Teny Geragos, a trial attorney for Brafman & Associates, and Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, co-founder of design and development agency Forge, met during their sophomore year at NYU and studied abroad in Prague together with their future best man and maid of honor. They remained friends post-graduation, and after Teny graduated from Loyola Law School and moved back to New York, the two started dating.
After two wonderful years together, he proposed in May 2020 on the roof of her dad’s office building with an emerald-cut ring. The diamond belonged to her paternal grandmother, Betty Jane, and was re-set by Teny’s friend Olivia Landau, owner of The Clear Cut. “Once I opened the door to the roof, I saw lights strung, photos everywhere of our favorite memories over the year, and heard a violinist playing music!” Teny remembers. After she said yes, they enjoyed an alfresco meal of traditional Armenian dishes.
“I always wanted to get married at my parents’ house, and with the uncertainty around COVID, it made the garden venue an even more perfect option,” Teny explains. The bride knew she wanted a lot of color, and her mother took control of the planning, inspired by the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. “The concept was to complement the orange Grandiflora roses and mature orange trees flanking our swimming pool.”
To help bring the design together, Teny’s mother worked with Accents of France, who hand-makes treillage and accessories inspired 18th-century France. And Ellen Weldon Design used the trellis pattern as the model for the invitation envelope liner and menu cards. The Nouveau Romantics were brought in as month-of coordinators, and t capture everything during the festivities, Twah Dougherty was behind the lens.
For her wedding weekend wardrobe, Teny tried to tie in a floral motif into all her outfits. She chose a Zimmermann set with white appliqué flowers for the rehearsal pizza dinner in her parents’ garden.
And after trying on what felt like 100 dresses in New York, Teny finally fell in love with a Carolina Herrera gown and paired it with white Manolos that had blue buckles. She also wore two of her mother’s jewelry pieces—her mother’s sapphire earrings that own parents gifted her when she turned 40 years old and her mother’s diamond necklace-turned-tiara. After the ceremony, Teny also changed into a floral-accented Oscar de la Renta minidress and Aquazurra So Nude heels in white satin.
On the morning-of, Teny got ready with makeup artist Tammy Pham and hairstylist Lindsay Martinez. Bridesmaids complemented her in Amsale gowns and were gifted custom pearl necklaces created by Teny’s cousin’s wife. The flower girls’ dresses were custom-made with fabric from Switzerland and tied with vintage French ribbons from East Coast Trimming.
On July 4, 2021, guests gathered at the United Armenian Congregational Church for the wedding ceremony, officiated by Teny’s childhood minister. It was also special to have the bride’s Aunt Robin, who is an ordained minister, bless the couple. The two also repeated their vows from their Hundi ceremony that they had held two weeks prior in Salt Lake City.
After being announced as husband and wife, everyone met at Teny’s parents’ home in Los Angeles for cocktails on the tennis court with rentals from Town & Country Event Rentals and Reverly Event Designers. Mark’s Garden created a spectacular floral arch, inspired by an arrangement model Miranda Kerr had, framing the front door.
At the head tables, vintage embroidered damask napkins with Teny and Ashwinn’s custom monogram, made by Monogrammit, were placed under dinnerware from Casa de Perrin. Impressively, all the silver flatware came from Teny’s mother’s personal collection. And finally, a delicious reception meal of salmon filet was served, catered by Wolfgang Puck.
The newlyweds made their splashy entrance with traditional Armenian music, played by the Hosharian Brothers Band, and danced the night away to American dance standards and Armenian line dances with West Coast Music’s JB Project. The spotlight was also theirs when they cut their tiered cake, by Takes the Cake, that had the same trellis detailing as the invitations and menus.
Once the reception came to a close, the after-party began with pizza, wings, and more drinks until the early hours of the morning. The next day, friends who were still in town hung out with the new mister and missus by the pool and enjoyed a goodbye barbecue—a classic ending to a Fourth of July wedding weekend.
