Bridget & Domenick | Above | Staten Island, NY

"Modern, Elegant, & Timeless"

Domenick and I met through work. My current work partner had previously worked with Domenick, and knowing what a good guy he was, he introduced this amazing man into my life. Domenick and I went on our first date to Greenwood Park and discovered how much we had in common. We have the same job, enjoy the outdoors, and love new adventures. We come from traditional Irish and Italian families, with sisters we’d do anything for.

He proposed on December 20th, about two years after we started dating. Domenick loves Christmas and every year we have Christmas Eve dinner at his aunt’s house. That year he was persistent in looking for the perfect house for our Christmas card picture. He finally found the perfect house and we took our picture. Then Domenick got down on one knee and proposed. I was so happy and speechless! I fell to the floor crying because this man, who is my best friend and the most amazing man I know, just asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Of course, I said “Yes!”

We chose the Hilton Tea Room on the floor just below ABOVE as our engagement party location, and while there, Domenick’s mother suggested looking at ABOVE Weddings for our wedding day. Jennifer Finch, assistant director of catering, led us upstairs and the second we walked into ABOVE we knew it was our perfect venue. We stood out on the gorgeous dance floor, looked at each other, and said, “This is it!”



The floor-to-ceiling windows all around the room look out onto the NYC skyline and treetops, with stunning views for miles. The beautiful wall-to-wall marble bar with LED accents was lined with Veuve Champagne bottles, and being on the dance floor feels like being surrounded in Swarovski crystal lighting. ABOVE is unlike anything I’ve seen before, with a design that is modern, elegant, and timeless. It’s a blank canvas that you can turn into anything you dream, and yet has so many beautiful features, you can leave it as is. The cocktail hour room is another beautifully designed area. There’s another bar, approximately 40 feet long, with an inside/outside area. The balcony was perfect for our guests to smoke cigars, enjoy the outdoor seating area’s luxurious couches and fire pits, or take in the incredible views.

We worked with Jennifer from the beginning up until the day of our wedding, and from the start she was extremely helpful and hands-on. We were, like many, impacted by COVID-19, and as things changed with the rules and regulations, Jennifer kept us in the loop and updated us regularly. A few months before our wedding, she walked us through every detail to make sure our day was perfect.

Our ceremony was at St. Joseph St. Thomas Church, and before I left for the church Jennifer met with me to assure me everything was coming along beautifully. My cousin, Father Joseph Fitzgerald, performed our ceremony. All our wedding-day-nerves were calmed by the familiar face of Father Joe. He brought in Domenick's great-great uncle, Father Louis Troiano. It was a special moment for both families, having a priest from each side join us as one.

Back at ABOVE, Jennifer and also Jackie, my bridal attendant, brought us up to the bridal suite. We finally had a moment to ourselves, and Jackie and Jennifer made sure we had all the cocktail hour food options to eat in the bridal suite, including Cacio E Pepe pizza, truffle mac and cheese, short rib, BBQ demi with a creamy polenta, and calamari. Our guests still talk about how amazing the food was. When we were done eating, we were taken up to the ballroom and were speechless to see how amazing it came out.

Jennifer ensured the room was just the way we envisioned it. Our flowers and centerpieces were a mix of high and low centerpieces filled with different colored roses, hydrangeas, and greenery, surrounded by candles. We had two gorgeous arrangements on either side of our sweetheart table, along with flowers on top of the table. The uplighting from the DJ, accompanied by the candle light and lighting by the Swarovski bulbs above us, created the perfect ambiance. Our DJ had our monogram on the marble wall behind our guests and our MC made sure everyone was up on the dance floor. The best part of the night was when they played the Tarantella, encouraging Dom’s big Italian family and my big Irish family to dance together. Jackie was by my side all night, making sure I had water, wine, dinner, and anything that I asked for! I mentioned the truffle mac and cheese was my favorite, and she sweetly put aside an entire container for me. Tom, our maître d’, made sure both our parents and the bridal party were taken care of.

Our highly anticipated dinner was everything we hoped for. We stressed the importance of delicious food to Jennifer when we originally booked with ABOVE, and she delivered on the promise of incredible food our guests would remember. After an appetizer of prosciutto, tomato, and mozzarella, we served a course of gnocchi with pancetta and zucchini in a tomato basil cream. Our entrée options were roasted filet mignon in a porcini truffle demi glaze; chicken stuffed with prosciutto, fontina cheese, spinach, and herb demi; and striped bass seared with lemon. We had one of everything at our table, and everything was cooked to perfection.

We had a white wedding cake with white chocolate buttercream, filled with raspberry preserves. It was phenomenal! The cake was fluffy and moist, and the preserves broke up the sweetness and brought a burst of flavor to the cake. In addition to our cake, everyone loved the passed desserts. While dancing, they enjoyed bite-sized sweets like crème brûlée, chocolate milkshake shots, cheesecake lollipops, and more!

From the beginning, Jennifer helped us with a list of wonderful preferred vendors. We chose most of our vendors from this list and they all worked together excellently with each other and with ABOVE. One vendor was our event planner, who worked closely with Jennifer and enhanced our vision, bringing our wedding potential to its fullest! Between her and Jennifer, our wedding was in the best hands and we could be absolutely carefree.

We look back at our photos and want to relive our wedding day over and over. It was truly the best day of our lives and it wouldn’t have happened without the astounding team at ABOVE and the talented vendors who work with them. Our photographer made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera. We trusted his vision and our photos exceed our expectations. Our DJ and MC were the best duo possible, with cold sparks, light sticks, and incredible energy!

We are truly blessed and grateful for our parents, who helped make this day possible. We thank all our family and friends for making the most important day of our lives, the best day of our lives, and to all our vendors, thank you for everything. If it wasn't for the amazing team at ABOVE, our parents, vendors, family, and friends, this day wouldn't have been possible.

ABOVE Weddings
Staten Island, NY, 718.477.2400, eventabove.com