SOCIALLY DISTANCED WEDDING IDEAS IN NEW YORK

If you were planning to get married in the Summer or Fall of 2020, you may be asking yourself “Should I cancel my wedding?” We are thrilled to say that the answer is not necessarily!

We’ve been talking to our couples, to wedding planners, and to our venues to find out what they’re doing, planning and seeing with their weddings.

Couples are adjusting their plans, with many of them holding smaller weddings (or microweddings) to accommodate social distancing and limited party sizes. Wedding planners are helping them find outdoor venues, and in many cases, planning a second, larger wedding or first anniversary party once restrictions have been lifted.

Caramoor and Wave Hill, two of our partner venues and consistently high on the list of New York’s best wedding venues, have created innovative ways to help their couples start their new lives.

NY Weddings PACKAGES in the Time of COVID

CARAMOOR – A Westchester Wedding Venue in Lush Greenery and History

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a gorgeous destination with spectacular gardens and grounds. The weddings team has crafted special packages perfect for up to 50 guests. Starting with site rental and toast packages, there are upgrades that can be added to help create a magical, intimate wedding perfect for the celebrating couple. More information on Caramoor’s 2020 Wedding Packages.

WAVE HILL – Bronx Wedding Venue with Spectacular Views of the Hudson River

Wave Hill is a spectacular garden in the Bronx. This hidden gem boasts a variety of gardens and an incredible view of the Hudson River. The wedding team has created intimate packages, perfect for groups from 20 – 100 people, that include rentals, a champagne toast, and bar bites with optional upgrades to enhance the experience.

620 LOFT & GARDENS – NYC Wedding Venue with Extraordinary views of Fifth Avenue and St. Patrick’s Cathedral

An incredible rooftop garden complete with a reflecting pool make this an idea venue for a summer wedding. The wedding team has created wedding packages for a five-hour event for up to 100 people (maximum based upon current guidelines and restrictions). More information on 620 Loft & Garden’s 2020 wedding packages.

Have questions about socially distanced wedding catering in New York?

Fill our the form below so we can learn more about your special day and your vision. A member of our team will reach back shortly.

A Covid Wedding Wave Hill

E&E COVID WEDDING WAVE HILL The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for couples looking to share the start of their new lives together with

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Planner Perspective: Events During Covid

For the past several months, as we’ve stayed at home and missed so many of the events that mark our spring and summer, we’ve been

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Top Tips for Saying “I Do” During Covid

Our wedding specialists have been busy! Couples are still eager to get married and we’ve got the top tips for saying “I Do” during Covid

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Socially Distanced Wedding Ideas in New York

Getting married during the time of COVID-19? Here are some of the best wedding venues in New York offering special packages for Socially Distanced Weddings.

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Wedding Planners Discuss the Future of Weddings

GP Talks: Wine Down Wednesday

You’ve got pressing questions, we’ve rounded up experts to give you answers!

We’ve assembled a panel of incredible wedding planners to discuss the future of weddings.

The panel (full bios below):

• Annie Lee – Annie Lee is principal planner of Daughter of Design, recently named a top planner of the world by Harper’s Bazaar. Annie is also author of Learn to Speak Wedding: Flashcards for Beginners and founder of Plannie.com where you can hire an event planner by the hour. 

• Emily Reifel – Emily Reifel has been running all the Social Events at The Plaza Hotel for 12 years. She started in the hospitality industry at the front desk of The Waldorf=Astoria where she realized that she had a passion for events.  A native of Seattle, Washington her dance background was what originally led her to her new home of New York City.  Now she oversees some of the most luxurious weddings, birthday parties and bar & bat mitzvah’s for anywhere from 100 to 500 guests!  When she is not busy running events you can probably find her over at Lincoln Center supporting her love for the arts!

