Julianne Ahn Makes You Wish You Had Been Invited to her Wedding

The ultra laidback designer says “I do” to a simple—but way-cool—event. 

Julianne Ahn, the super-awesome designer behind Object & Totem, should add wedding planning to her list of skills. The 5’2” ceramicist and her 6’4” husband Brendan tied the knot in the backyard of a stunning minimalist house—with an equally rad name, the Floating Farmhouse—in Elred, New York. Every detail, down to the name of their wedding Tumblr, shortplustall, is spot-on. Here, a peek into the album. —olivia seely

“After a lot of attempts to figure what kind of dress I wanted, I came across this Suno one. I immediately knew this was the dress I was going to wear. It has this silk embroidery all over the front panel, and it’s a drop-waist dress. It is very non-traditional. A lot of people go with a group of girls, but I just went by myself. I’m very decisive!”

“That’s my ring boy, Marcus. He’s about three years old now. He’s my nephew, and he’s with my niece Madeleine. Their parents made them watch videos of what to do before the big day. Madeleine pretty much had it in the bag—she was practicing for a while. It was the Olympics for her. And then, by the time she went down the aisle, she just ran. I have pictures of her—she’s just running. And then Marcus! Marcus was supposed to give the pillow to Brendan’s father, but, on the day of the wedding, he got a bit confused. He tried to give it another guest who was sitting on the right side of the row. That was really the only snafu.”

“The wedding itself was pretty minimal. The house, the Floating Farmhouse [Ed: More over at Dwell!], was a renovated farmhouse by architect named Tom Givone.”

“What I really loved about getting married outside is that it was so simple. And I wanted something to echo the minimalism of the house. That day was kind of nippy, and, I’m not joking, the second I came down the aisle, the sun came out of nowhere and beamed down on us. It was very surreal.”

“I made flowerpots with succulents as place cards for the guests. It was fun making something for guests to take away that you knew they weren’t going to throw out because you got it at a dollar store. They had a dual function too—we stuck these bamboo skewers in them with typed out name markers for everyone. Every time I go see one of my friends, they still have them.”

“Our two really wonderful friends, Helen and Dory, made a homemade batch of jalapeno-infused tequila with honey as our wedding gift. It was amazing! We still actually have some, which is nice because we have a little token from our wedding. We’re probably going to wait until it’s warmer out to drink it.”

“The engagement ring is really small and subtle—it’s an eternity ring with a snakehead. I wanted all of my rings to be tiny because I’m constantly working with clay. The wedding bands I had a tough time with. I knew I wanted something really simple and timeless and not overly embellished. And I wanted something to signify us physically. We actually measured each other’s heights and determined the percentage and proportion of his height to my height. My height is 83% of his height. If the ring itself was his height, my height would signify the engraved line that wraps around. I knew it was something I wouldn’t get sick of looking at—a simple geometric line with two circles.” 

Photos courtesy of Marisa Rebecca and John Awad of Red Field Photography.

Come back tomorrow to see what the lovely Julianne made for us! Get on our email list so you don’t miss it!

Of a Kind

Let’s hope one of the weddings on your spring calendar is cool enough to necessitate the purchase of this Suno dress. —erica

How Rachel Rose Designed Her So-Stunning Wedding Dress

The grandmother of all gowns.

Secret recipes, killer stories, excellent hand-me-downs—all reasons to give it up for grandma. And badass designer Rachel Rose really hammers home that last point: “Before I was even engaged, my grandmother gave me a piece of lace. I kept it out and saw it every day—I always knew I wanted to use it for something,” recalls Rachel. That something turned into her wedding dress, which she designed all by herself. Here, Rachel takes us behind the design, from her first drawings to the day she said “I do.” —alisha prakash

“My grandmother found a few pieces of lace when she was going through some old things and instantly thought of me. She wasn’t even sure where the specific piece I used came from—she bought a lot of patterns for all her daughters growing up. The strips of lace she gave me were quite small—I knew I couldn’t use it for the entire dress—and I even had to bleach them because they were old—so the first step was finding all the materials. I went to a fabric stores for satins, chiffons, laces, and crepes de chine.”

