A Very Queens Wedding

BY: ANNA DORE

Hello, Astoria! Anna here- the gal behind WeHeart’s Insta and Facebook pages (we’ve probably DMed by now). I recently got married at the Queens Museum, and thought it might be fun to share what it was like to plan a very Queens wedding, working with some amazing venues and vendors from around the neighborhood.

First, a little background on my husband (!) Isaac and I. On Labor Day 2014, Isaac threw a party in his very crowded Astoria apartment on 29th x Broadway. After meeting that night, I fell hard for both the guy (and the neighborhood) and we’ve been together in Astoria ever since. 

A few years later, we got engaged at Elias Corner, our favorite no-frills Greek taverna. Nothing says “YES” like almost dropping the ring in the tzatziki.   

From there, the planning began. We knew right away that we wanted our special day be a direct reflection of us—so it had to surround our favorite borough where so much of our relationship took place!

From welcome drinks to florals to makeup, here’s a breakdown of our very-Astoria wedding weekend, and how you can do it for yourself!

The Pregame

We kicked off our Queens wedding weekend with a Friday morning bridal brunch at The Bonnie with friends. The back patio is perfect for private parties, would highly recommend! We drank rosé and noshed on lox & cream cheese biales, and everyone loved the cheeseburger sliders.

Friday evening, we hosted Welcome Drinks at Gossip Coffee and Cocktails, who cleared out the backyard to host a group of 90. A black and blue old fashioned + a classic negroni were the custom cocktails on tap, served at both the front bar and pop-up station out back. While truffle popcorn was our savory snack, the desserts were the star of the show— including gold-dusted champagne jello shots, lychee flavored cupcakes, and Gossip’s world-famous cookies, warmed to perfection.  

Taking care of all the logistics, Gossip even provided a sound system and microphone for speeches. This coffee shop turned cocktail bar ended up being an awesome, unconventional venue for our rehearsal. Ask for Jonathan (usually behind the bar!) if you’re interested in hosting an event there.

The Venue

After meeting and falling in love in Queens, it was important for us to have a wedding in our home borough. We looked into some of the incredible venues in Astoria and LIC (The Foundry, The Metropolitan Building, Sound River Studios, The Ravel and others), but ultimately landed on one of the spots of our very first dates: The Queens Museum. 

Originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair, The Queens Museum is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. You probably know The Queens Museum for its A) iconic unisphere backdrop B) world-famous architectural model of all five boroughs: The Panorama of the City of New York, or C) modern collections of art and design, representing some of Queens’ most talented artists.

The Queens Museum was not only our nod to hometown pride, but also felt like a unique and exciting space—we didn’t even know what art would be on display until the week of the wedding. While we had 200 guests, the museum fits more than 400 and is great for large parties.

We held the ceremony in the atrium:

The cocktail hour up on the mezzanine gallery (guests then walked through the Panorama):

And danced the night away in the massive reception space / dance floor.

The Vendors

Some amazing Queens vendors helped make the big day:

Petals & Roots did an incredible job with our flowers – from the chuppah, to the bouquets, centerpieces. Go see Alex, Julia, Ali and team for any floral needs!

Abigail Kirsch is the exclusive caterer for the Queens Museum and gave us exceptional food + service. Lighting & Sound Consultants (local to Queens) took care of our lighting, and A Sterling Band brought down the house as our band. While SB Beauty did my wedding hair and makeup, Willow House Beauty (owned by Michelle of @astoryofastoria!) beautified me for our rehearsal. Isabelle Selby (from Greenpoint!) captured the magic of our day in photos.

We didn’t do traditional wedding cake, but ordered a small custom cake from Aloria Cakes to share with our family at brunch the next day. Vanilla sponge, vanilla almond buttercream, and a strawberry compote were the flavors in this ‘fault line’ cake, topped with gorgeous fresh roses.

The Hotels + Photos

Finding the right Queens hotel for our out-of-towners was admittedly tough. We went with The Paper Factory Hotel, who was accommodating despite going through some major changes. The penthouse was perfect for getting ready, and the aesthetic made for great photos. Other guests stayed at The Aloft LIC, which has super reasonable rates. The Boro Hotel is another solid option.

We stopped by Gantry State Park for some waterfront photos (heads up: the city requires a permit!) before heading to the museum, and even got photo-bombed by the NYC Ferry. 

No matter where in Queens you get married, stopping by Flushing Corona Meadows Park is a must.

Planning a Queens wedding was definitely an adventure, and we loved every minute of it. Have you had a Queens wedding, or are you planning one of your own? We’d love to hear how you did it in the comments below!