NYC wedding planning guide: Venues, photographers, florists and more

Whatever your vision, these vendors can help make it a reality. Photo Credit: Anthony Lanzilote

It takes two people to get married, but a whole lot more to put on a memorable wedding.

Whether you want to express your love through a more traditional wedding or throw all tradition aside, we present a select list of wedding planners, florists, photographers and more who can help you get the job done. Their resumes include putting on the first gay wedding reception at The New York Public Library, creating an intimate setting at Chelsea Piers’ expansive Sunset Terrace space and turning a backyard into a secret garden.

Whatever your vision, these vendors can help make it a reality.

VENUES

The Glass House in Chelsea

545 W. 25th St., 646-402-6557, glasshouseseventspacenyc.com

This event space has floor-to-ceiling glass window walls with views of lower Manhattan, the Hudson River and the Upper West Side. It can accommodate 200 people for cocktail receptions and 150 people for a seated dinner and has a fully equipped catering kitchen.

Chelsea Piers – Sunset Terrace

61 W. 23rd St., 212-336-6777, chelseapiers.com/se/event-spaces/sunset-terrace.cfm

A popular wedding destination for all couples, this 3,400-square-foot space is located on the 2nd floor of Chelsea Piers and has sweeping views of the Hudson River, including the Statue of Liberty. The spot can host as many as 300 guests.

The Elevated Acre

1 Hanover Square (between Stone & Pearl Streets), (212) 269-2323, masterpiececaterers.com/weddings/at-elevated-acre/

At this hidden location on the East River, you’ll find a Brazilian Hardwood Boardwalk, an outdoor lawn and garden, a seven-tiered amphitheater surrounding the lawn and an illuminated, rectangular glass beacon, all overlooking the river.

Trump Soho

246 Spring St., 212-842-5500, trumphotelcollection.com/soho

This desirable location offers a view of downtown Manhattan. In fact, the glass room on the 48th floor makes you feel like you are floating above the city.

Ritz Carlton at Battery Park

2 West St., 917-790-2447, ritzcarlton.com/batterypark

This hotel has become a popular spot to have same sex weddings. Ceremonies and celebrations can take place in their ballroom or in one of the more intimate rooms overlooking the harbor. With four certified LGBT wedding planners on staff, the Ritz Carlton offers same sex wedding packages from “The Rise High on Love,” which accommodates up to 100 guests, to the more intimate “Love With Liberty” package, which can host anywhere from eight to 20 guests.

Prince George Ballroom

15 E. 27th St., 212-471-0882

This landmark building in the heart of the Flatiron district offers a spacious and ornate venue. The intricately decorated ceilings and pillars give the room a stately feel, but it can also be made to feel intimate for smaller weddings.

Weylin B. Seymours

175 Broadway, Williamsburg, 718-963 3639, weylinbseymours.com

The iconic Williamsburgh Savings Bank recently underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation and is now open for social and cultural events, including weddings.

WEDDING PLANNERS

Sidekick Events

74 Fifth Ave., # 10B, 212-924-2909

Founded and run by Ellen Kostman, SideKick Events is dedicated to superior quality service and imaginative “out of the box” ideas. Kostman and her staff work closely with their clients to create unforgettable events withinn any budget range.

Baton NY

777 West End Ave., 917-797-0930, batonnyc.com

Run and owned by Angie Nevarez, who is meticulous in her planning, Baton is all about the details. Friendly and focused, Nevarez will help you plan your perfect wedding and takes care to ensure that no step or smallest detail is overlooked. Baton is based in the New York, but has done many destination weddings as well.

Marcy Blum

55 Fifth Ave., 212-929-9814, marcyblum.com

For a wedding planner with some celeb cred, Marcy Blum has planned weddings for Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Carl Icahn, Salmon Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi, Billy Joel and Katie Lee, the Rockefeller family and Regis and Joy Philbin. She is the author of “Wedding Planning for Dummies” and “Wedding Kit for Dummies.”

David Reinhard Events

136 E. 73rd St., 212-535-1520, davidreinhard.com

This company has done weddings ranging from the city to beaches to backyards to the mountains and overseas. A recent client includes the wedding of Martha’s Stewart’s nephew to his partner. The ceremony and reception was hosted at Stewart’s house in Bedford, New York, and was featured on the cover of Martha Stewart’s Wedding Magazine.

FLORISTS

Belle Fleur

134 Fifth Ave., 212-254-8703, bellefleurny.com

The mother-daughter duo creates romantic, contemporary floral designs with a focus on texture, color, and composition. Meredith Waga Perez, the daughter, began her career as a fashion designer and her sense of couture can be seen in Belle Fleur’s modern creations.

Verde Florists

11 Bruckner Blvd., Mott Haven, 212-684-5204, verdeflowers.com

The Bronx florist creates artsy and creative one of a kind floral designs and arrangements that reflects the client’s personality and taste.

City Iris

37 W. 26th St., Suite 200, 646-684-4051, cityiris.net

This floral design studio caters to wedding couples looking for a vibe that’s romantic, traditionalist, minimalist, retro, modern and more.

Lewis Miller Design

441 E. 12th St., 212-614-2734, lewismillerdesign.com

Lewis Miller Design is more than a floral shop. Miller was born and raised in California and trained in horticulture and landscape design. He quickly developed a love of nature, and his vision is to create a natural country feel in an urban landscape. It has grown into an event planning company with a focus on creating exceptional beauty.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Christian Oth Studio

147 W. 25th St., 9th Fl., 212-634-7949, christianothstudio.com

Considered one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world, the Christian Oth Studio turns wedding photography into fine art. The studio takes an editorial and photojournalist approach to their photographs to let their artistic sensibility and eye for light and composition shine through.

