This Classic New York Wedding Paid Fashionable Tribute to the Bride’s Grandmother, Nan Kempner
Nina Kempner and Chris Huston first met in Los Angeles in May of 2021. Chris has just relocated to LA from New York City and moved in with his best friend from high school and college, who Nina had become friends with, and the two were introduced at a party. “I thought Chris was so cute and wanted to know more about him,” Nina remembers.
“Shortly thereafter, I hosted a dinner party for 10 people at my apartment in West Hollywood, where I invited the two of them.” That night, Chris knew immediately that Nina was the one. “He said he loved seeing me in my element as the ‘consummate host,’” Nina, who is a restaurant and hospitality publicist, explains. “I love to entertain. It’s one of the things that makes me the happiest.” After that night, Chris asked Nina out on their first date to Marvin, one of her favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, and the two have been together ever since.
In September of 2023, the couple took a trip to Italy that included stops in Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Lake Como, and Milan. One of the stops they were most excited about was the hotel Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany. Their suite was called Il Vecchio Forno, and incorporated an 800-year-old bread oven, which felt apropos given Nina’s love of all things foodie.
On their first evening, Chris invited her out onto the suite’s balcony for a “drink before dinner,” and proposed right then and there, overlooking the vineyard and rolling hills. “It was just the two of us—so intimate and special—it was truly perfect!” Nina says. Afterwards, Chris had planned a private candlelit dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-star restaurant, Saporium.
A little over a year later, on October 19, 2024, Nina and Chris got married at The Grill and The Pool in New York City. “I’m extremely indecisive, and it took me a while to decide on a location. I threw around ideas such as Mexico, Nassau, Southampton, and the Cotswolds, but ultimately, Chris and I decided none of those places were truly us,” Nina says. “One night as we were cooking dinner, we threw out the idea of New York City, and we both immediately fell in love with it. We have such special ties and fond memories of the city having both grown up on the East Coast.”
Once they settled on the location, choosing the venue was an easy decision. “Since I work in the restaurant and hospitality space, having amazing food at the wedding was one of my main priorities and Major Food Group’s The Grill is one of my favorite restaurants,” Nina explains. “The food is absolutely delicious and the hospitality and service are impeccable. Also, there is an Andy Warhol painting of my grandmother, Nan Kempner, hanging in the lobby. Even though she is no longer with us, it felt like she was there with me that day, which was truly the most special feeling.”
While it took longer than a New York minute for the couple to choose their location, one thing they knew from day one was who they wanted to hire as their wedding planner. “[After getting engaged,] I immediately called Stef Cove of Stefanie Cove & Company,” Nina says. “My sister, Meggie, worked with her when she got married at The Beverly Hills Hotel in 2018, and it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to.”
From there, the planning process was relatively seamless. “Stef and I were on the same page about everything,” Nina says. “I wanted the wedding weekend to encapsulate that alluring and captivating kinetic energy one feels when out in the city at night. One of my favorite things is hosting my friends for a dinner party or going out to dinner with them at an amazing restaurant and just seeing where the night goes. There is nothing better than having an incredible meal with people you love, where you can’t stop laughing and having fun and don’t want the night to end! I really wanted my wedding weekend to evoke that feeling through delicious food and drink and alluring florals and decor.”
To that end, the chose the iconic Doubles Club in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel for their rehearsal dinner location. “It’s a social club where my grandmother, Nan Kempner, was a founding member,” Nina says. “The space is irresistibly fun and sexy as everything—from the walls to the carpet-is in varying shades of red and pink. We had the most delicious dinner—complete with ‘build your own sundaes.’”
To kick off her wedding weekend wardrobe, Nina wore a Coperni white lace dress with rosettes and satin buttons down the side that felt classically bridal but also had a modern silhouette. She paired the look with Christian Louboutin Loubigirl 85 satin sandals—the red sole perfectly complemented the Doubles’ decor. The night ended with a DJ playing hits from the ’70s, the decade when the club originated, and Prince Street Pizza served up in custom pizza boxes.
