Alyssa & Steve | Above | Staten Island, NY

Stunning Skyline Views

Steve and I met in high school. Being just kids at the time, for our first date, he gave me the choice of McDonald’s or Wendy’s; I chose Wendy’s and never looked back. Over the next 12 years, I became a teacher and Steve a construction worker, and we had a son together, Steven.

One night, now upgraded from fast food to elegant steakhouses, Steve took Steven and I to Wolfgang’s for a special evening. That night, the restaurant had a caricaturist on the premises and was also doing a promo video, or so I thought. I asked for a drawing of the three of us, and when the artist turned the picture around, it was a drawing of Steve proposing to me with little Steven in the background holding a sign that said, “Say yes!” The “promo” team was really there to capture our proposal on video.

Both our families are from Staten Island and Above is known as one of the island’s premier venues. The elegant chic ambiance was the perfect fit for us. We especially loved the ballroom with the light-up bar. We worked with Sue Vaiana, assistant director of sales, to plan the details of our day. She answered any questions we had and was very helpful every step of the way.

We said “I do” at my late grandfather’s church, which was decorated with beautiful flower arrangements across the altar. Now as husband and wife, we rode around town in a Phantom car to take pictures and then to Above to join our guests at cocktail hour. The rooftop views of the NYC skyline while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres was the perfect combination.

We had several food stations, such as the wood oven with pizza and stromboli and a carving station serving stuffed chicken galantine and beef tenderloin. Our favorites were the sesame chicken lollipops and the crab and avocado crisps. The big hit was the American Raw Bar ice carving of the skyline, serving chilled seafood on top of the bar.

Our reception had a whimsical forest theme. The tables were decorated with three alternating centerpieces filled with deep purple flowers and hints of blue. One set was in a tall clear vase; one was filled with tree branches, flowers, and hanging candles; and one lantern with flowers cascading down. Our florist went above and beyond to create the perfect image we had in mind. Throughout the night, our DJ played classic 90’s music and toward the end, he added special Spanish beats. Our guests also loved taking pictures in the photo booth.

For dinner, we started with a wedge salad and a tri-color radiatore in tomato ragu sauce. For their entrée, guests chose either chateaubriand in a porcini truffle demi glaze; chicken stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, spinach, and mushrooms; or mahi-mahi with spicy Grand Marnier sauce.

To keep the momentum of the party going, we had desserts passed all around. Waiters brought plates of cookies and other sweets plus slices of our wedding cake to the tables and also passed mini desserts on the dance floor. Our favorites were the crème brulee spoons and chocolate milkshake shots. At the end of the night, we went back onto the roof for our after-party, with fire pits, more music, and a mac and cheese truck.

Everyone we worked with to plan our wedding was amazing and talented, from our vendors to Sue and her team at Above. Thank you to our parents for all their help and support and to our family and friends for being part of our day.

Above
Staten Island, 718.477.2400 x 2, www.eventabove.com