• Guerdy Abraira – Guerdy has been in the wedding industry for over 17 years. Guerdys “back-of-the-house” background in hotel services and catering has granted her to have full capacity in executing destination and local weddings from hotel room blocks to creating unique food and beverage experiences. She guides her team to not look at the trends but rather develop truly unique executions for clients. Her ability to not only fully plan weddings but also create full-bodied conceptual design for her clients has been a game-changer in her ability to offer a unique multi-dimensional array of services. This Haitian/French/American’s global palette and aesthetic also has played a large role in her ability to facilitate destination weddings for those looking for destination wedding experiences 

• Marcy Blum –  An “eventista,” Marcy Blum is an expert in entertaining, etiquette, food, and wine. She has been producing creative, magical, and personal events for over 30 years, launching Marcy Blum Associates in 1986 and is frequently noted as an innovator in the events industry. Marcy infuses her culinary arts background with her humorous and sane approach to entertaining, to create extraordinary memories for her clients. 

  A graduate of the Performing Arts High School and the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Marcy produces events where the entertainment and décor are elegantly theatrical, the food is delicious and creative, the wines are thoughtfully chosen, and the service is beyond spectacular.

• Maria Seremetis – Maria Seremetis, Founder and President of Maria Seremetis Events, has been an authority on event planning in NYC for over two decades, planning hundreds of events around the world. Growing up in a Greek family, where gatherings of 20-40 with shared laughter and mezze each weekend was the norm, a penchant for entertaining was born. Maria honed a talent for event design and planning through her roles in catering and hospitality in her father’s restaurants, and in her merchandising role at Donna Karan.  Her passion for meaningful connections, collaborations, and experiential story-telling through entertaining – and always, laughter, are at the heart of each and every client project.  A trusted source on all matters of hospitality, her meticulous attention to detail, style and quality, and her collaborative approach in working with top vendors in the industry, are her professional trademarks.

   

Moderated by Amanda DiUglio, Great Performances

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Curious as to how Great Performances is handling weddings during the age of covid? Click here. 

We spoke with several of our brides who have had their weddings impacted by the Coronavirus. From planning weddings in the heart of New York City at The Plaza to pastoral weddings on farmland upstate, the brides we’ve talked to have had their carefully planned and joyfully anticipated weddings change dramatically. But through it all, they’ve been resilient and flexible, embracing new ways to celebrate their love.

Virtual Wedding Ceremonies

Liana had planned a May wedding at The Plaza in New York City for more than 200 guests. But in March, she was forced to cancel her original plans and come up with a new solution. Instead of completely postponing getting married, she’s opting for a virtual ceremony this year and will celebrate with family and friends in 2021.

Our original wedding was planned for May 2020 at The Plaza in New York City. We had more than 200 friends and family planning to join us at our celebration and we were excited at the prospect. But as we watched the news and how the Coronavirus pandemic was sweeping around the glove, we made the decision in March to change the date. We had hoped to get married on our original date but while the city clerk’s office has started offering virtual meetings to acquire a marriage license, they didn’t have any availability until June. So we’ll have our meeting with them in June and then hopefully hold a virtual ceremony soon after.

It’s been challenging keeping our friends and family informed, and we’re disappointed we can no longer use our beautiful invitations. But I’m so grateful for the patience and kindness of everyone involved, especially my mom, and of course, our planners, Emily Reifel and Maxine Kaboll.

We did postpone our wedding celebration to June 2021 and we hope everything is able to stay as planned with one exception: we will already be married! So maybe we will do a vow renewal ceremony instead.

My advice to couples planning their wedding now is to give yourself plenty of time, to try to be flexible, and to enjoy it.

It can be really stressful (especially doing some things for a second time) so make sure to check in with yourself, and talk to someone if you’re feeling under pressure.

Postponed Weddings

Gianna had planned a wedding for April 4, 2020 at The Plaza. She had to quickly change her plans but worked closely with the team to pick a new wedding date and plans to enjoy more time being engaged.

