This is the final call for the STG flight to NYC, for another divine destination wedding with an outrageously beautiful view of the New York skyline in fall.
Aliza and Nate’s chic city wedding took place on the rooftop of Ramscale Studio in NYC’s West Village, overlooking Manhattan, the Hudson River, and the most incredible sunset.
The sweet couple opted for a classically elegant theme, with a highly personalized ceremony, incorporating a wonderful, steal-able idea for the Seven Blessings (which perfectly illustrates what we’re always saying on STG about updating Jewish traditions), and dà©cor that centered entirely around them and their stories.
We love, love, LOVE Aliza’s classically beautiful Monique Lhuillier gown, and her entire look, put together with such poise and finesse, perfectly matching the stunning backdrop.
All of the details were captured with expert ease by Rebecca Hales of Hales Studio. With such in-depth coverage, and Aliza’s brilliant write up, you almost feel like you were there. And, on that note, we’ll pass you over to Aliza to fill you in on her and Nate’s big-day story.
A venue with a view
Aliza, the bride: We chose Ramscale Studio in NYC’s West Village. We wanted to get married in our neighborhood, and this venue overlooks a pier we often walk to.
We loved the option of getting married on the large terrace, and it led to a magnificent sunset just after the ceremony. It has incredible views from the inside as well with large windows.
A totally unique theme
For our theme, we wanted to go for something that captured our aesthetic, but wasn’t formulaic. We therefore infused personal touches by trying to evoke more of a personal feeling in our ceremony and dà©cor, as opposed to a color or specific theme.
For example, we placed childhood photos of the bride and groom on each table. Where possible, we tried to pick photos that captured a similar memory (e.g. Halloween costumes, or playing with grandma).
Paperless Post invitations
We used Paperless Post for our invitations, since we had guests from all over that have moved around a lot.
A girls’ morning
I used Glamsquad for hair and makeup, who came to our apartment to get everyone done up.
This was quite a production, as it involved me, bridesmaids, our officiant (essentially she was another bridesmaid, and my oldest childhood friend), my mother and Nat’s mother and sister.
It was incredibly fun, with lots of old-school Madonna, and champagne, and much more relaxing to get ready in our space. The stylists did a great job of getting us all looking great, and staying relaxed.
A Monique Lhuillier dress
I bought my dress at Sacks and it was from Monique Lhuillier.
I wanted a classic, elegant look, and went for fitted, romantic lace. The open back was very beautiful, and that is what convinced me to go for it.
Surprise earrings
I had selected Art Deco ’20s earrings with my mom, but my husband surprised me the day of with earrings that I wore instead.
I also wore a delicate, multi-strand pearl bracelet that was my mother’s. I wore a simple white veil for the ceremony – it ended up getting a bit blown around by the wind!
The handsome groom
Nate wore a Hugo Boss blue suit. He looked incredibly handsome!
Bridesmaids in mismatched dresses
We had three bridesmaids. My sister, my sister-in-law, and my best friend. Since they are all incredibly different, and I didn’t want to dictate a dress, I provided a color palette and asked they all pick a different color within that range with a “flowy” style.
I left it very open for the most part, as I wanted them to pick something they actually liked.
A simple chuppah design
We opted for very simple white fabric chuppah design. We were outside with a view, so didn’t want to distract from that.
A highly personalized ceremony
We created our own ceremony based on the Jewish tradition. My father said the kiddush, and my childhood friend led our ceremony. For the seven blessings, our bridal party and officiant each wrote a blessing based on seven themes we had assigned them. We selected the themes based on core aspirations we have for our marriage. We also wrote our own vows. It ended up being very personal and touching.
Eclectic wildlowers
We liked the idea of having eclectic wildflowers in small vessels across the table, as opposed to a large center piece.
Melanie of Melarosa did an incredible job, and worked with us to create our vision to perfection. The bouquets were kept simple, with baby’s breath and lavender.
Our fabulous photographer
Rebecca Hales of Hales Studio was incredible at capturing all the details. She put us at ease, and we got all of our beautiful, posed pictures before the ceremony, so the rest of the night was really about capturing candid moments.
She and her team did a fantastic job of getting wonderful warm shots, but never feeling intrusive to a moment. We also loved having the opportunity to work with her for our engagement shots, so we were got to know her, and how to take direction, ahead of time.
We ultimately chose her because we loved her book, but it was also clear when we spoke to her that she would be a great fit with us personally.
Delicious catering
We loved our food and had wonderful catering by Marcey Brownstein. Everything was delicious, and our guests raved about it.
Sue Parillo worked with us every step of the way, and she was phenomenal. She really went above and beyond, even stepped in to help with timing the wedding procession, since we didn’t have a wedding planner. We opted for small desserts, instead of a cake.
Everyone on their feet
We used DJ Scribe from 74 Events for our entertainment. They did a great job of using a list of songs we had provided for each part of the wedding (e.g., cocktail, dinner, dancing) and extrapolating from there to follow the mood of the crowd.
We also squeezed in some great hora songs that got every single person in the room on their feet!
Aliza & Nate’s little white book
Photographer – Hales Studio
Venue – Ramscale Studio
Bride’s dress – Monique Lhuillier purchased at Sacks
Groom’s attire – Hugo Boss
Hair + Makeup – Glamsquad
Flowers – Melarosa
Catering – Marcey Brownstein
Invitation – Paperless Post
DJ – DJ Scribe from 74 Events