\n<\/p>\n
Maia found her main wedding dress at Bergdorf Goodman, where she had made an appointment to try Danielle Frankel gowns with her mother, her sister, and her sister-in-law. \u201cToward the end of the appointment, I tried on the Leighton and my sister immediately burst into tears. I don\u2019t typically let other people’s opinions dictate my fashion choices, but her reaction was so visceral, and the moment felt so special with all of the women in my life present, that I knew,\u201d Maia says.<\/p>\n
For their Hindu ceremony, the couple shopped together at Nazranaa, with Maia choosing a red lehenga embellished with flowers and crystals and Neil selecting a traditional Sherwani with a red Dupatta (scarf) to match Maia. For the Saturday ceremony, Neil wore a custom suit by Craig Robinson of Robinson Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
For their welcome party, Maia wore an ivory matching set from Sandy Liang. \u201cI love how Sandy combines tailoring with almost coquettish details, and I loved how the skirt\u2019s subtle low rise gave the entire look a slight edge. The party was themed Oyster Shells and Wedding Bells, so I nodded to this with large silver oyster earrings I found shopping the day before with my sister at Mignon Faget, a local New Orleans jeweler I\u2019ve shopped from since I was a girl, and paired them with an Elsa Peretti cuff Neil gave me for my 30th birthday,\u201d Maia says. She completed the look with silvery-blue Manolo Blahnik floral brocade slingbacks sourced from TheRealReal.<\/p>\n
Her reception dress has a story, too. \u201cI had pre-ordered a Rodarte dress from Moda with a center floral appliqu\u00e9. The week it was due to ship, it was delayed and wouldn\u2019t arrive in time. As a contingency, I had booked an appointment with Eva Lopez at Cha Cha Linda vintage in Greenpoint, where I had one of the best shopping experiences of my life,\u201d Maia says. \u201cEva pulled pieces based on my measurements, and we spent the better part of two hours pairing floral appliques and tulle to create something close to the Rodarte vision. What we landed with was better than anything I had planned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eva introduced Maia to M&S Schmalberg, \u201cthe last remaining handmade fabric flower maker in New York\u2019s garment district that supplies to major fashion houses and costume designers,\u201d Maia says. \u201cI went one afternoon to their workroom and sorted through boxes of handmade flowers to find one that would complement the light pink embellishment on the dress I\u2019d chosen, which was a vintage David Fielden gown with a very ethereal loop back detail.\u201d Finally, for their after-party at The Gold Mine Saloon, a historic dive bar, Maia wore a white leather square-neck Bottega Veneta mini dress.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Maia walked down the aisle to \u201cDreams\u201d by The Cranberries, performed by a string trio. \u201cMy brother read from Shakespeare, and Reverend Allen Barrera officiated our admittedly very brisk, but warm, ceremony,\u201d Maia says. The newlyweds recessed to \u201cWedding March\u201d by Mendelssohn and then \u201cWouldn\u2019t It Be Nice\u201d by The Beach Boys.<\/p>\n
After the ceremony on Saturday, their guests \u201cspilled out into the streets for a second line led by brass band Knockaz, \u201cushered by a procession of Mardi Gras Indians in full regalia,\u201d Maia says. Later, they had a cocktail-style dinner at their reception at Brennan\u2019s, featuring boudin balls, raw oysters, and turtle soup. For dessert, they had bananas foster\u2014a dish that originated at Brennan\u2019s, which was flamb\u00e9ed in the courtyard\u2014and a wedding cake by Gambino\u2019s. They danced their first dance to \u201cGod Only Knows\u201d by the Beach Boys, a song Maia had wanted from the very beginning.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the ceremony, Maia shares: \u201cI\u2019m naturally shy and have never loved being the center of attention. And I\u2019ll be honest, I never imagined I\u2019d have a big wedding. With two large families, it was somewhat unavoidable. But the moment I saw Neil, everything slowed down.\u201d She adds: \u201cHaving every person from every chapter of your life gathered in one place is a feeling that is almost impossible to describe. It doesn’t happen often. It might only happen once. Standing in that courtyard and throughout our celebrations, I understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n