Our original plans were for April 4, 2020. We’d picked that date when we got engaged in December of 2017, and were so looking forward to it! We loved the ring of 4/4/2020. We decided to change our plans maybe 2-3 weeks before, right when the Bay Area/New York were starting to Shelter in Place. We live in California, so a good majority of our friends and family were flying from CA to NY for the wedding, and we didn’t want to make anybody feel obliged/uncomfortable traveling to a wedding across the country in such a scary/uncertain time.

We postponed our wedding to early December. We really cannot wait for our winter New York wedding!! We got engaged in NY in December of 2017 and celebrated at The Plaza, so it really feels right book-ending the whole engagement journey/experience this way. Emily at The Plaza, our wedding planner/designers at Jes Gordon (Jes & Kait), and our Officiant, Susanna, were absolutely phenomenal in making us feel comfortable and supported through a really huge and quick decision. That made a huge difference. We’ve been planning with them for so long that we feel we like they’re our little wedding planning family! I couldn’t have dreamt of a better group to help us through every step of this process, and beyond that they’re so much fun to work with and chat all things wedding too!

On April 4th, when we were supposed to get married, we had a really lovely day of watching our favorite movies and taking a few walks, and then my fiance surprised me by re-proposing in our living room and asking me to marry him on our new date! It’s a memory I’ll forever cherish because it was so sweet, thoughtful, and meant so much to me. The date we were looking forward to will still have a lot of meaning for the both of us.

Yes, most of our original plans in terms of decor, songs, cake, bridal party, etc are all still the same. We may make some tweaks here and there to make it more “winter” but nothing major. We’re actually really enjoying having the wedding planned, getting to look forward to it, and not having to do any more major panning. It kind of takes away the pre-wedding wedding stress at least for now!

I’m a planner, a big check list/think 10 steps ahead kind of person, so the immediate stress and the unknown (not just of the wedding, but what was happening with the world) was a lot for me. But working with Jes, Kait, and Emily to adjust our plans helped a lot. Now that we have our new date, we’re just excited and thankful that everybody including friends, family, our wedding planning team has been so unbelievably supportive and empathetic and we are so grateful for that. It was stressful, but once the decision was made we felt much more at ease and are just happy to have our friends, family, and each other be safe and healthy. That’s really all that matters!

Despite the stress, there were positives! We have each other, and we get to enjoy being engaged a little longer which we love. It’s a drop in the bucket, as we’ve been saying! We’ll have our wedding, and we’ll be married, and it will be beautiful, but we’ve really had the chance to remember how lucky we are to have each other for support, and how lucky we are to have the friends and family we do. Even before Covid happened, I’ve been so thankful to have my Mom and Dad for their help with everything – I would not have known where to start without them. Plus, we’ll have a really great story to tell our children, like most of the 2020 brides/grooms will!!

For those planning their weddings, or have had changes, my advice is to keep the big picture in mind! You’re having a wedding to celebrate your love, and your love is the only thing that’s important at the end of the day. This time has put a lot into perspective for everybody, and it’s important to remember the love you share for each other, the love your family and friends have for you, and taking advantage of appreciating the moment you’re in. Being engaged is and should be fun! So have fun! Celebrate throughout the whole engagement, and enjoy all of the free champagne you’ll get when you tell people you just got engaged!

Smaller, intimate weddings

Ali, one of our own expert event planners, is getting married on August 15, with some adjustments.

My fiancé and I were planning on getting married on August 15th, amongst friends and family coming from near and far, at my mother’s repurposed farm in upstate New York. Even with COVID119, my fiancé and I are still getting married on August 15th with a smaller group of family and friends. While waiting to find out how many people we can have at our wedding, we are determined to get married this summer. To us, the part of this wedding we have always been most excited about is to be married, and to start the next chapter of our life together. Being isolated and quarantined together, has truthfully brought us closer and made us realize how we are supposed to be together, making us want to get married sooner. Our families have been amazing in helping us to work out how our wedding can come into fruition, we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. We are excited to see what are wedding looks like!

We’ve been working with Caramoor and Wave Hill to create beautiful wedding experiences that adhere to social distancing and limited guest gatherings. We have a variety of options for celebrations of up to 50 guests.

