Gabrielle & Bryan | OHEKA CASTLE | Huntington, NY

"Our Perfect Wedding"

Bryan and I met on our first day of work and quickly became good friends. After five years of friendship, he confessed (via voicenote!) that he wanted to be more than friends. Over the following months, we took our relationship to the next level.

In August 2021, we vacationed in central Mexico; our second stop on the trip was San Miguel de Allende, which was so charming and romantic. One evening, Bryan told me there was a special event at the cathedral and I should “Get ready for date night at church.” Soon after we arrived, Bryan dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. A photographer and a mariachi band appeared out of nowhere! The photographer snapped photos, we danced to the mariachi’s songs and cried together.

My mother has been close friends with Gary Melius at OHEKA CASTLE for many years and I always dreamed of having my wedding there. When I was little, I assumed only princesses would get married at a place like OHEKA. The venue itself is breathtaking, from the spiral staircase grand entrance to the expansive gardens. After touring the venue, Bryan and I felt confident it would transport us and our guests to a magical place. Our guests are still raving about how incredible it felt to be dressed up strolling the castle.

The team at OHEKA CASTLE went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect day. Samantha Bellando and Kathy Thompson met with us periodically to listen to our requests and provide guidance to ensure our day was perfect. On our big day, OHEKA executed flawlessly.

The hotel provided a suite for Bryan and his groomsmen to get ready, which was a great way for them to start the celebrations. We also had personal assistants who catered to our every need throughout the day. The staff arranged for Bryan and I to have a separate space for the two of us to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and time alone before joining our guests at cocktail hour. This became one of our favorite parts of the whole day.

Our ceremony was at the Church of Saint Patrick in Huntington. I grew up attending Mass at this church and it’s where my parents and my sister got married! We had a traditional Catholic Mass surrounded by our family and friends, which was the perfect way to become one.

At cocktail hour, we loved the herb-crusted baby lamb chops, butternut squash bisque shooter, and beef Wellington. We also had a seafood station with jumbo Gulf shrimp oysters and littleneck clams, a pasta station with penne and farfalle, a Mediterranean station with marinated filet kebabs and lemon chicken kebabs, plus a slider station with hamburger sliders. Our signature drink was a mezcal old fashioned.

Our reception was in the Garden Room, where it was beautiful as the light transitioned from sunlight streaming through the back windows to sunset filling the room. We had simple white and green centerpieces with hydrangeas, roses, lisianthus, and ruscus and placed old photos of our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings around each centerpiece plus childhood pictures of Bryan and me, each with a handwritten caption.

Since Bryan and his family are from Mexico, we chose a band that played both English and Spanish music and they were fantastic. They played our parents’ first-dance songs, one in English, the other in Spanish and had our guests dancing all night! The highlight of the evening was when Bryan and his groomsmen performed a five-minute dance to a mashup of our favorite songs. They had our guests cheering, laughing, and singing along.

Dinner options were grilled sterling silver filet mignon with port wine poached pears, chicken breast en croute, or pan-seared Chilean sea bass. They were all delicious. The waiters also brought out special tequila bottles that our dear friend had brought from Mexico. Bryan had hand-written a note on each bottle to show our appreciation to our guests. The ceramic bottles were hand-crafted by artisans in Mexico, adding another taste of Mexico to our wedding. Daniel Andreotti created our elegant and fun cake, with five layers of decadent red velvet and double chocolate fudge cake. We also had a full dessert buffet with bananas foster, crêpes suzette, warm apple strudel, and a variety of cakes, pies, and cheesecakes.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our family and friends for celebrating our big day with us. A special thank you to our parents for your unconditional love, for leading by example, and for your generosity. Finally, thank you to Gary Melius, Samantha Bellando, and the rest of the team at OHEKA. Your kindness knows no bounds, and you truly gave us our perfect wedding day.

OHEKA CASTLE, Huntington, NY, 631.659.1400, oheka.com