Chellise Michael Photography

56 Bogart St., Williamsburg, 917-974-5129, chellisemichaelphotography.com

These photographers offer Polaroid as well as digital. They stay away from the cliché by turning their photographs into artful images. They are interested in collaborating with their clients, and perhaps even becoming friends with them.

CATERING

Neuman’s Kitchen

203 Chrystie St., 212-228-2444, neumanskitchen.com

Presentation and taste are two of the distinguishing factors of Neuman’s Kitchen. With trays that are designed and built in-house, the food not only tastes amazing, but looks amazing, too. As the saying goes, you eat with your eyes first.

Bite Catering

917-676-1320, 646-554-4776, bitefood.com

For Scott Skey and Nick Hosea, founders of Bite Catering, flavor comes first. With great attention to the detail and nuance of each dish, the two bring balance and precision to every bite.

Peter Callahan Catering

137 W.25th St., 212-327-1144, petercallahan.com

Founded 1985 and considered a culinary design studio, this catering company is known for producing innovative dishes, particularly miniature ones, that have never been seen before. Callahan wants his dishes to be conversation pieces, and in doing so, creates a very boutique and unique feel for his creations.

Olivier Cheng Catering and Events

12-16 Vestry St., 212-625-3151, ocnyc.com

Cheng believes in bringing passion and perfection to food. Combining classic culinary techniques with imaginative dishes, he brings a worldly feel to the meals he serves.

Cocktail Caterers

416 W. 23rd St., 646-331-9191, cocktailcaterers.com

This full-service catering company serves the tri-state area, including the Hamptons and Fire Island. Passionate about offering a modern twist on classical cuisines, the male duo creates menus that reflects your personal taste and are influenced from their global travels.

OTHER FOOD RELATED SERVICES

Oysters XO

312 11th Ave. #22d, 917-297-5929, oystersxo.com

After just 18 months, Oysters XO (XO stands for extra old, like Cognac XO, meaning a bigger, juicier, more mature oyster) is already a hit on the wedding circuit. Rifko Meier hires oyster girls and now guys (think cigarette girls) to serve his famous oysters.

CAKE MAKERS

Ron Ben-Israel Cakes

42 Greene St. #5, 212-625-3369, weddingcakes.com

From exquisitely designed romantic cakes to ones that make bolder statements, Ben-Israel works with his clients to design the perfect cake, including kosher and gluten-free ones upon request.

Sugar Flower Cake Shop

336 W. 37th St. #950, 212-993-6441, sugarflowercakeshop.com

Local ingredients, organic sugar, gluten-free and kosher options and sugar flowers that look so real you think they’re not meant for eating, the Sugar Flower Cake Shop does it all. From the beautifully traditional cakes to more quirky, fun ones, founder Amy Noelle, who used to be an actuary in the Hudson Valley, will make whatever your heart desires.

A White Cake

335 W. 38th St. 11th Fl., 917-513-9559, awhitecake.com

After spending six years working at design firms, founder Lauren Bohl White decided to enter the cake business. She enrolled in culinary school and subsequently apprenticed under cake maker master Ruth Drennan, where she learned how to make natural looking sugar flowers. White aims to make wedding cake decisions as easy and seamless as possible and delivers her inventive cakes within a 100-mile radius of Columbus Circle.

BANDS

Elan Artists

888-800-3526, elanartists.com

Take your pick. Elan Artists has everything from wedding bands to wedding DJs to jazz and performance acts. Each one is considered to be a staple within the wedding industry.

Rum Runners Jazz

347-979-7360, rumrunnersjazz.com

These professional musicians look sharp, have flexible taste, pay attention to the amount of time in between the songs they play and take last-minute requests. Fun, lively and worldly – what more could you want?

Creations Music

212-579-0096, creationsmusic.com

This act performs the classics, current songs and everything in between in acts ranging from seven to 15 pieces, including a harpist.

EVENT DESIGN

The Showplace Floral & Event Design

347-541-7406, theshowplaceny.com

The event florist and décor specialty company is dedicated to making your wedding a day you never want to end. It has offices in New York, East Hampton and Nassau County.

INVITATIONS

East Six

580 Broadway, Suite 902, 212-665-4846, eastsix.com

A boutique design studio founded by childhood best friends, East Six works intimately with all clients to create customized invitations based on the story and personality of the wedding couple.

Happy Menocal

happymenocal.com

Working mostly in watercolor and print, Happy Menocal’s stationary line looks like pieces you’ll find hanging in an art gallery. The work is so meticulous, in fact, Menocal hand-paints invitations for just a few special events each year.

LIGHTING AND STAGING

Frost Lighting

P.O. Box 489/FDR Station, 212-751-0223, frostproductions.biz

Over the past 30 years, Frost has grown into a national special event lighting company that uses the latest LED and intelligent programmable lighting and are considered leaders in the industry. Frost offers custom shades and light fixtures as well as chandeliers.

L&M Sound and Light

145 Granite Avenue, Staten Island, 718-720-4213, lmsound.com

Backed by years of theatrical lighting design and production experience, L&M Sound and Light create imaginative settings no matter where the wedding is located. Expect the highest quality and thoughtfully curated environments for any kind of space.