A fashion influencer whose stunning NYC wedding fans obsessed over is now being condemned for covering up the 'ugly' red exit signs to maintain an aesthetic

• Influencer Bridget Bahl had her rehearsal dinner on the streets of Soho and her ceremony amid skyscrapers.
• Onlookers were dazzled by how stunning the wedding looked, likening it to "the New York dream."

From her rehearsal dinner on the streets of Soho to driving in a double-decker tour bus across the city to a rooftop ceremony amid skyscrapers, the influencer and fashion entrepreneur Bridget Bahl was being widely lauded for her iconic New York City wedding.

But as commenters marveled at the presumably lofty price of the affair, Bahl has also garnered criticism for covering up what she called "ugly" red exit signs at her reception — a decision she acknowledged and which others roundly condemned as a safety hazard.

Bahl, the founder of fashion label The Bar and who has 1 million Instagram followers, first drew (positive) online attention to her wedding earlier this month when she showed the candlelit tablescape for her rehearsal dinner on a cobblestone street in Soho. The clip, posted to TikTok, nabbed 1.1 million views.

"Y'all got money money," one commenter wrote. "Literally the New York dream," another effused, while some had more pragmatic concerns: "What happens if a rat just …. Joins."

Days later, Bridget shared footage from her ceremony, including a video of her husband — the Texas-based plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Chiodo — crying as she walked down the aisle. That clip received 3.9 million views.

"There may be rats on the streets but not up in here," she captioned another video of the rooftop ceremony. Bahl also showcased an emotional group prayer with everyone laying their hands on the couple (which was viewed 7.4 million times), and church bells ringing and birds flying overhead as they kissed for the first time as husband and wife (1.6 million views).

"No exaggeration this is the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen," another commenter wrote.

While many gushed over the chic bridesmaid dresses and the couple's first dance, Bahl did garner a fair amount of criticism for a decision she made at the reception: to cover up all of the emergency exit signs, which she described as "ugly," in order to keep a pristine aesthetic.

"Covered all of the ugly red exit signs to save the wedding photos," she wrote in a TikTok from Friday, showing one sign covered by a copper plaque, which still spelled out the word "exit" in cutouts.

"Probably not up to code," she then captioned the video.

Commenters were not amused, with several calling the decision "insane" and suggesting that Bahl could have simply asked her photographer to edit out any eyesores.

"This would be perfect for my triangle shirtwaist factory fire themed wedding," one commenter wrote.

"Close and lock all the exits too for better lighting," another quipped.

"Most wedding photographers can edit this out easily!!!!" a third commenter suggested.

Bahl did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.