Corinne & Jonathan | The Vanderbilt at South Beach | Staten Island, NY

“As Magical as We Imagined”

Jonathan and I have known each other our whole lives. Our families both went to St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Staten Island, NY. We attended youth group events together and a summer retreat, Summer Youth Conference, for years along with his sister and our good friends. We both were asked to be on staff at the retreat and our friendship got stronger after a few summers working together. We finally realized we had strong feelings for each other and decided to make it official after a walk under the stars.

We share a love of craft beer and one of our favorite places to spend time together is Flagship Brewery. A little over two years after we began dating, Jonathan planned a day for us to get mani-pedis and then go out to Flagship. I was totally oblivious when we arrived at Flagship and didn’t notice our families and friends with a beautifully decorated backdrop and food. Jonathan led me towards the center of the space. I turned to face him and he was on one knee, asking me to marry him.

When we toured The Vanderbilt at South Beach, Brittany Felice, event planner, was so personable and friendly. The Vanderbilt was close to home and allowed us to have an indoor ceremony. The ambiance of The Vanderbilt, the professionalism of the staff, the food options, and the price, all contributed to our agreement that this was where we wanted to get married.

Brittany was a dream to work with. Any time I had a question, she responded in a timely and professional manner. She offered plenty of ideas and suggestions on how to incorporate our interests into our wedding, including how to best distribute our wedding favors. We made and bottled our own beer and wanted to distribute the bottles cold!

Our wedding day was the same day Tropical Storm Ophelia hit NYC, but Brittany was accessible and we created alternate plans for our arrival and first look. With only a day’s notice, Brittany ensured our first look was as magical as we originally imagined. Our maître d’, John, was also so attentive to the timeline of the day. We were never without beverages or food and were constantly being taken care of!

Our ceremony was in the newly renovated main ballroom, beautifully accommodating our 150-plus guests. and officiated by our friend. Cocktail hour was in the newly renovated Palm Room. Our signature drinks were an espresso martini and an old fashioned. We also commissioned beer from Flagship. Jonathan’s favorite hors d’oeuvres, baby lamb chops, were a huge hit. 

Our reception was back in the main ballroom and it was totally transformed from our ceremony space. We also wanted to share our love of board games, so Brittany and her team arranged board games on all 20 tables along with the floral centerpieces. In addition to the dance floor and DJ, we also had a photo booth, cigar cart, and espresso barista bar, for my love of coffee! The Vanderbilt partners with Productions for in-house lighting and we were able to create our lighting visions of blues and purples with the option to change it on the spot throughout the night if we wished. 

The venue is also incredibly easy to work with in terms of food allergies and sensitivities. The Vanderbilt staff was incredibly attentive to that and we were able to make easy adjustments to any dish! For our entrées we had peppercorn-crusted grilled hanger steak, prosciutto and fontina-stuffed chicken parmigiana, grilled miso-glazed salmon, and cauliflower steak in a a romesco sauce with tahini.

Our cake was a beautiful and delicious red velvet cake with a buttercream and cannoli cream filling. We also had passed desserts, which were needed because the dance floor was packed all night long!

Our wedding was a dream come true. We would like to extend a special thank you to our vendors, who worked together seamlessly to create the most fun and beautiful environment for us and to our friends and family for all their support and help during the planning process! And of course, a special thank you to our parents, for all of their support, advice, and open ears! 

The Vanderbilt at South Beach, Staten Island NY
718.447.0800, vanderbiltsouthbeach.com