Peter & Matthew | The Garrison | Garrison, NY

Breathtaking Mountain Views

Matt: Peter and I met on a night where we were both expecting a casual night with friends at a bar. We laughed about how tired we were of our friends always trying to set us up with people, but ended up really hitting it off. We bonded over our love of female pop singers. Eventually, I got Peter to agree to go on a date with me.

Peter: Over the next four years of dating, we traveled a lot together. That spring, we had a vacation planned to Korea for cherry blossom season with a stop in Japan, after loving our trip there the year prior. When we got to Japan, we went on a hike at our favorite temple in Kyoto. When we reached the top of the mountain, adorned in cherry blossoms, I asked someone to take a photo of us, and got down on one knee and asked Matt to marry me.

Matt: We weren’t exactly sure what we wanted in a wedding venue, but we knew we wanted it to reflect us as a couple. Peter’s sister Gillian recommended The Garrison. Driving up to the estate was breathtaking and we loved the incredible views. The venue’s clean, modern look was perfect for us and we felt confident the floor-to-ceiling windows would give our wedding a beautiful spring feel in rain or shine. We worked with Bridget Bell, special events manager. From the planning to the day of, Bridget and her team made sure we didn’t have to worry about a single thing.

We were married outside under the pergola with a gorgeous view of the mountains behind us. For us, one of the best things about a non-religious ceremony was that we could break the rules however we wanted. It was important to us to walk down the aisle together, entering as a couple and leaving married. My cousin Betsy Clark became ordained to marry us and Peter’s mom read “Having a Coke With You” by Frank O’Hara.

Peter: Being big foodies, the menu was very important to us. Our signature cocktails were “The Old Timey” (a take on an Old Fashioned, our favorite drink) and the “Cherry Blossom” (a take on a lychee martini). Our guests seemed to love the comfort classics the most, such as shrimp cocktail, pigs in a blanket, and the BBQ station.

Dinner started with a kale salad in apple vinaigrette and a fusilli pesto dish, followed by an option of grilled swordfish with tarragon beurre blanc or grilled wagyu flat iron steak with homemade steak sauce. For dessert, we had cookie platters paired with slices of our delicious wedding cake filled with dark chocolate ganache and peanut butter mousse.

Matt: Our whole wedding theme was a marriage of cherry blossoms and Old Hollywood glamour. Our florist Dan did an incredible job of creating an art-deco style ballroom, filled small 8-person tables decorated with various flowers, especially cherry blossoms as a tribute to our engagement. Dan also strung bistro lights across the dance floor, and when it got dark, the light’s reflection in the windows looked beautiful in photos.

We had a specific mission for our DJ: to play only female pop music throughout our wedding. He followed through and played a great mix of unconventional wedding music that reflected us and kept our guests dancing all night.

Matt & Peter: Thank you to Bridget and The Garrison staff and to all our vendors (special shout out to our photographers Darien and Kristen and to our florist Dan) for capturing the unique feeling of our wedding. We are so appreciative of our friends, family, and bridal party for being a part of our day. Finally, thank you to our parents Bruce, Marian, Gary, and Joann, for their amazing support and for making this all possible.