Angela & Erik | The Estate at Florentine Gardens | River Vale, NJ

"A Dream from the Start"

Erik and I met at a bar in Hoboken on Halloween — on his birthday weekend! He got my attention with the baby onesie costume he was wearing. It looked funny on a guy who was 6’3”. My maid of honor and I were standing at the bar when he tried to squish himself in between us to get a drink. I called him out on his silly costume.

We were both with our closest friends and even some of his family so everyone was there the night our story started. He's never been back to Hoboken since, so we always say we were meant to meet that night! I am now a hairstylist and Erik is in wealth management.

Erik is also a private pilot, so I always said he better not do one of those proposals where the girl thinks they're crashing mid-flight and she reads a manual that says, “Will you marry the pilot?” So he found a loophole and still proposed in the sky — in a hot air balloon! We were 1,000 feet in the air when I looked down onto a field and there was a giant banner that said “Will you marry me?” When I turned around he was on one knee!

Working in the area, so many of my clients raved about how excellent Florentine’s food and service is. I'm a hairstylist/makeup artist and I've worked most of my weddings there. I already knew it was beautiful, but when I found out they were redoing the venue I picked up the phone immediately to schedule a tour. We took only two steps into the ballroom before Erik and I looked at each other and knew it was the place we would get married.

Working with Denise Downing, event coordinator at Florentine, was a dream from the start. She was always only a text or phone call away and had the answer to any question or concern I had. She kept us on track through the whole planning process and we are so grateful to have worked with someone so knowledgable and attentive.

We were blessed with the most perfect weather for our April wedding. It was 70 and sunny. Our friend David officiated and forgot to tell everyone to sit down when I got down to the end of the aisle and that will always be a running joke, but it made for stunning pictures. It was important for us to have words that were short but sweet and we still have our guests telling us what a beautiful ceremony we had.

We were able to join our guests at cocktail hour for only about 10 minutes because we had to change to get ready for the Korean ceremony. When we got downstairs to the bridal suite we had a table full of a little bit of everything from upstairs. Everything was so delicious. I can't wait to go back for another wedding to fully experience the cocktail hour!

Along with our florist, Dahlia Florals, Florentine Gardens made our wedding an absolute dream. Just outside the reception room in the lobby was a spectacular staircase covered in the most beautiful flowers with an escort table to match. The ballroom was decorated elegantly with high and low centerpieces to give the room dimension.

We wanted an ambiance where everyone felt comfortable getting up and dancing all night and we had a neon sign that said “Til Death Do Us Party,” it’s probably one of my favorite little details from the day. We made sure to get an outstanding DJ who kept the dance floor packed all night. Some of my favorite photos from our wedding gallery are pictures of everyone dancing!

Dinner was exceptional. We were sitting at the sweetheart table as we watched servers offer everyone seconds! The ultimate favorite was the Chilean sea bass. We still have guests raving about it. On the way out, there was a to-go station for the guests. They were able to take bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches and coffee. It was definitely a hit and one of those little details guests will remember.

We love our friends and family so much and thank them for always supporting us and celebrating love and life with us. We would like to thank every single one of our vendors for making our day so special. From hair and makeup to photo/video to DJ and florist team, the day was truly out of a fairy tale and we are so grateful for all their professionalism and immaculate work. Thank you to Denise and to Ciro Daidone, co-owner, at the Estate at Florentine Gardens for making our wedding experience so special!

The Estate at Florentine Gardens
River Vale, NJ, 201.666.0444, florentinegardens.com