Sacha Brown, director of professional development at the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Zach Sachs, an attorney at the Administration for Children’s Services, matched on Hinge. “We had spent almost a month planning and then rescheduling our first date, but when we finally met at Slowly Shirley, a bar in the West Village, it was the best last first date,” she says. After two years together, he proposed in Athens overlooking the Acropolis with his grandmother’s engagement ring.
For their late October wedding, it was important that Sacha’s grandparents attend, and since she was born and raised in Toronto, the Canadian city seemed like the best place to host everyone. They chose the King Edward Hotel, built in 1903, and enlisted the help of Ashley Lindzon Events to bring their vision to life.
Aesthetically, the bride was inspired by “the work between Raf Simons and Alexandre de Betak, when they collaborated on the Dior couture runway shows—it was all about an abundance of monochromatic flower landscapes.” Stemz Flowers stepped in to handle florals and lined the aisle with blue Delphinium and ran different colored roses down each table at the reception.
The Aufruf—a Jewish ceremony where couples are called up to the Torah the day before their wedding to recite a passage—kicked off Sacha and Zach’s wedding weekend. The bride-to-be looked beautiful in the LEIN wool side button wrap dress, Paris Texas boots, a LEIN confetti fringe pouch, and a Lilliput beret—her look even got a compliment from the rabbi. For the rehearsal dinner, Sacha wore a Dion Lee net pleat, strapless dress with a white Altuzzara cropped jacket, blue Manolo Blahnik pumps, and a “Love Me” Edie Parker clutch. Zach complemented her well a Paul Smith suit.
“We knew it would take some time to find the perfect wedding gown, since I had so many designers whom I wanted to support,” the bride says. After a few trips to New York with her mother and sister, Chloe, they found the perfect Carolina Herrera design and paired it with a veil adorned with more than 150 silk flowers, custom-made by New York Embroidery and M & S Schmalberg.
To complement the bride, Sacha’s sister wore sequin looks by Prabal Gurung, who had previously participated in the CFDA’s Fashion Incubator Program. And the groom looked handsome in a custom white tuxedo jacket and black tuxedo pants by Suitsupply, a made-to-measure Brooks Brothers shirt, and Albert Thurston suspenders.
On the ceremony day, the events started with a traditional Jewish Bedeken, where the couple signed their Ketubah in front of immediate family. After the ink had dried, Sacha walked down the aisle to an acoustic guitar playing “Once Upon a Time” from The Princess Bride–a cherished childhood movie.
Under the chuppah, Rabbi Grimberg officiated over the Jewish service. “Since we were so focused on reciting the right prayers and doing the right thing during the ceremony, our rabbi had us pause for a moment and turned us around to face all of our friends and family,” Sacha explains. “It was such a special moment, seeing everyone smiling back at us, cheering us on.”
After being announced as a married couple, the reception began with a rousing horah, followed by a three-course seated dinner of Canadian dishes like Fogo Island cod and Alberta fillet. Then, dancing took over for the rest of the evening. The newlyweds had their first dance to “Your Song” from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. “We surprised guests with a choreographed dance that we spent five months working on with an instructor.”
A seven-piece band and DJ from Sole Power Productions kept guests on their feet into the wee hours of the morning, playing favorite tunes. “A special moment was the mezinka dance. Since we are both the last children in each of our families to get married, it’s a dance to acknowledge the parents,” the bride says. “It is rare to have parents of both the bride and groom be a part of this, so it was extra joyous!”
Before cutting the cake, Sacha changed into a custom LEIN confetti fringe party dress, designed for her by her dear friend, Meredith Stoecklein. “It was so special to get to wear something that Meredith created. My professional work has always been focused on supporting the businesses of emerging designers, and it was a pleasure to get to support a designer who has such a beautiful vision and collection,” the bride says. “Even more special was having her name the dress after me and including it in her collection.”
“Sacha ran the CFDA Incubator Program, when I made a career change into design,” Meredith says. “She’s been influential in my career, connecting me with mentors and seeing me evolve.”
Sacha also worked with Sapto Djojokartiko to create a pair of custom kitten heel mules to wear with the LEIN dress. “Mr. Sapto sent me a sketch from Indonesia, and about a month later, they shipped them to New York just in time for the wedding.”
After dancing the night away, the lovebirds jetted off to Sri Lanka the next morning to enjoy a stay at the Aman in Galle and Tangalle.