The next day, guests arrived at The Grill and The Pool at 6 p.m. and were ushered down the long hallway filled with candles to The Pool. “As the name suggests, The Pool room is centered around the iconic water feature so we really wanted that to be the focal point for the ceremony,” Nina says. “We covered the pool so that it could act as the ceremony stage, with guests seated around it.” After an exhaustive search, Nina found the perfect gown for her wedding day in the form of a Vivienne Westwood Nova Cocotte dress. “I felt like the most beautiful version of myself and knew it was the one!” she says. “I just loved how it fit my body—the structured corset juxtaposed with the most beautiful, romantic draping, just made for this elegant edginess that was perfect for me and the location.”
For the ceremony, she added the Vivienne Westwood Terra train to bring a little more length and drama. “Since my dress was everything, I wanted to let it have its moment and keep my accessories simple,” the bride says. She wore a simple tulle veil from Danielle Frankel and the Carolyne slingback pump by Manolo Blahnik for Danielle Frankel. “My something borrowed were these stunning diamond and pearl earrings that my grandmother passed down to my mom,” Nina recalls. “Not only did they work perfectly, but wearing something of Nan’s on my wedding day was really important to me as a way to commemorate her.”
For the ceremony, Putman Designs created a striking floral installation with greenery, clematis, and various shades of red florals that looked like they were floating above the pool. There were matching florals hanging from the windows and surrounding the stage as well as candles lining the aisle, and a string quartet played “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy as guests took their seats.
Family members and groomsmen walked down the aisle to Etta James’s “At Last,” before the bride, escorted by her father, processed to “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. “Walking down the aisle with my dad to that song was a moment I will never forget,” Nina says. “We both were so emotional and were trying to hold in our tears, and it meant everything to me to have him by my side.”
Chris’s brother Will officiated the ceremony. “Before the wedding, a few of my friends gave me the advice to take a moment and really take in how special it is to have all your friends and family in one place,” Nina notes. “So there were a few times during the ceremony where I looked around the room and really soaked up the love around us. I could not stop smiling from that moment forward.”
Right before the ceremony ended, a gospel choir quietly snuck into the room and immediately started singing “Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson just as the bride and groom kissed at the end of the service. “It was such a fun surprise for our guests!” Nina says. “They then led Chris and I as well as all of our guests to The Grill for cocktail hour.”
At the end of the cocktail hour, the gospel choir returned to sing as guests walked back into The Pool for dinner where the tables were overflowing with candles, florals, and fruits. Once seated, The Pool team served up a memorable meal. “From the parker rolls to the lamb chops and Carbone spicy rigatoni, everyone was raving about the food!” the bride says.
After several family members gave toasts that brought down the house, the newlyweds made a quick speech to thank everyone and ushered guests back into The Grill for dancing and dessert. After the first dances, the bride changed into her second look—a clear sequined Emilia Wickstead dress with a low back and lots of draping—and then didn’t leave the dance floor for the rest of the night. “[I’ve] never met a teal lacquer dance floor I didn’t like,” Nina jokes. “Especially when Rihanna comes on!”
Photo: Olivia Rae James1/72Chris and I walking to our rehearsal dinner at The Doubles Club. The weather was absolutely perfect that night and the energy from the city was palpable, getting us excited and ready for the festivities ahead!
Photo: Olivia Rae James3/72The Doubles Club is so irresistible and fun! For our rehearsal dinner, we wanted the decor and florals to be in varying shades of red and pink to match the drama and lavishness of the setting.
Photo: Olivia Rae James4/72We worked with Putnam Flowers throughout the weekend and they did such a fantastic job. I mean, the drama!
Photo: Olivia Rae James5/72Chris looking dapper in his Ralph Lauren suit. I wore a Coperni lace dress detailed with rosettes and satin buttons along with Christian Louboutin shoes; I just loved how the dress was classic bridal with lace, but modern in silhouette. The shoes’ signature red bottoms were an ode to the setting of The Doubles Club.
