibly one of the best parts of this fashion love story. "In one of the early meetings, I confessed to Gabi that I didn’t want the dress to be white," said Megan. "She didn’t flinch, and we started to look at options of colors that would work in that luxurious silk wool of hers. One of the prettiest options was a pale pink, but both Gabi and her Design Director, Linda, remembered me saying that one of my favorite colors was oatmeal, and Gabi’s oatmeal is particularly lovely. It was our third meeting, I was expecting to see prototypes, and to my surprise I walked into the studio on 11th avenue to a nearly finished gown with a matching, double-faced cashmere duster coat hanging on her gilded rails. I uncontrollably exclaimed 'Are those mine!?' I couldn’t help myself as it had all the warmth of oatmeal, the sophistication of beige, and the natural sheen the fabric made it somewhat golden...it was better than any dream.”
Ever the British groom, and the other half of this fashionable couple, Henry wore a mismatched suit of his own styling, complete with a tie and pocket square.
The Reception
After the ceremony—where Megan and Henry exchanged letters to each other that they will open in 25 years rather than vows—guests stayed to enjoy the sunset and a champagne toast. Upon leaving, they were gifted with goodie bags (each emblazoned with an illustration created by Diaz), to help them reach their final destination.
For a true New York experience, Megan and Henry organized two vintage trams to ferry guests from The Wythe Hotel across the Brooklyn Bridge to their reception locale—The Fat Radish, a spot known for its cozy atmosphere and incredible, farm-to-table dishes. Continuing the British theme, vintage teacups were used as escort cards, and sat at each place setting bearing a guest’s name. A true labor of love, Megan’s mother sourced each and every one from an antiques dealer.
“Aside from it being the scene of one of our first dates, we loved the fact that the restaurant is English meets American. It was also important to us that the menu was vegetable forward and had a focus on locality," said the bride. "We intentionally choreographed the day so guests would see us get married in daylight overlooking the Manhattan skyline, toast at sunset, then be transported into a little candlelit oasis in the very same skyline they were looking at just hours before. We hope it encapsulated a little bit of everything the city has to offer, and a bit of good food of course.”
While the couple settled on a night that bucked regular tradition, the bride changing into a second look for the reception wasn’t one of them. Ever the fashionista, Megan settled on a minidress by Ellery, complete with side cutouts, blousy sleeves and a bow at the back. Céline heels completed the look.
The night progressed in true British fashion, with excellent speeches given by Henry’s college friends, the father of the bride, and Megan’s best friends. Much like the entire wedding, the ambiance was that of good friends joined together to celebrate two of their best friends very clearly in love.
In classic, non-traditional fashion, the couple opted for a dinner party over an all-night dance fest. Rather than have a DJ or a band for the meal, the newlyweds had asked guests ahead of time to share their favorite love song. Tunes that played throughout the evening were a selection of them all, reminding everyone of their own love story and the beginning of a new chapter in the one they were there to celebrate.
The End.
