Nicole & Arthur |Hilton Pearl River, Pearl River, NY

"Incredibly Special"

We met through a dating app which connects you through mutual friends. We had a few friends in common and they each said we needed to meet. On our first date at a rooftop bar, we immediately hit it off. Before the night was over, we set up our second date for a Mets game that weekend.

Almost three years later, we planned a winter getaway in Newport, Rhode Island. On the first day there, Artie gave me a picture book he made of all our dates and adventures in the past few years. The last page said, “Newport, The day I asked you to marry me,” and then, "Nicole, will you marry me?” I,  of course, said, “Yes!” and we spent the weekend exploring Newport and celebrating our engagement.

We made a list of venues and began exploring. I stayed at the Hilton Pearl River for a wedding and recalled how beautiful it was to see the bride and groom’s first look by the fountain. We visited the venue and as soon as we walked in, we noticed the beautiful cocktail hour room. It features big glass windows that lead to the lawn outside, perfect for an outdoor ceremony. We were hooked. We loved that it was a hotel with brand new rooms, making it easy for our guests to stay over and facilitating our post-wedding breakfast the following morning.

Working with Hilton Pearl River was so easy. They made putting a wedding together look effortless and their work was flawless. We would email often with questions and Jamie Sevush, catering and events manager, was so responsive. We could rely on the entire team; Jamie, Abbey Rochford, senior events manager, Gerry Burns, director of events, and Derek Rubino, our maître d’. All were great to work with.

When the pandemic hit, they made postponing our wedding easy and helped us every step of the way. When the big day arrived, we were amazed at how our vision came to life. Linda, my bridal attendant, provided anything we needed. The Hilton Pearl River is so incredible and executed the most perfect day. They make their couples feel incredibly special.

Our ceremony was officiated by my cousin Brian, who made it extra special with his personal touch. I walked down the aisle to the acoustic version of “Simply the Best.” The ceremony was held on the beautiful grounds of Hilton Pearl River on a beautiful day. Artie built an arbor for the ceremony which our florists decorated so beautifully. Our dog, Biggie, was our ring bearer and he was the star of the show!

The cocktail hour was incredible. We spent some time alone together and tried all the cocktail hour food. Some of our favorites were the mac and cheese station, lobster ravioli at the Italian station, and literally all the passed hors d’oeuvres. We also chose a martini bar, with seven different types of martinis and our signature drink, a dirty martini called “Biggie-tini” after our dog.

We saw the ballroom before anyone else and it was breathtaking. The candles and flowers made the whole room romantic and elegant, just as we had been envisioning for over two years. Our DJ and MC created a perfect vibe and got the party started as soon as we walked into the ballroom. The dance floor was packed all night and all our guests had a blast!

For dinner, we chose a first course of wild mushroom ravioli in a creamy parmesan sauce, followed by a salad with mixed field greens, goat cheese, pancetta, and dried cherries in balsamic vinaigrette. Our guests chose entrées of filet mignon in a bordelaise sauce with whipped potatoes and mushroom and onion ragout, Chilean sea bass served on an onion tart topped with caramelized onions and grilled asparagus, or French-cut chicken breast in a port wine sauce with shiitake mushrooms, creamy mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. People were raving about how good the food was. Our wedding cake was a semi-naked vanilla and chocolate cake, with chocolate ganache and flowers cascading down the side. We also served a chocolate waffle bowl with vanilla ice cream topped with blueberry compote. Both were incredible.

Our guests particularly enjoyed the Hilton Pearl River’s “Sweet Farewell,” of bite-size pretzels, churros, and warm chocolate-chip cookies. It led right into our after-party located just across from the main ballroom. The next day, we were thrilled to see how the Hilton Pearl River team reused our décor and flowers to make our post-wedding breakfast extra special.

We thank the entire team at Hilton Pearl River. It was truly a dream to work with you. We also thank all our vendors. Our photographer captured our favorite moments, our incredible MC made our day extra fun, and our florist provided incredible flowers. Everyone worked together to make our vision come to life and give us a perfect day. We thank our families for all their support throughout the past two years, especially our parents, siblings, and bridal party for being there through everything along the way to our perfect wedding day.

Hilton Pearl River, Pearl River, NY, 845.735.9000, hiltonpearlriver.com