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A Late Summer City Hall Wedding in New York

By Shayna Seid | Photography by 

Olivia Rae James

Caitlyn Carlson first saw Charlie Oshman in a restaurant with mutual friends and thought he was “very, very handsome.” “I was in a relationship at the time, though,” she says. “The second my relationship ended, I asked my best friend to set me up with him. He still owes her a dowry . . . ” After two years of dating, he proposed while on a trip to Sweden to see the Northern Lights. 

As the two are low-key, they picked the easiest venue in Manhattan—their SoHo apartment. Beforehand, they went to city hall with their families, followed by a small lunch at Cipriani. “We live around the corner and go there all the time, so it was special for us to celebrate there.” To help with the details, the couple hired Jeremy Shea of Social Standards.

For the courthouse, Caitlyn wanted something simple yet unique and opted for a long-sleeve, white mini dress from Ellery with a bow in the back. Back at their home, she changed into a gold and white Markarian gown. “They were the only dresses I tried on, and I bought them both on the spot,” she says. She paired her two looks with silver Chanel heels that Charlie chose for her at Saks. 

On the morning-of, the wait time at city hall was very long, due to the hundreds of other couples wanting to tie the knot that day. Once it was their turn, the justice of the court married them in two-minutes flat. “It was actually quite sweet,” the bride says. “When you speak the vows you hear all the time out loud, they take on a different meaning.”

Beginning at 8:00 p.m. that same day, their apartment reception was filled with their 65 guests, comprised of friends and immediate family. The entire place was covered in flowers, and they had their favorite chef, Rachel Nichols, prepare hors d’oeuvres, including mini brioche ham sandwiches. Shake Shack catered the mains with classic burgers and milkshakes. “Charlie gave the only toast, and though I opted not to get a traditional wedding cake, Charlie still surprised me with one.”

For entertainment, The Troy Curtis Band provided non-stop dancing music. The newlyweds had their unofficial first dance to one of their favorite songs—Leon Bridges’s “Coming Home.”

“It was honestly a blur,” Caitlyn says. “My feet hurt from dancing so much. We have both been to a ton of weddings and knew what we didn’t want. Everyone brought their energy, and it was the best party we could have imagined.”

After the reception, they rented out bar Sullivan 142 down the block and completely took the place over with nearly all their guests. Until early hours, they partied on the bar to dance music and had friends behind the counter pouring drinks.