THE BECKER WEDDING AT WAVE HILL: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

By Great Performances

Every wedding tells a beautiful story. They’re often seen as both a conclusion to a committed relationship and as a new beginning or a blank page ready to be written on. Some wedding stories consist of more surprising twists and turns than others, and that’s what we have in the Becker’s romantic tale.

Jackie Helcer and Bill Becker met by chance, as many couples do, and through school, the start of their respective careers, and a long-distance relationship, they would somehow end up together in a beautiful, timeless moment, exchanging their vows under a warm September sun along the Hudson.

Let’s go back to how it all began. The bride was born in Sao Paolo, Brazil and grew up in Miami. The groom was stationed in Miami while in the Coast Guard. It was there that the two met on a night out all the way back in 2012.

The two felt a connection, and a relationship blossomed, but Jackie eventually moved to the northeast for her medical residency and fellowship, and Bill went on to graduate school in Virginia. Separated by hundreds of miles, they both committed themselves to the relationship, and promised to make it work.

In October 2014, after a long-distance courtship, he surprised her with news that he had accepted a job as a Vice President at Master Card in the New York area, where she lived.

He moved up to New York and the two moved into a Manhattan apartment together.

In February 2016, Bill planned a surprise trip to celebrate Jackie’s residency match; she knew they were going somewhere warm, but didn’t know the exact destination until they got to the airport. They were going to Martinique! 

When they arrived, Bill had planned an early (4am!!!) hike up a volcano with the intent of proposing at the summit during sunrise. But the weather had other plans…the two hiked for hours in the dark, then just as the sun started rising, a serious storm came in, bringing strong winds and blinding sideways rain. Needless to say, the proposal didn’t happen and they made their way back down to the base. Down below, the sun was shining and weather was beautiful, so they changed and headed to the beach.

Jackie and Bill were exhausted from the hike, but laughed off the whole thing. They ended up finding a beautiful, private beach and Bill suggested setting up the camera to take a photo. Before Jackie had any idea what was happening, Bill got down on one knee and asked her to marry him (of course, she said “Yes”!) Part two of the surprise was that after Martinique, they made a surprise stop in Miami where Jackie’s mom and sister live. Bill had made a reservation at the restaurant where they had their first date so they could celebrate with her family. Then for the final act, when they flew back to NYC, Bill’s parents picked them up at the airport. They had planned a whole surprise engagement brunch with their NYC friends and family. It was a whirlwind of celebrations! 

The two began planning for their big day a couple months later. Jackie and Bill had always wanted an outdoor, sunset wedding. They looked at a multitude of venues around New York City, and ultimately chose Wave Hill.

Set along rolling, wooded hills along the Hudson River in the western Bronx, Wave Hill provides a picturesque backdrop to weddings, with the setting sun casting a palette of warm colors from across the river and onto the grounds.

Once the couple strolled through the property and took in the views, they immediately knew it was the place for their special day. Since Great Performances is the exclusive caterer for Wave Hill, Jackie was excited because her vision for the catering lined up perfectly with what Great Performances is all about – delicious, healthy, seasonal food presented with flawless attention to detail. Being imaginative was also key, and Jackie felt at ease once she began speaking with Amanda and Emily about the menu and the design.

Jackie loved the creativity and energy with which the GP team approached the project. She didn’t want a cookie-cutter wedding, and Great Performances’ wedding team delivered perfectly.

The wedding took place on Saturday, September 9, 2017. The occasion was attended by approximately 110 guests – friends and family from all over.

Although the day started somewhat overcast, as the 5:45 pm ceremony drew close, the clouds parted as if on cue, and the warm September sun shown brightly over the grounds and guests, providing the stunning sunset wedding they had wished for!

The reception went off without a hitch and the guests loved the food. Apetizers included BBQ short ribs, Devils on Horseback (with bacon, dates, and almonds), coconut shrimp, and miso-glazed black bass bites.

