Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in the spring of 2021, fresh off our first round of Covid vaccines. I was immediately attracted to Matt’s humor, straightforwardness and easy conversation. He loved that I kissed him on our first date, but it wasn’t until he whispered “I love you” to me during James Bond: No Time to Die that I realized he might be the man I marry. When I’m not moonlighting as a wedding planner (jk), I work at Meta in its ad tech business. Matt works for his family’s real estate company with his brother, Jordan, and their father, Jaime. The three of them are hilarious together, constantly talking business, food, sports and movies - in that order.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We wanted something easy and classic NYC. I also knew from the start that I wanted our ceremony to be at Temple Emanu-El where my parents were married. So when considering venues for the dinner, it came down to a few must-haves: a restaurant with chic decor (easier than a raw space) in Manhattan above 42nd Street (close to the Temple). The Pool (formerly known as The Four Seasons Restaurant) is both of those things and more: located in the iconic Seagram Building on Park Avenue, designed by Mies van der Rohe, it has that mid-century Mad Men power lunch vibe with its travertine lobby, original Andy Warhol paintings and glass curtain walls. Its storied history goes back to the 1960s of hosting soirees for JFK and Princess Maragaret and commissioning design elements from Picasso, Rosenquist and Calder, with an interesting decommission by Mark Rothko who pulled his murals out pre-opening, because the clientele was too snobby. Flash forward six decades, and luckily they had a Saturday in February available, so we grabbed it!
How many guests did you have?
125.
What was your budget?
My dear darling parents hosted our wedding and never gave us a budget per se, but I personally selected all the vendors, and it was important for me and Matt to keep all costs under control.
Tell us about your outfits.
I never went dress shopping. I saw the LaPointe online four months before the wedding, ordered it that day and needed zero alterations. I know, I’m a freak. The shoes were the same story. I saw the gold Fendi Colibri Lites and boom, done. My diamond Sidney Garber feather earrings belong to my mother, as does my antique 14k gold and diamond minaudiere. The natural silk veil was from Etsy.
Matt received his Hermès tie as a gift from my mother and wore it splendidly with a navy Ted Baker suit and white shirt that he purchased for the occasion at Rothmans, a longstanding men’s store near Union Square. He wanted me to pick it out with him and come to all three of his fittings, because I’m his self-appointed personal stylist, and he doesn’t trust anyone else, including himself.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We phrased our invite as 'Dinner to Follow' because that’s really what it was - a grown-up, glam dinner party, as opposed to a 'wedding reception'. We didn’t have a DJ, a band, a dance floor...no dancing...not that we don’t love dancing, we just didn’t see that vibe for our wedding. The focus was on the excellent food, the iconic space and most importantly the guests. It’s been a while since most of us have gotten together in big groups, and it was so fun to just eat, drink and shmooze. Dancing ultimately came after hours when Matt’s best friends whisked us away to Lavo where things got cray cray.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
I’m obsessed with espresso martinis, so this specialty cocktail was a must. Our table numbers were fashioned from Volta mobiles, using gold number decals that I ordered from Etsy. The mobiles harkened back to the original Calder that once hung from the room’s massive high ceiling. We also specially requested to include a pasta course between the appetizer and the entree featuring Carbone’s signature Spicy Rigatoni Vodka from The Pool’s sister restaurant, which was a huge hit.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Spreadsheets! If you are going to plan your own wedding like I did, get a Google spreadsheet, create a tab for each type of vendor (floral, photo, paper, etc.) and just start adding. Use columns for contact info, pricing and notes. It takes some time to gather the details from social and search, but once you’ve got everything there in front of you, it makes the job of comparing and selecting much easier. It will also reveal what’s truly important to you versus 'nice to have'. In the beginning, there are so many choices, but once you see it all laid out clearly, the best options will stand out.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our photographer Kindred is incredible. I really can’t say enough about this talented husband and wife duo. Not only were they an absolute dream to work with in every way, but their eye for composition, color, movement and light rivals any major fashion photographer out there. On top of that, Kindred captured the heart and soul of our wedding - the love, excitement, chaos and joy shines through exactly the way we remember it. They understood the assignment to a tee.
Our amazing floral designer, Brooklyn-based fLOVER NYC, was another dream team with an unbelievable talent for merging whimsy with elegance. I first sent them some inspirational photos, colors and a few words describing my vision. Marko and his team translated it into something completely unique. Grand, green arrangements for the bar, lounge and escort card console incorporated mysterious textures with unexpected proportions. For the dining tables, low and wide vessels supported romantic mixtures of blossoms arranged asymmetrically. Each one beautifully conveyed a sense of contained wildness. These were accompanied by small bud vases and multisize pillar candles atop taupe table linens. At the center of the room, towering bamboo trees sprouted from within the 20’x20’ marble pool to add the height needed for a venue of this size. fLOVER delivered on their promise of creating a mood that perfectly matched our own tastes and personalities. They are rockstars!
Photographer : Kindred @kindredweddings | Ceremony Location : Temple Emanu El @emanuel_nyc | Reception Location : The Pool @majorfoodevents | Celebrant : Rabbi Amy B. Ehrlich and Cantor Sara Anderson @cantorsaraanderson | Playlist : Spotify Supper, Curated by Mario Carbone | Wedding Coordinator : Jennifer Wong Events @jenniferwongevents | Rentals : Party Rental Ltd. @partyrentalltd | Flora : fLOVER NYC @flovernyc | Makeup : Dhari at Valery Joseph Salon @beautybydhari_ | Hair : Hannan at Dhari at Valery Joseph Salon @beautybydhari_ | Catering, Beverages + Cake : Major Food Events @majorfoodevents | Stationery : Bella Figura @bellafigura | Samantha’s Wedding Dress : LaPointe @lapointe | Matthew’s Suit : Ted Baker @tedbaker from Rothmans NYC @rothmansnyc | Groom’s Tie: Hermès @hermes Engagement Ring : Custom, designed by the bride | Wedding Rings : Custom gold bands | Bride's Shoes : Fendi @fendi | Groom's Shoes : To Boot New York @tobootnewyork | Bride’s Earrings : Sidney Garber @sidneygarber | MoB’s Dress + Shoes : Valentino @maisonvalentino