The Bar Co-Founder and content creator Bridget Bahl and Dr. Michael Chiodo were first introduced five years ago by their mutual friends, Lizzy and Dr. Ira Savetsky. “Lizzy is a great friend of mine from the fashion and social media world, and Ira and Mike were in their plastic surgery residency together at NYU,” Bridget explains. “Mike and I went on a modern day blind date at Yves in Tribeca—we saw each other on IG first obviously—and hit it off.”
After three years together, Mike proposed at Gurney’s Montauk, where Bridget had first started to fall in love with him. Once engaged, they held off planning their wedding for a bit, while Mike opened his plastic surgery practice. When finally ready to begin their search for a venue, the pair ultimately decided on hosting their nuptials in the place where they fell in love, New York City. The ceremony took place at 620 Loft & Garden, followed by a reception in The Plaza’s Edwardian Room, originally known as 5th Avenue Cafe. “I first saw 620 Loft & Garden for a Monique Lhuillier show during bridal fashion week in 2021, right after we got engaged,” Bridget shares. “It’s like this magical peaceful garden in the middle of a chaotic city that looks directly at Saks Fifth Avenue. . .dreamy right!!”
Planner extraordinaire Laurie Arons and Birch Event Design completely transformed every event space throughout the weekend into unique dreamscapes. And Jose Villa was behind the lens to capture each special moment.
To curate her bridal wardrobe, Bridget looked to celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger. For the rehearsal dinner in front of the Dior store in SoHo, the bride was dressed in a vintage Dior dress from the ’80s from Shrimpton Couture. To complement all the looks for the wedding events, Bridget reached out to her friend and jeweler, Stephanie Gottlieb, who sourced antique estate earrings and necklaces for her “something borrowed.”
During an hour-long design meeting, the bride described her dream wedding dress that she hadn’t yet been able to find, and Micaela replied, “I already know the exact dress you are going to pick, but I’ll take you around to all my usual designers on Madison Avenue, but mark my words, I already know the dress you’re going to select.” Of course, when she eventually tried on the Oscar de la Renta dress from the Spring 2019 collection that Micaela had predicted, Bridget immediately knew it was “the one.” With the Oscar de la Renta team, she added straps, made custom adjustments to the bodice and neckline, and had two belts made.
For the reception, Bridget changed into the last look from the Oscar de la Renta Spring 2024 collection. “I got to see it at a trunk show in downtown Dallas at the original Neiman Marcus and fell in love, so I immediately begged to see if they could make it in just the short three-month window before our wedding,” Bridget reveals. “Somehow the fashion gods let it happen.” The bride ended the night in a vintage Dior by John Galliano look from Shrimpton Couture.
On the day-of, Bridget got ready with her bridesmaids in vintage Dior pajamas that she sourced and gifted to each woman. The bride also put on a few PJ sets from The Bar and gifted her gals Christian Louboutin satin sandals and custom Jennifer Behr hair accessories. Then Bridget’s nearest and dearest put on their custom dresses by The Bar, each made in New York City. “We also ended up dressing so many close friends from Dallas to New York in semi-custom looks from The Bar,” Bridget explains. “It was special seeing girls from Daryl Ann Denner, Dani Austin, and Laura Beverlin to Paige Lorenze and Rachael Kirkconnell show up in the designs.”
On August 18, 2023, Bridget walked down the rooftop garden aisle to “Daylight (Live From Paris)” by Taylor Swift, performed by her friend, Maria Riordan. “We wanted to write our own vows, but we were so busy leading up to the wedding that I didn’t write mine until the morning of the ceremony—sorry Mike, you married a procrastinator,” the bride laughs. One of the couple’s favorite parts of the ceremony was when their pastor, Ron Carpenter, invited guests to come to the altar and lay hands on the pair, while a gospel choice sang “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe, Elevation Worship, and Cody Carnes. “It was a really spiritual and beautiful moment; in fact, one of my friends, who is a devout atheist, said our ceremony changed her life, and she will now consider attending one church service with me.”
After being announced as officially married, the newlyweds and their loved ones boarded an open-top double-decker sight-seeing bus to The Plaza. Cocktail hour was in the Oak Room and Bar, where (extra) dirty martinis, cosmos, and a cookie bar—in true Pittsburgh tradition (Bridget is a “proud Pittsburgh native”)—were waiting for everyone.
Guests then moved to the Edwardian Room for dinner, where a harpist and strings from Élan Artists played on a central stage, keeping the atmosphere elegant. “In its transformed state, it felt like where Princess Diana grew up,” Bridget says of the space. “There was attention to every last detail; the tablecloth for the dinner tables matched the ceiling in the historic Oak Bar, where we did the cocktail hour. I was inspired by Aerin Lauder’s tablescape from her wedding. It was super classic, and I thought it was so cool how they shot it with flash. She is an icon. I am a big fan of hers.”
The newlyweds had their first dance to “God Gave Me You” by Blake Shelton. “We did dance lessons with Élan Artists but had never practiced in the Oscar de la Renta ballgown—and I do mean ballgown—so we were nervous for our turns and dips, but it all worked out. . .kind of,” Bridget laughs. As the bride’s father passed away last year, instead of a father-daughter dance, Mike twirled with Bridget’s mother. “It was so special to me and super cute!” Bridget explains.
After the reception, 60 or so Pedicabs transported everyone from The Plaza back to the ceremony venue for the after-party. “We all danced under the stars until way too late, had coffee scale espresso martinis, a pizza station, and amazing grilled cheese cheeseburgers from Creative Edge Catering,” the bride remembers. “People say the bride never gets to eat at their wedding but I sure did!”
Once danced out and having properly celebrated their wedding day, the newlyweds jetted off to Ravello for a romantic Italian honeymoon. Bridget exclaims, “We had pizza everyday!”