Also served were raw Wellfleet & Blue Point oysters on the half shell, leg of lamb and tri-tip beef on the skewer, hand-made cavatelli, and Goffle Road Coq Au Vin. The guests raved about the menu selections and enjoyed everything from start to finish.

Jackie and Bill spent their honeymoon in Thailand a few weeks later, returned to New York, and began their adventure of a new life together.

 

 

What have the newlyweds been up to since that beautiful September day in the Bronx?

After the honeymoon, the pair moved to Bayside, Queens, and have lived there since.

In July of this year, though, they’re expecting a daughter, and are also planning a move from Bayside to Larchmont in Westchester County, where they are buying a home to raise their her in. They’ll also continue to work at their current jobs – he at Master Card in Westchester and she at Mount Sinai in Manhattan (after a maternity leave).

Bill’s parents live in the Rockaways, and his sister, her husband and their two children live in Brooklyn, so they all look forward to spending time together in the New York area and watching their extended family grow together.

Jackie says she’s recommended Great Performances to her friends. “The entire experience was stress-free and easy, from start to finish.” She adds, “Both Amanda and Emily were the absolute best, providing guidance, support, and a wonderful, creative energy. I gave them some of my ideas, and they just ran with them, exceeding my expectations!”

DREAMING OF A WEDDING AT WAVE HILL?

Contact us, we will help you make it happen

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By Sarah Prawl

The Knot has announced its annual Best of Weddings, and we’re honored to be listed as a top caterer for the third year in a row!

The Knot is the nation’s largest source for wedding news and inspiration. Each year they compile a list of the highest and most-rated companies across all regions and planning categories, helping you plan the perfect wedding!

With over 35 years of planning weddings, our goal at Great Performances is to bring your dream to life. Whether your vision is traditional or redefines it, our event directors will work closely with you to attend to every detail of your life changing event.

Here Are Some Of Our Favorite Reviews From The Knot:

Reviewed On 10/29/2018 by Courtney A:

The team at great performances did such a wonderful job for our wedding day at Wave Hill earlier this month. The food and service were outstanding. We continuously receive comments from guests saying how great the food and service was. My husband and I could not be happier with the service provided by Carly and Emily. While the wedding day went off without any delays or hiccups, I feel that the way that we were treated in the days (year!) before our wedding day are most valued. The communication was always open and replied to within a day and every question went answered and clarified for piece of mind. If you are a bride like I was who is looking for some guidance from lovely people that are knowledgeable and kind – this is the team for you.

Reviewed On 10/26/2018 by Katia P:

Great Performances catered my wedding at Wave Hill. First things first: the food is outstanding. We got so many compliments. They take great pride in it, and it shows. They’re extremely talented. But GP is so much more than a caterer. Carly and Emily were unbelievable to work with. We referred to them as the A-team. They were on top of everything, helpful with every question we had, whether it pertained to design, logistics, weather, you name it, they knew it. Their response time was very impressive, given the amount of stuff they’re juggling. And on top of that, they’re just really wonderful people to work with. Smart, and understanding, and calming. I’m pretty type -A, and they made me feel like I was in excellent hands, and that I could actually let go and enjoy on my big day. What more could you ask for?

Reviewed On 9/24/2018 by Chris G:

We used GREAT PERFORMANCES as our caterer for our August 2018 wedding at Housing Works Bookstore in Soho, New York City. The entire process was handled with great care (Ali and Kelsey were incredibly helpful) and the final product – the food – was exquisite. So many of our guests said that it was the best wedding food they have had. We recommend them very highly!

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Reviewed On 5/10/2018 by Allison D:

Great Performances was absolutely phenomenal. The food was to die for (everyone should get the duck!), it was beautiful, the staff the day of my wedding was so wonderful and attentive (my guests commented multiple times how pleasant and kind and fun everyone was), and my bridal attendant (provided by GP) was a literal superhero. More than that, leading up to the wedding, the team was so helpful, patient, attentive….everything. I picked GP because I immediately fell in love with Carly and Emily during our first phone call and that feeling of knowing that they were on top of everything and that they truly cared never went way. I want to throw a second wedding so I can use them again, it was that wonderful.

