These 12 Bridesmaids Wore Different Floral, Patterned, Blue and Green Dresses
The bride wanted them to be excited about what they wore on her Big Day.
Groom Bryan McCue and bride Tyler Mulford at their springtime Princeton wedding / Photography by Liz Andolina Photography
We don’t often cover Princeton weddings — we try to keep things Philly-focused — but every now and again, a celebration comes along that we feel compelled to share with our readers. Such is the case with this springtime event at Trinity Church and the Nassau Inn, which featured 12 (count ’em!) bridesmaids who wore a bright, cheery mix of gowns in different styles, colors and patterns. It was enough to catch our eye, and when we read the couple’s story, we were sold. Liz Andolina Photography’s images beautifully showcase the festivities below. And if this piques your curiosity about Princeton, click here to check out why the city earned a Best of Philly this year.
Villanova University was where this relationship (kind of) began. So it’s only fitting that the wedding included a photo sesh toward the end of the night with the university’s flag. But let’s return to the start for Princeton-born Tyler Atkins Mulford and Bryn Mawr-born Bryan William McCue. The eventual couple attended Villanova at the same time and had mutual friends but didn’t really connect till later, via a dating app, in NYC. They have similar recollections of their first impressions: “Bryan was charming, thoughtful and honestly hilarious,” says Tyler. Bryan, who was smitten from the moment the first date started, had this to say: “She had a smile that lit up the room.”
The next day, the duo went on their second date — and just under a year after that, in December 2020, Bryan proposed. The happy couple set the date for April 30, 2022 — just long enough to plan the springtime wedding and enjoy the engagement — at Trinity Church and Nassau Inn in Princeton.
The bride threw herself into the details of their whimsical garden-inspired festivities — particularly when it came to the attire for her 12 bridesmaids. “I first and foremost wanted them to feel amazingly beautiful, confident and comfortable, and excited to get dressed that day,” says Tyler, who used her blue, green and white color palette as a starting point. She wanted a balanced mix of complementary patterns, florals and solids, which was accomplished with an array of styles from brands such as Caroline Constas, Markarian, Mac Duggal, Reformation, Show Me Your Mumu, PatBo, Alamour the Label and Smith & Quinn. Even the flower girl donned a unique look — a tiered tulle confection from Etsy.
And Tyler’s friends celebrated her in turn: They surprised her during the getting-ready portion of the day with extra floral arrangements, a cheese display, custom champagne flutes, cookies that looked like her pets, and — the sweetest touch — pictures of the bride’s mother, who has advanced Alzheimer’s and was not able to be at the wedding.
“My mom, like me, loved to host and entertain and spend time with family and friends, so I know she would’ve been proud of the wedding we planned and would have been the belle of the ball if she were able to come,” says Tyler.
To that end, the speeches were among the most sentimental moments of the Big Day — family and friends spoke about how proud the bride’s mother and groom’s father, who passed away when Bryan was very young, would be of the couple.
Their celebration was, indeed, a testament to that. The floral arrangements of peonies, ranunculus, sweet pea, garden roses, lily of the valley and lilac were mixed with strawberries — the bride’s favorite — and other seasonal fruits. There were gold place-card holders designed to look like animals, a wedding crest by Who Drew, and personalized table names, which Bryan in particular loved.
Each table was named after something important to the couple and its specific guests. Wyldhaven, the road on which the groom grew up in Radnor, was where his family sat; and Kelly’s, a bar near Villanova University, was where the couple’s fellow Wildcats sat.
Ask the couple what the biggest surprise was, and they’ll say many things — walking into the ballroom before the 180 guests to see it all come together, the cocktail-hour magician and cigar bar, and the “full energy” of the band and the dance floor. Even the first dance to “Drops of Jupiter,” which Bryan and Tyler were nervous about, was a hit.
Says Tyler: “Afterward, when our guests joined in, the amount of love surrounding us was something we’d never felt before.”
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Liz Andolina Photography | Venues: Trinity Church (ceremony); Nassau Inn (reception and catering) | Planning/Design (eight weeks and day-of): The Styled Bride | Florals: Dahlia Florals | Bride’s Gown: Galia Lahav from Bridal Reflections | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Multiple designers and boutiques | Hair: Salon Pure | Makeup: Makeup by Ria Gia (bride, maid of honor and two bridesmaids); Makeup by Yolisa and Salon Pure (additional bridesmaids) | Groom’s Attire: Gentleman’s Playbook | Entertainment: The Suyat Band | Cake: Chez Alice Patisserie | Paper Goods & Wedding Crest: Peggy McGrath of Who Drew | Transportation: Jake’s Limousine and Trolley Service | Videography: Willow Tree Films | Magician: Logan Kohn | Cigar Bar: Mobile Cigar Lounge
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