Julie & Ryan | Whitby Castle | Rye, NY

“Accommodating, Helpful, Attentive”

We met at Carlos’ Cucina in Middletown, NY where I worked as a server before becoming a registered nurse and Ryan works as a bartender. We realized one night that we lived right down the street from each other. We also realized we had a lot of similar interests, such as music and movies.

Our first date was in Beacon, NY at Hudson Valley Vinyl, a record store and then a vegan restaurant. Ryan proposed to me in Edinburgh, Scotland on Princes Street Gardens with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop. It was truly magical!

We were blown away by the gorgeous ballroom at Whitby Castle, the castle itself, and the friendly staff. I was looking for a vintage, dreamy theme and Ryan wanted a more industrial theme. After we took the tour, we got in the car and looked at each other and said, “Let’s go back and book our date!” It also felt special to keep the castle theme going, since Ryan proposed in front of a castle.

The catering sales manager, Niki Viera, and Ralph Bracco, maître d’, were accommodating, helpful, and attentive. They made sure the wedding day went seamlessly. It was important to us to be as stress-free as possible, because we worked for almost two years to make it all come together! Ralph did a wonderful job making sure everything flowed nicely and on-time. We were blown away by his friendliness, sense of humor, and how he treated us like  guests in his own home, all while getting the job done. Five stars for Ralph!

Our ceremony was on the grounds with the castle as backdrop. It started as the sun was setting and delivered perfect lighting for beautiful photos. Ryan’s uncle was our officiant and made it personal, lighthearted, and fun.

Cocktail hour was filled with lots of love and amazing food and drinks! Some favorite hors d’oeuvres were mini beef Wellingtons, scallops wrapped in bacon, chorizo empanadas, mini shrimp cocktail, and spring rolls. People are still raving about the crispy risotto balls three months later!

My favorite was the Mediterranean station, with falafel, hummus, babaganoush, and tabouleh salad. Ryan’s favorite was the trattoria station, with orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage and penne a la vodka. The cocktail hour was outside on the expansive, beautiful patio overlooking the Rye Golf Club course on Long Island Sound.

The ballroom is what sold us! We loved all the natural light from the skylights and windows. We also loved the huge dance floor, because we knew we were going to dance the night away! We also really loved the fact that if we had to move our ceremony inside due to weather, it would take place in the ballroom right in front of one of the big, castle-like windows. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful. Lastly, the ballroom is the perfect size for it to still feel intimate and we could really envision our families and friends filling it with love and laughter.

Our dinner was delicious and guests are still raving! We chose three entrée options: skirt steak with Bordelaise sauce, herb-roasted salmon in buerre blanc sauce, and roasted chicken in Madeira sauce, each accompanied with fingerling potatoes and broccolini. Skirt steak was the crowd favorite! I am vegan and thought I was going to be served pasta, which is fine, but they brought out a beautiful, colorful delicious vegetable tartare for me! I was very impressed and well-fed that night which is usually a struggle as a vegan!

Our cake was a crème fraîche yellow cake with chocolate-salted caramel ganache in the middle. We had a lot of guests with food sensitivities, such as gluten, sea salt, peanuts, and tree nuts, and Whitby Castle was also great at accommodating them.

From the bottom of our hearts we would like to thank Ralph, Niki, the bridal attendant, the cooks, the bartenders, and the servers at Whitby Castle. Thanks to our photographer and videographer for capturing it all, DJ Vargas Productions, Jay and Victor, for keeping the party going, with a special thank you to Jay for serenading us! Thanks to our florist for creating the most beautiful centerpieces and bouquets, hair and make-up stylists for making me “look like a Disney Princess” as one of our guests said, Delivered Details for providing our arch on short notice, and most importantly, our family and friends for making our day a blast and spoiling us with never-ending love, support, and happiness. We love you all!

Whitby Castle, Rye, NY, 914.777.2053
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