Create an Island Theme In The City

“Both of us went to college in Rhode Island and we’re both avid travelers,” says recent bride Nikki Noya Fields, who is in the health and wellness field while her husband, Ken, is in finance. They’ve visited Tanzania, Zanzibar, Cambodia, Vietnam, France, Ireland, Dubai, Thailand, and Germany. “We’ve been around the world!”

Nikki and Ken were neighbors but had never met until they were set up on a blind date at the Plaza Hotel Bar. “Three years later, he proposed at the same table where we met at the Plaza! It was a total surprise!” They had 185 friends and family members from all over the world for their wedding at The Pierre Hotel.

A Hawaiian Theme

“I’m from California and grew up going to Hawaii with my family. Hawaii is very special to me, and I wanted to bring the Aloha spirit to New York City. Thomas at Ariston Flowers took our ideas and made them into a reality. When we walked into The Pierre, we were blown away. Our tropical chuppah was the most fantastic display I had ever seen! Thomas and the team at Ariston listened to us, then went above and beyond our expectations.

“The whole evening was perfect. Seeing our families together, so happy for us and seeing Ken dancing with the Hula performers were moments we will always remember!”

“When Nikki first walked into our store,” says Tom Barbagianis of Ariston Flowers, “she said she wanted to create a Hawaiian wedding in New York! I told her we’d work on something for her to see and asked her to come back in a week.”

A Jungle Setting

Along with his brother Theo and his partner Theodore Zois,Tom set up a special Hawaiian-themed centerpiece right in the store. Nikki loved it, and Tom said, “Let’s go to the Pierre.” Walking through the hotel where she and Ken would get married, Tom envisioned a beautiful chuppah with Hawaiian flowers and leaves. In the cocktail area he described a setting like a Hawaiian hotel, with big flowers and trees.

“Then we went into the ballroom, and I told Nikki we needed to use different palm trees, including Sago palms, Areca palms, Fan palms, and more. To create the ultimate Hawaiian theme in the ballroom, we would hang a lot of Hawaiian leaves, so that when her guests were dancing, they would feel like they were in a Hawaiian jungle.”

For the centerpieces, Nikki and Tom decided to do something that would sit low on the tables. “Most wedding centerpieces done in Hawaii are not tall. They are low.”

Almost all the flowers they used were flown in from Hawaii. “It was a kind of paradise. Gingers and puriams and a lot of Hawaiian greens and orchids. It was an amazing look!” For the head table, they created multiple arrangements on top of Hawaiian tea leaves with the flowers connected to each other.

“To set up the space with this theme, we had to be at the Pierre from two in the morning the night before the wedding day! It took us almost 24 hours to put it together! But it was a dream wedding,” says Tom. “I don’t think they could have done this wedding even if it was in Hawaii!”

Ariston Flowers, 110 West 17th Street, NY, NY 10011
212.929.4226, aristonflowers.com/wedding/