“I knew I wanted to use the lace she gave me, so I started sketching ideas of ways I could incorporate it. The sketch evolved slightly after I started looking at the fabrics. For example, I wasn’t going to have the chiffon underneath the lace, but I thought it added more fullness to the skirt. I knew I wanted something strapless because I love the sweetheart shape—it’s very flattering. I also loved a sheer overlay because of how romantic it looked on the skin. Lastly, I knew I wanted buttons on the back.”

“The top row of lace on the dress is my grandmother’s lace. The bodice has satin boning. The chiffon top is very delicate, and the buttons are self-covered with the same chiffon. There are five different pieces of lace that alternate down the dress, as well as pieces of chiffon lining each piece of lace. And underneath, the skirt has a silk lining.”

“My husband and I got married last spring at the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City, Queens. The final design was very easy to move in, sit in, dance in. I wanted to surprise my husband with the design. I was nervous about it—I wanted him to love it. And he did, so that was great.”

Come back tomorrow to score another of Rachel’s creations (that, er, does not require a trip down the aisle). Get on our email list to make sure you get it!

Of a Kind

If I wanted a full-blown wedding dress, this Kelsey Genna one would surely be in the running. —erica

Of a Kind

Because I really like posting pics of dresses that would kill it at a courthouse wedding, I bring you this Isabel Marant number that fully delivers on the lace front. —erica

Emerging Thing of the Week: Nearly Newlywed

Shocking as this may seem, not everyone wants a made-for-TLC wedding-dress shopping experience. And for those looking for something just a little different—and significantly less expensive—here comes Nearly Newlywed. Through the new site from way-cool recent bride Jackie Courtney, you can access Reem Acra and Marchesa gowns—and Rodarte and Carven party dresses, even—that have made a trip or two down the aisle (worn, yes, but hardly worn-out). Plus! Depending on your level of sentimentality, you can clear your closet of the white frothiness and sell it off once you’re done with it. —erica

Dig into our other new-ish obsessions.

Of a Kind

Overheard at Of a Kind HQ (from the mouth of a certain Claire Mazur): “I want this Lauren Wolf ring as my wedding ring. In yellow gold.” Yes. YES. —erica

Four Ways We Rock Of a Kind Editions on Hot, Hot Days

In which we imitate second-rate personal-style bloggers.

We wear the editions we sell on the site. Pretty much daily. Here, four of our favorite hot-weather Of a Kind looks and their IRL scenarios, as styled by Claire and Erica and photographed awkwardly in front of passing crowds by Claire and Erica. —erica


What: Our Veda vest with a Theory tank, J Brand cut-offs that used to be pants, our Sophie Monet necklace, a wooden bangle purchased so many years ago that I can’t believe I haven’t lost it yet and definitely don’t remember where I found it, and Joie sandals picked up in Austin, Texas, at By George after United lost my luggage (lemons/lemonade, etc.).
Where: To poolside parties at SXSWi (the reason for the trip to Austin)—I may have gone for the tech, but I still dressed for the music portion. If I can’t do rocker-chic in Austin, then I’ll never do rocker-chic.


What: Our light-as-linen-cause-it-is Ace & Jig dress with DVF mules, a Levi’s denim vest, our Brvtvs bracelet, and an Alyssa Norton friendship bracelet gifted to me by a friend years before they were a trend (snap).
Where: To that same friend’s rooftop party where there was (predictably) more cheese and dip than anyone should eat—hence the lack of a waistline.


What: Our Society for Rational Dress tunic with a vintage Donna Karan belt from the nineties (handed down from my mother) and a pair of Steven black pumps.
Where: To a serious meeting in midtown (blazer for air-conditioned conference room not pictured). Erica and I had a couple of disastrous days last summer where we tried to do profesh in the heat and ended up looking…sweaty. I got a little giddy when I realized this super-thin piece could transition to business-wear.


What: Our Lizzie Fortunato Jewels necklace with a gold chain of my dad’s, YSL heels (one word: Craigslist), and a dress from Kimberly Ovitz, a designer whose work I had been eyeballing for seasons before finally pulling the trigger.
Where: To a schmance NYC wedding, accompanied by a boyfriend in a vintage Dior tux that he scored on eBay and spilled red wine on almost immediately.

It’s your lucky week: You can get 25% off every single Of a Kind edition with the code SUMMEROFAKIND—and work your own styling magic.

Kate Middleton should wear a Jennifer Behr hair accessory to one of her gazillion wedding functions. Would someone be so kind as to foward this along to her? —erica