Where were you born?
Riverdale, the Bronx.
How did you get started in the event wedding business?
When I was released from…oh, okay for real? I graduated the Culinary Institute of America and worked in several restaurant kitchens and also taught cooking and did consulting for some restaurants. I eventually became the manager of several restaurants and ran the banquets and clients asked me if I could offer planning services outside the venues I worked in - thinking I would be incredibly wealthy and retired in five years if I did this, I went for it.
If you were to get married tomorrow, where would it be and what food would you serve?
Maybe Bordeaux. I lived there for a while doing an apprenticeship many, many years ago and I am incredibly fond of it - and we’d serve fabulous red wine, so who cares about the food?
What is the most memorable wedding you ever planned?
Trick question isn’t it? I love ALL my weddings, of course several have iconic moments that I remember.
Kevin Bacon helping me carry the Champagne from Kyra’s mothers car over 22 years ago, Billy Joel singing to Katie from the stage with the band we hired, Bob Guccione’s house with the indoor pool in the city which we covered to serve dinner on for his daughters’ wedding, a dear friends wedding in Napa last summer where I organized and sent the bridal party down the aisle and we both cried like morons, the amazing 6-course tasting dinner with wines and luxury service that we just produced in June at Jazz at Lincoln Center. I could go on and on.
Has there ever been a moment when you were star struck?
Oh, just about every day.
What was the most challenging wedding you ever planned?
Destination weddings are the most challenging and where we really, really earn our fee.
Nantucket for example, between the impossible ferry schedules and shipping costs and the early curfews, can be pretty maddening.
What is your favorite venue in the city?
The Plaza of course … okay, seriously (although I do love the Plaza), my very favorite venue, if someone has the money and can stomach the disruption to their life, is their home. I think given the proper planning and production – which requires logistics as well as a bit of alchemy - there is no better place to create a truly personal experience whether it’s a wedding or a birthday party. It is unquestionably more expensive than other venues and skimping on infrastructure such as proper tenting, parking valets, etc. will lead to problems that make me shudder to think about.
What are three pieces of advice from your book, Weddings for Dummies, that you always live by?
- Cute, tacky things we ask you to avoid - including disposable cameras on tables and cash bars.
- A good and maniacally detailed wedding schedule will get you through lots of hurdles.
- Reminding my couples that there is life after the wedding and other people will remember how they behaved during the planning process even if they themselves don’t.
What are the new trends in the wedding industry that you can report on?
Umm, anybody who ever walked past a wedding thinks they can become a planner.
Style is far more influenced by the “real world”, i.e. runway, restaurants and design, than it used to be.
What do you do for fun?
Plan parties of course...oh, really?
I have a teeny, tiny garden that looks like it’s going to implode from all the things planted in it because it gives me such pleasure to dig.
The man I live with for over 10 years works as a vet technician at nights and goes to school during the day, so currently fun is our Friday nights together where we watch NCIS and Law and Order marathons.
I love music –so I often blast it.
What book are you currently reading?
I’m reading three at the moment, which is pretty standard for me and my multi-personalities:
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vanerchuk (for my business head).
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (because he makes me snort out loud on the subway so that people stare at me).
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (because I am the self-help queen and always have to be carrying around at least one self-help book).
What do you love about New York?
That I can decide to go have a glass of wine or get a newspaper at 2 am and it’s possible to find both.