The Bowery Hotel| New York, NY
A Full-Circle New York Wedding: Benjamin & Olivia at The Bowery Hotel
Twenty-seven years ago, I started my event planning business.
That very same year, the groom—my nephew, Benjamin—was born.
So yes, planning Benjamin’s wedding to his beautiful Olivia was a pretty incredible full-circle moment for me. After more than two decades of planning weddings for other families, suddenly I was planning one for my own.
And let me tell you: planning your nephew’s wedding is just a tiny bit different.
From College Sweethearts to New York City
I’ve had the privilege of watching Benjamin and Olivia’s story unfold since their days together at Washington University. After college, they followed one another back to Benjamin’s home state of New York, where he attended Columbia Law School and Olivia attended Teachers College at Columbia University.
Their life together is creative, smart, musical, and very New York.
On any given day, you might find the two of them playing Beatles songs together—Olivia singing while Benjamin accompanies her on guitar. So it only made sense that the Beatles would find their way into their wedding day, too.
Eight Days a Week.
Little musical references were woven throughout their ceremony, making it feel completely personal to the two of them.
The Bowery Hotel
And then there was the venue.
The wedding took place at The Bowery Hotel, one of those rare New York City venues that feels as though it has been there forever.
It’s old-school New York in the very best way—layered Oriental rugs, medieval-inspired lighting, exposed brick walls, glowing candles, rich velvet, deep greenery and an atmosphere that feels more like an incredible private home than a traditional ballroom.
It’s moody. It’s romantic. It’s a little quirky.
And it was absolutely perfect for Benjamin and Olivia.
One of my favorite parts of planning this wedding was finding the right band. Music mattered—a lot. We wanted musicians who could read the room, fill that incredible Bowery space and create the kind of night where nobody wanted to leave the dance floor.
This was an especially fun assignment for me because I have a little musical history of my own.
Fun fact: once upon a time, I sang in a wedding band myself.
Who knew that particular chapter of my life would come in handy 27 years later while planning my nephew’s wedding?
A Wedding Filled With Art
The florals needed to feel as though they belonged in the Bowery rather than simply being brought into it.
We wanted lush and elegant, but also feminine, loose and whimsical. Buds of Brooklyn beautifully interpreted a design that continued to evolve throughout the planning process—and absolutely nailed it.
But some of my favorite artistic details came directly from the bride.
Olivia is an artist herself, and portions of the wedding invitation suite, menu cards and table numbers incorporated her own hand-drawn artwork. On weekends, she sells her floral artwork at Grand Bazaar NYC, so having her illustrations woven throughout the wedding made the celebration feel even more personal.
Nothing felt like décor simply for the sake of décor.
It told their story.
A Guest Book They Could Actually Keep
One of the details we had a little fun rethinking was the guest book.
Benjamin and Olivia originally envisioned a sticky-note board where guests could leave messages for them. I loved the sentiment behind it—but wanted to turn it into something they could live with long after the wedding was over.
So we created a postcard message station instead.
Guests selected postcards featuring familiar New York locations and places meaningful to the couple, wrote their messages on the back and left them for Benjamin and Olivia.
When the Planner Is Also Aunt Elisabeth
There is something wonderfully surreal about spending your career planning milestone moments for other people and then finding yourself standing in the middle of one for your own family.
I knew this groom before he could walk.
I watched him grow up. I watched him fall in love with Olivia. I watched them build a life together in New York.
And then I got to help them build this day.
Of course, there were spreadsheets. There were timelines. There were vendor calls, decisions, changes, more decisions…and probably a few moments when everyone involved was very ready for Aunt Elisabeth to stop asking questions.
Occupational hazard.
But then the wedding day arrived.
The candles were glowing against those old Bowery brick walls. The flowers were overflowing. The band was playing. Our family was together. Benjamin and Olivia were married.
And for once, I could stop planning and simply look around.
Twenty-seven years after starting Slope to Coast Events—and 27 years after Benjamin entered our family—I got to watch my nephew marry the woman he loves at a wedding I had spent a year helping them create.
Full circle, indeed.
And in the end, perhaps the Beatles said it best:
All you need is love.
Wedding Planner:Slope to Coast
Venue: The Bowery Hotel
Band: Cafe Wha UNLTD
Stationery: Invitobella
Photography: Lena Mirisola
Content Creator: Wedding Day Content Creator
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd
Florist: Buds of Brooklyn
Hair & Makeup: Willow House
Dessert: Sweet Peace Bakery
Bridesmaid Dresses: The Dessy Group
Favors: Magnetic Memories
