Jennifer and Max at Park Savoy Estate

How did you meet? 
We met through the dating app Hinge, 3 and a half years ago. Our first date was at a restaurant in midtown NYC called Crave on a rainy November night. We had a great first date and knew right away that we wanted to see each other again. After many great dates here we are today!

How did you get engaged? 
Our first kiss was on the Highline in NYC and our proposal was in the exact same spot as our first kiss. Max typically does fun surprise dates for my birthday, so on my birthday in 2017 he pretended it was just a typical surprise birthday dinner. He said we were early for the reservation and suggested we walk on the Highline nearby. He brought me to the exact place where our first date was and pretended to want to take a photo there but instead got down on one knee! He also had a professional photographer hiding who took many pictures. After that we went to dinner and I was surprised that both of our parents were there to celebrate with them!

Details of the day! 
The color / theme of our wedding was pinks and whites. The bridesmaids wore rose chiffon colored gowns and our flowers were a mix of pinks and whites for their bouquets, the centerpieces and decor, and the chuppah / ceremony decor. Since it was June, we tried to incorporate lots of peonies and we also had orchids for our chuppah and sweetheart table.
My bridal bouquet was an all white mix of roses, peonies and other white flowers. Our cake also was mostly white with some decorative pink flowers and accents.

One of the highlights that everyone loved was that our cake topper was a bobble head figurine that looked exactly like both of us and was even a replica of my dress! Because of that, Max wasn’t allowed to see the cake topper until the day of our wedding after our first look.
The wedding reception was all about eating and dancing. We had a TON of food and a 15 piece band that kept everyone on their feet all night.

Why did you choose your venue? 
We fell in love with the Park Savoy because it really fit all of our needs. We invited almost 350 guests so we needed a large enough venue to hold everyone which ruled out many places to begin with. We also wanted to do an outdoor ceremony and a large ballroom reception which the Park Savoy provided. The bridal suite to get ready in was OUTSTANDING and the men loved having a “man cave” to hang out in before the ceremony.

What was on your menu? 
Our wedding menu for cocktail hour was basically everything the Park Savoy Estate could offer. We had over 12 “stations” and 12 passed items including a martini bar station, macaroni bar with lots of options, tex-mex, carving station, sushi, cuban sandwiches, raw bar, pasta station, paella, calamari, etc. And the passed items included jumbo shrimp shots, baby lamb chops, mini hot dogs, coconut shrimp, brie puff pasties with rasberry, tuna tartar, chicken a la park, etc.

Our appetizer was the estate signature salad and the main course options were chilean sea bass with a soy and ginger glaze, chateauxbriand with a cabernet sauce, and chicken sorrentine.

Our cake flavors were chocolate with fudge and vanilla with strawberry. However, we had the veinesse dessert room at the Park Savoy that included every dessert imaginable including a chocolate fountain, gelato station, fried oreos, banana foster, etc. etc.

All about your gown!
My gown is called the “Dare” gown by Hayley Paige. Everyone who knows me said it was the perfect gown for me. I wanted a little bit of sparkle but not over the top which this dress has on the sleeves and I wanted a dramatic back. I also loved the horsehair trim on the skirt and that although it was a ballgown it was very light and only a few layers which made it very comfortable.

What was your favorite moment? 
My favorite moment was right after the ceremony when Max and I walked down the aisle together as man and wife!! It was so great to see everyone in the audience that was there for us and for us to be able to just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening after the ceremony. We were also taken right upstairs to a private room and given a plate of every food option at cocktail hour. They draped a table cloth around me so I wouldn’t spill on the dress and we ate our hearts out for about 15 minutes!

One detail you couldn’t live without? 
It’s hard to pick just one!! I guess I would say my dress since that is the spotlight of the day! We also gave out flip flops for all the ladies at the party which made the dancing all night more fun for them to not be in heels.

Did anything go wrong? 
The only thing that went wrong was that we had TWO additional people show up who had RSVP’d no but decided to come at the last minute and not tell us! The Park Savoy was INCREDIBLE and when I told them during the cocktail hour they quickly added two additional seats to the tables I asked for. They made it not a problem at all and took away my moment of stress in an instant!!

First dance song? 
“Can’t take my eyes off you” by Frankie Valli. We both love the show Jersey Boys and saw Frankie do a show in person together so that made it special to us! We also learned a choreographed dance which made it more fun.

Any advice for future brides? 
Have fun with planning everything because it goes SO fast!! Also, Etsy became my best friend for bridesmaid and family personalized gifts, etc.

Where did you go n your honeymoon? 
We spent a week at the St. Regis in Bora Bora, a few nights at the St. Regis in Princeville (Kauai, HI) and 4 nights at the Four Seasons Ko Olina in Oahu. All of the hotels and locations were INCREDIBLE. Bora Bora is definitely the most beautiful place either of us had ever seen. We even did a snorkle swim with the stingrays and sharks which we both said we would never do but it was amazing.