Snow has been a recurring character in Gabriela Palumbo and Michael Carfi’s love story. Michael proposed in February 2025 on a snowy hike in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. And when a winter storm threatened to bury their January 25, 2026 reception at the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, they pivoted—pushing it two days to the 27th. Photographed by Melissa MacDonald, their celebration was classic and elegant: black-tie optional and a black-and-white aesthetic. They also did things a little differently by getting married at St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne four days before the reception in an intimate ceremony with their closest family and friends. As Gabriela put it, the snow didn’t derail them. If anything, it made them closer.
Their Story
Gabriela Palumbo and Michael Carfi met on Hinge in December 2024. Soon, the pair bonded over skiing and traveling. Little did they know that the winter months would become a theme throughout their love story.
The Proposal
Gabriela and Michael got engaged in February 2025 in snowy Steamboat Springs, Colorado, during a hike that ended with Michael popping the question and a photographer capturing the moment.
Choosing the Venue
For Gabriela and Michael, the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale was love at first sight. After viewing many venues that missed the mark, this one embodied exactly what they both wanted. “You step into that venue, and it’s just beautiful,” says Gabriela. “We just loved it automatically.”
The Ceremony
“We kind of did things a little different,” says Gabriela about their wedding timeline. The couple got married at St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne four days before their reception. The ceremony was small, made up of their closest friends and family to share the intimate moment.
Melissa MacDonald
Details of the Day
The reception was originally planned for January 25, 2026, the day of a winter storm in New Jersey. So, they pushed it to the 27th, two days later. “It’s really kind of ironic because for our first date, Michael ended up canceling the first time and we had to reschedule,” says Gabriela. She was not originally set on a winter wedding, but the season felt like part of their story. “We got engaged in the snow and then had to rearrange our wedding because of the snow, but it ended up working out great,” says Gabriela.
Wedding Aesthetic
Gabriela and Michael kept their wedding classic with a black-tie optional dress code and a black-and-white aesthetic.
Favorite Moment
The most important part for the couple was that their family and friends were together to celebrate their love. “That was my favorite part,” says Gabriela.
Menu Highlights
Cocktail hour saw an assortment of food, including sushi, fresh clams, a pasta station, a carving station and more. The starting dish was wild mushroom short rib risotto followed by lemon sorbet. For entrées, miso-glazed Chilean sea bass was the star of the show.
Advice For Other Couples
“You can plan and plan and plan, but something’s going to go wrong, and you have to roll with it,” says Gabriela. When the weather forecast called for 21 inches of snow that weekend, “we had to pivot, lean on each other and grow through the experience,” says Gabriela. The couple persevered and is stronger for it. “I feel like, if anything, it made us closer.” Gabriela also notes that they had a great support system that were ready “to move mountains” for them and stuck with them even if they chose to get married in a snowstorm.
Honeymoon
The couple went on a mini-moon right after their wedding to the Riviera Maya Edition at Kanai in Mexico for five days. This June, they are planning a trip to Italy to visit Sardinia and the Dolomites.
Nestled on four acres of meticulously manicured grounds, winding brick pathways, luminescent fountains and stone gazebos, this Georgian-style mansion located in suburban River Vale, New Jersey, is ...
