Wedding | Erica & Dante

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We are both agency film producers. Long story short - we make commercials! We met back in 2015 while working at the same agency. Both native New Yorkers (him upstate, her Long Island), and have lived together for the past 5 years. We love the outdoors, traveling and crafting (him woodworking, her embroidery) and seriously love music and cooking.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

New York City has played such a big part in our relationship. We live here, we work here, and we met here. For the ceremony, we wanted to keep things intimate and simple. City Hall was the perfect place. 

We had our reception party at Amity Farm - Dante’s aunt and uncle’s home property, and a place that holds a lot of heart in our family. They’ve hosted quite a few weddings in recent years, so we had the added benefit of their experience in the field. It was really the only option in our eyes, and our guests were completely enchanted by it’s beauty and charm.

How many guests did you have? 

We had 99 people at our wedding party! 

For the City Hall ceremony - we kept it to just our sisters as our witnesses (with the aim of keeping things fair between the parents).

What was your budget? 

Our total budget for the ceremony/dinner and the party was 50k all in.

Tell us about your outfits. 

Erica - so my city hall outfit - my goal was to have the chicest NYC moment possible. I got my suit from Favorite Daughter, my veil from White Oak Bridal, and the shoes are Prada. I felt like a million bucks. 

For the wedding party - I wanted to be comfortable, feel beautiful, and try to vibe with the farm setting. I believe I found the perfect dress at White Oak Bridal. I also wanted to make sure my dress didn't show my feet - as I opted to wear custom vans that were embroidered with our initials. I mostly wore my lime 

green Prada sunglasses for the day for a pop of color.

Dante - Erica was keen for me to match a darker-green from our palette. I’d always pictured myself in green for my wedding so that wasn’t a problem. I wanted to strike a balance between “worthy of the occasion” yet with a relaxed vibe, fit for a farm wedding upstate. We stumbled upon an olive-green cotton suit at Todd Snyder and immediately knew it was the one. I loved the cut plus it had a lovely basketweave stitch, leaving a texture similar to that of a utility jacket (obviously a rustic staple).

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding? 

The most important aspect of planning was to make sure things were authentically us, and that everyone invited were active people in both of our lives. We didn't want to meet anyone on the new “day-of”. We had to make some tough decisions but we did it! And we had a blast.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

It was incredibly important to us to make sure the flow was right for the party. We didn’t want anyone to feel forced to dance, or watch us cut a cake, or pose for a picture moment. We wanted things to feel natural to us, and simply put - fun. I definitely think we accomplished that.

Any tips for couples getting married? 

If there’s one thing we’d like to hammer home for couples planning a wedding it’s "Stick to your guns!". We know that’s easier said than done, and as producers perhaps our experience with tough logistical decisions helped. But we really didn’t waver from our vision despite some outside influences, and we genuinely had the most perfect wedding that truly represented us.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about? 

Yes a few! 

Amity Farm Events - Dante’s aunt and uncle, Annie and Vaughan Wiles, live on and operate the property. They’ve now got quite a few weddings under their belt, and are the NICEST people in the universe. Plus the farm is so pretty and charming that it’s hard to adequately put into words. We would highly recommend anyone planning a wedding upstate to give them a call! 

White Oak Bridal - best wedding dress experience ever! I didn't have the best dress try on experiences with other places in the city - but this place is a ~40 min drive from the city and 100% worth it. 

Jimmy’s Soft Serve - highly recommend everyone get an ice truck for their wedding. That has been a huge take away from our guests on how fun it was! Jimmy could not have been nicer.

Photographer: Daniel Silbert Photography @danielgsilbert | Day Of Coordinators: The Day of Company @thedayofcompany | Flora: Secret Garden Florist @secretgardenflorist | Videographer: Vlad Grinberg @filmsbyvladdy | Ceremony Location: Manhattan City Hall | Reception Location: Amity Farm Events | Hire: Pinnacle Tent & Event Services | HMUA: The Luminous Bride @theluminousbride | Catering & Beverages: Franco Vitella Catered Affairs @venue104 | Ice Cream Truck: Jimmy’s Soft Serve @jimmysoftserve | Entertainment: JD the DJ @jdwearsmanyhats | Wedding Suit: Favorite Daughter @favorite.daughter | Dress & Veil: White Oak Bridal @whiteoakbridalnewyork | Suit: Todd Snyder | Engagement & Wedding Rings: (Bride) Diamond Castle @diamondcastle1196 & (Groom) Many Hands @many___hands