A 1920s-Inspired Big Day at a Repurposed Historic Bank

Karla and Colin wed on December 2, 2023 at Felina.

Their Story

Karla and Colin first met at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. Fate would have it that the pair, along with another classmate, would be assigned to work on a group project together. After going to the library to complete the project, Colin started flirting—or at least attempting to flirt—with Karla with all attempts going over Karla’s head.

Colin asked Karla what nationality she was and when Karla responded “Colombian,” he almost jumped for joy. This was the in! One of Colin’s closest friends recently brought him to Don Hugo’s Colombian restaurant not five minutes from Mount Saint Mary. Colin vividly remembers saying to Karla: “I love Colombian food! There’s an awesome restaurant right down the street, I’d love to take you some time!” But Karla politely declined the invitation as their paths weren’t meant to connect yet.

Six years later, they reconnected on social media after they both “slid into each other’s DMs” and Colin finally took Karla to that little Colombian restaurant.

The Proposal

On September 18, 2021, Colin and Karla went back to Mount Saint Mary College. Karla’s best friend was renewing her vows at the chapel on campus and they had arrived a bit early.

As they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive under a tree overlooking the Hudson River, Karla realized that no one else was coming. There was no vow renewal. Colin got on one knee in front of the library and they heard students cheer in the windows above them.

After the special moment, they went out to dinner. The hostess confirmed the reservation, “MacGregor party of two”. When they walked up to be seated, Karla instantly burst into tears as her family and friends yelled “surprise!” and they celebrated their engagement with their favorite people.

Details of the Day

“Our wedding day was inspired by our love of the 1920s,” says Karla. “We both have a love for history and knew that we wanted a venue that had a story to tell. We toured old mansions and estates but nothing clicked until we walked into Felina in. The old bank in the middle of town had such a grand presence and the inside’s modern details completely floored us.”

“The color scheme of the venue inspired us to have a black and white color scheme,” says the bride. “We asked that our guests attend in all black attire and our flowers were all white.”

“We also included small personal details like a perfectly timed entrance to Taylor Swift’s ‘You Are In Love’ and a signature cocktail with little Colombian flags.”

Choosing the Venue

“The historic yet modern look of the venue took our breath away immediately,” says Karla. “We were engaged for two years and would often visit the restaurant for dinner and the Landmark staff always went above and beyond for us. Not to mention, the food was outstanding. If we could do this night over again, we would choose Landmark time and time again.”

[RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Venues in New Jersey]

Favorite Moment

“My favorite moment was walking down the aisle,” says Karla. “For the first time in my life I imagined what celebrities must feel like before walking on to a stage. When the doors opened and I saw my husband smiling and clapping I knew it was a moment I would never forget.”

One Details They Couldn’t Live Without

“My family is of Colombian heritage and my husband, although not Colombian by blood, is Colombian at heart,” says Karla.

“We sprinkled Colombian details throughout the night, with a unique cocktail—an Aguardiente Sour with a Colombian flag. We also surprised our guests and came out with Colombian Sombreros and shots of Aguardiente for everyone.”

Advice for Other Couples

“Planning a wedding can be stressful, but we decided in the beginning to make every single step of the journey an adventure,” says Karla. “Whether it was a cake tasting, food tasting, selecting a rehearsal dinner venue, tux shopping, selecting a hotel for our room block, every single decision we made a date out of it.”

“Someone once told me the day is one day and it goes by so fast but think of all the memories you make along the way. Even now in our marriage, we choose to make a date out of trips to the grocery store or to get a coffee.”

Honeymoon

The couple went to Barbados two days after their wedding day for one week.

Sign up for our Something New newsletter for weekly wedding ideas, inspiration and advice from expert NJ vendors, New Jersey Bride’s editorial team and real couples—sent right to your inbox!