Photo Credit: Christine Han Photography, Levi Stolove

We are thrilled to announce our full-page spread in the New York Magazine Weddings Summer 2013 Issue. We are representing Winter as one of the city’s top caterers. Click here to see the spread!

Have you ever wondered what a wedding would look like if it were the joining of a computer programmer for Etsy and a freelance writer/blogger? Well, wonder no more. These New York nuptials are the crème de la crème “all-out gorgeous” an explosion of beautiful fall details and maybe our new favorite wedding to date. Of course, no wedding is complete without the fabulous vendors behind the scenes and this wedding is boasting some mega-heavy hitters. Robert Sukrachand lent his hand to the picture-perfect images while Hatch Creative Studio created a masterpiece of floral proportions. THE Sylvia Weinstock made one extremely gorgeous cake and the paper goods were tackled by Hello!Lucky AND Ceci New York. All in all, total perfection.

“Eli and I saw our wedding as a public expression of who we are as a couple. We chose to have a traditional Jewish ceremony but spent a lot of time making it our own. We added our own vows and wrote our own translations for the seven blessings. The intimacy of the ceremony was incredibly special for us and brought all our guests together beautifully. It was especially important to me that I looked and felt like myself when I walked down the aisle. My wedding dress took a while to find, but as soon as I tried this one on, I was crying. It was the most gorgeous second skin I’ve ever worn. When Eli saw me that day, I know that he saw the woman he chose to marry. We tried to bring in as many DIY touches as possible, though we discovered that takes a lot of time! Among the highlights: My brother made our wooden ring box by hand” he even sewed the tiny pillow inside; our chuppah was my mother’s beautiful handiwork, and included 64 sunrays (for our song, “When I’m 64”); I made the bridesmaid necklaces, with each of our birthstones wrapped into the back clasp; Eli sang to me, backed by the band and his college acapella group (easily one of my favorite moments of the night); and our wedding was entirely gluten-free and delectable to boot!

“I imagine that every bride has a favorite idea for her wedding, and mine was the mailboxes (Barb’s gorgeous creation!) filled with personal notes that we wrote for each of our guests. Writing those notes was a wonderful reminder of why each person was there with us that night and we loved watching how thrilled the guests were when they saw them. The energy at the reception was electric from start to finish. We felt so warmly surrounded by all our family and friends. At the end of the night, I knew we’d thrown an amazing party when all of our guests started screaming for an encore! As we were driving back to the hotel, totally exhausted, we could not stop talking about the day. We wanted so much to keep the moment, to just hold it and have it for one second longer. I feel so blessed to have the memory, to have a wonderful husband, family, and friends, and to have so much love in my life.”

And a note from the Groom. “I just want to throw in a few additional details. One, the band was off the CHAIN. They were tight as hell and had obvious passion and joy while performing. Everyone was dancing even my other computer programmer friends (which is, like, a feat). Two, my suit was made from LASERS. Yes, it’s true! Alton Lane measures you with a super-futuristic laser booth and creates a suit that fits like a glove. They also are patient with the fashion-inept. Two thumbs up. Three, some other handmade touches include the Save the Dates (taken by my co-worker), the amazing website (made by Nadia and myself, which includes a custom-built online RSVP thing), and a recording booth that guests could use to leave us a fun voice message (assembled by me and Nadia’s dad, and complete with mad fun prompt signs, made by a friend of Nadia’s). Four, if you’re reading this and are planning for your wedding, know that all of those ridiculous nights when you and your spouse-to-be are wringing your hands and bandying about questions like “should we use plum or sage for the ribbons on the gift bags?” actually do pay off. It was such a mind-bending pleasure to see all of the details that Nadia and I had agonized overcome together into a coherent event that was much more than the sum of its parts. I hope that viewing our pictures is inspiring or useful to you in some way.”