A Timeless and Nonconventional Affair: A Springtime Wedding in New York
We couldn’t be happier to share a little about our recent work planning Hope and Thomas’s unforgettable wedding at Morandi New York. Every detail from start to finish had love, heart, and soul behind it. Here are some of our favorite moments and highlights from this celebration.
Setting the Stage: The Perfect Blend of Family Traditions and Nonconventional Elegance
It didn’t take long for us to understand that the vision for this wedding was to be elegant, heartfelt, and unconventional, while still honoring some beloved traditions. Ultimately, this celebration blended contemporary flair with thoughtful and personal touches at every turn. The bride wore a beautiful cocktail dress, and the groom donned a crushed velvet jacket as a nod to his Scottish roots.
Spring in Bloom in an Italian Trattoria
As guests stepped inside, they were greeted by the restaurant’s stunning exposed brick, decorated with blooming garden flowers, whimsical greenery, and rustic drip candles. While planning, the vision was always to celebrate what the venue already was and not to transform it into something else. With this, all antique-style colors and textures were used. Meghan and James, Owners of Made of Leaves Floral, created the perfect floral scheme. Their team leaned into blush tones, warm whites, and wild greenery. We collaborated with the Made of Leaves team to create the perfect look for the space and for a fully-custom tablescape.
Note: Tables in New York City are not always big! This venue’s dining tables were narrow, and we paid close attention to this when scaling table garland as well as the place settings themselves.
Planning the Perfect Cocktail Hour
Guests were welcomed with hand-chosen Tuscan wines and a custom selection of passed hors d'oeuvres. Our team worked closely with Executive Chef Gabriele Carpentieri, Sommelier Stefano Conenna, the couple, and their families to deliver a fully-customized menu featuring savory and lighter bites.
Roasted Beef Crostini, Parmesan, and Arugula
Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche and Cucumber
Goat Cheese Tarts with Spring Vegetables
Seared Lamb Chops with Salsa Verde
Chicken Diavola with Chili Lemon and Greens
Tuna Tartare, Capers, Pickled Onions, and Avocado
Grilled Shrimp with a Lemon and Thyme Glaze
Grissini Wrapped with Proscuitto
Dinner in an Iconic New York City Restaurant
After cocktails, guests were escorted to Morandi’s iconic dining room. The custom, seated dinner menu for this wedding was a true testament to the restaurant’s prowess and, most importantly, how special it was to have the couple’s loved ones all in one place. We learned that guests traveled from many destinations including Scotland and New Zealand to celebrate.
During planning, Executive Chef Gabriele curated an original menu to lean into springtime produce and his team’s most famous dishes. In total, guests enjoyed four seated courses:
Antipasti: Burrata con Uva e Vin Cotto, Grilled Octopus, and Crispy Artichokes
Primi: Lemon Agnolotti with Swiss Chard
Secondi: Grilled Whole Sea Bream, Seared Flatiron Steak with Spring Vegetables
Dessert: Torta Torinese, Tiramisu, Cannolini, Ricotta Fritters, and Wedding Cake
Mixing Traditions in Harmony
While the bride and groom embraced non-conventional choices, they also celebrated their multicultural heritage by weaving in cherished traditions. The couple, early in planning, worked with our team to honor Jewish traditions throughout their ceremony and reception. They also knew that they would want to represent the groom’s Scottish lineage. It is not every day that there are opportunities to bring all of those cultures together, but we knew that it could be done in spectacular fashion.
Cue the bagpipes!
Just after the bride’s father welcomed everyone to the wedding, and as a complete surprise, a bagpiper marched through the front doors. We were delighted to work with Darius Kaufmann Bagpipes & Celtic Music, the venue, the band, and the bride’s family to time the bagpiper’s grand entrance down to the minute. The bagpiper played Scottish tunes and got everyone on their feet. To bring everything together, he even played "Hava Nagila" as a finale. It was a testament to the couple's inclusive and open-hearted approach, and the perfect memory for everyone in the room.
A GRAMMY-Nominated Jazz Ensemble
Just when we thought it wasn’t possible to add more wow-worthy and personal details, we devised a plan to have live jazz music all throughout the wedding. The bride and groom, being local to New York City, both love jazz and blues and plan many of their date nights going to see live bands and at jazz clubs around the city. Music is always something we plan at weddings with the utmost care (we definitely consider ourselves music sticklers), and we knew that the band would truly bring everything together.
We were delighted to have Nicole Zuraitis and her band host the evening. To set the tone, soulful acoustic melodies were performed on a Django Reinhardt-style guitar accompanied by bass and saxophone. By the time dinner was over, Nicole and the rest of the band had nearly all of the guests on the dance floor, celebrating the night with high-energy funk, New Orleans jazz, and covers of songs that meant the most to the couple.
About Nicole Zuraitis
We can’t help but gush a little bit about Nicole’s accomplishments! Nicole is a GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer, songwriter, pianist, and arranger. She regularly performs at Lincoln Center, Blue Note, and other venues and jazz clubs in NYC. Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries and is also on vocal faculty at New York University. We collaborated with Nicole so that she could deliver the perfect song choices and flow throughout the evening so that the couple, their families, and friends could have the perfect experience.
A Sweet Finale: The Perfect Pink Wedding Cake
Normally, wedding cake possibilities can be virtually endless. When your bride and groom are gluten-free, however, choices can begin to narrow. Fortunately, New York City is home to Erin McKenna’s Bakery, one of the best gluten-free bakeries in the nation.
We were so happy to work with Erin McKenna’s to surprise the couple with a custom, gluten-free wedding cake, complete with pink rose-textured frosting. In addition to wedding cake, Italian confection towers topped with fresh berries created the ideal dessert station, accompanied by espresso, limoncello, and after-dinner amaro wines.
This wedding in the West Village in NYC was an affair to remember, encapsulating this amazing couple’s story, vision, and the layers that make them who they are. It was a joy to showcase their incredible venue’s menu and dining excellence, and they did so from every angle complete with a custom menu and pairings. From the intimate ceremony to the personalized cocktail hour, the live jazz, and every detail in between, this celebration was meticulously crafted to create the ultimate unforgettable occasion.
Special Thank Yous
Us being able to visually share moments from this amazing night would not be possible without 4 Eyes Photography. Rupert and Kellie are fantastic to work with, and we were blown away by how many moments they captured so beautifully. We are thrilled that we were able to work with some of New York’s very best to bring the perfect West Village wedding to life. Each is listed below.
Venue: Morandi New York
Wedding Planner: City & Terrace Events
Floral & Decor: Made of Leaves
Photography: 4 Eyes Photography
Live Jazz Ensemble: Nicole Zuraitis
Bagpipes: Darius Kaufmann Bagpipes & Celtic Music
Wedding Cake: Erin McKenna’s Bakery
Hair & Makeup: Glamsquad