One spring break, Carly Landon’s mother spotted a handsome young man wearing a Notre Dame shirt, the same college her daughter happened to be attending, while vacationing at a resort. “My mom kept encouraging me the entire trip to introduce myself because he was cute and looked like a nice guy,” she says. “I was so embarrassed!” While she never worked up the courage to go up to him, it was only a matter of time before Carly met Robert Huffman. “My best friend studied abroad with Bobby and told us both individually that we were perfect for each other,” she explains. The two eventually met during junior year of college and became inseparable almost immediately. Talk about motherly intuition!
Six years later, during New York’s first snowfall of the winter, the two were taking a walk through Central Park when Bobby surprised Carly with a proposal. One of their best friends was there to take pictures of the moment, and the newly engaged couple later celebrated at a brunch with friends and family at the New York Athletic Club.
While Carly is from Dallas and Bobby grew up in Chicago, they both are based in New York (she’s a lawyer, he’s a trader) and decided to look at venues there for their special day. “Once we saw The Plaza, the decision was made,” she says. “The ballroom was gorgeous, elegant, and timeless, as well as big enough for all of our guests. We also knew the majority of them would be traveling from out of town, so we loved the idea that we were showing our guests a classic New York experience.”
As for the decor, they always wanted a fall wedding with lots of colors and florists Putnam & Putnam helped them create an array of wild, lush, and romantic florals, including a gorgeous arch, for their ceremony and reception. For help with all of the planning, they hired Tzo Ai Ang of Ang Weddings and Events. “We will forever be grateful for Tzo Ai for achieving our design vision, managing our crazy big families, and organizing everything so perfectly that all we had to do the entire weekend was celebrate and enjoy the moment.”
Carly’s sisters and mother traveled to New York to help her go dress shopping. While she was initially set on something with long or 3/4 sleeves to go with the fall mood of their wedding, she ultimately fell in love with a strapless Vera Wang gown with multiple layers of lace and tulle and a silk sash. “I loved the way I felt in this dress, the way I could move in it, and the way the bottom swished as I walked and danced,” she explains.
For accessories, she paired her dress with navy velvet flats with pearls by Aquazzura. “I’d heard from multiple friends that they regretted wearing heels on their wedding day,” she adds. For her jewelry, she wore a diamond and white gold cross Bobby had gifted her as a wedding present, along with sapphire and diamond drop earring her parents had also given to her for her wedding. She completed the look with two Cartier love bracelets that she wears every day, and as for her “something borrowed,” she chose to wrap two of her grandmother’s handkerchiefs around her wedding bouquet. “They are family heirlooms that she, my mom, and all of my aunts had carried on their wedding days, and which she’d preserved in a box with the names and dates of all the brides who had carried them before me,” the bride adds.
As for Bobby, the groom chose a custom tuxedo by Enzo Custom paired with socks with shamrocks and a Rolex date just—a wedding gift from his future wife. Bridesmaids wore several styles from Theia’s bridesmaid collection in a dusty blue gray. “I loved that all my girls still got to pick the dress style that made them feel the most beautiful!” Carly adds.
On a late September day, Carly and Bobby were married at St. Jean Baptiste church on the Upper East Side by her family’s priest, who flew in from Dallas to officiate the wedding. “I thought I’d cry at my wedding—I tend to cry at everyone else’s—but I was too full of love and joy,” she says.
The ensuing reception at The Plaza kicked off with cocktails and appetizers at the hotel’s Terrace room, where sushi, sliders, and a cheese station were on offer. Later, guests moved to the grand ballroom where a candlelit dinner and dancing awaited. The couple were the first to hit the dance floor to “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers. “In the song, the guy asks the girl to take the bus to Chinatown because they belong together,” Carly explains. “We always jokingly said it was our song because I had followed Bobby to New York—by choosing to attend law school here rather than back home in Texas. When it came time to pick a song, Bobby would not hear any other options.”
Speeches followed from the bride’s father and sisters, and the best man. Dinner was then served, which included lobster risotto, plus two types of wedding cakes: a lemon and fresh raspberry cake by Nine Cakes, as well as a surprise mint chocolate one for Bobby in the shape of a leprechaun hat, as an ode to their alma mater, Notre Dame.
After the meal was over, dancing continued well into the night with music provided by Cafe Wha Band, who usually play at the couple’s favorite club in the city. “All of our guests raved about the music afterward, and now we get to relive a little piece of our wedding every time we go to Cafe Wha!” Carly says.
The reception finished with a confetti toss during the last song. “Grand exits at weddings always make me sad because they mean the wedding is over, so I wanted to end ours on an upbeat note,” the bride explains. “Being surrounded by our family and friends as we danced to “Shut Up and Dance With Me” under a sky of confetti was the perfect ending to an amazing night!”
