Gabriela and Ricardo's wedding was more like a garden party. Floral dress code, linen tablecloths, bell flowers in a floral arrangement, and a warm intimate guest list. We asked Gabriela about the details of her wedding, as well as the love story with Ricardo.
How did you meet?
We comically met back in 2013, at what was basically a local dive bar. It was a very unromantic setting, but we were introduced by a mutual friend and quickly hit it off. We had on-and-off contact for a few weeks, but nothing came of it. It was when we ran into each other again about 6 months later that we had our first official date. We've been together ever since.
Tell us a little about yourselves.
Ricky and I are very much yin and yang. Ricky has a very driven and organized personality, while I'm much more of a messy softy. Our differences help bring out the best in each other. We are similar in the fact that we are both big foodies, love to cook and drink wine, love to travel, and have always shared the same vision for the future.
Where was your wedding? Why did you choose this venue?
This wedding was actually our second round of wedding planning. Our original wedding was supposed to take place in June 2021 in Mallorca, Spain, where my mother is originally from. It was a bigger and more elaborate wedding. However, COVID-19 had other plans. We held on long enough but ultimately decided that we would rather cancel and do something more intimate. Our best friends, Ian and Virginia, stepped in and very generously offered their country house, “The Roost” in Pine Plains, NY. We had been there a few times and loved the vibe and feel of the house. Ricky is a big country guy and I had always dreamed of having an intimate backyard wedding, so this immediately seemed perfect. Although we loved the idea of our Mallorca wedding, this wedding ended up being much more special and represented us a lot more.
What was the concept behind your wedding and how did you find your inspiration?
I would say we were looking for a contemporary rustic/farm style, something that would really complement the venue. Neither of us was big on white or traditional wedding decor, so our inspiration was very "anti-wedding". We wanted it to feel like a big dinner party versus a formal wedding. We went with lots of unpolished woods, muted color linens, and wildflowers, and used fresh breads, fruits, and nuts as tabletop decor. We sourced a lot of the decor from Etsy and the big stuff from a rental company called North County Vintage. They had a lot of beautiful options and I loved that everything was mix and match, yet cohesive.
How many guests did you have?
We had 65 guests.
Tell us about your outfits.
My wedding dress was custom-made by local Puerto Rican designers, Ecliptica. It was a lacy bodysuit corset, with a flowy silk chiffon skirt and peasant sleeves. Ricky's groom's outfit was a cream-colored linen suit he had custom-made on a trip to Colombia.
What was your first dance song?
"You've got me running in circles" by Sonny Cleveland.
What flowers did you choose for the bride's bouquet and why?
Our florist was a very sweet local flower farmer, Lu-loo from The Edge of Wild Farm. I know nothing about flowers, so my bouquet was actually a surprise. I told Lu-loo I wanted wildflowers with a mix and match of colors and the result was perfect. 
What was your wedding cake like? And where did you order it?
We ordered our cake from a local baker, Kate Snider. She bakes the best cakes, with lots of flavor and personality while not being too sweet. Our cake was orange chiffon with strawberry compote, mocha ganache, salted honey cream, and lots of fresh flowers as decor.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We really lucked out with all our vendors. We found our wedding planner, Melissa Sullivan from Studio Sully, on Instagram. Melissa understood our vision right away, which frankly was not an easy task since I would basically just send her photos of random things I liked. She really helped bring all my random thoughts and ideas into a beautiful and cohesive design. We used an independent caterer, Jeremy Spesard, who is basically a walking encyclopedia for Upstate New York. Anything we needed, he had the answer to. He also gave out the most delicious crispy chicken sandwiches at the end of the night, absolutely no other can compare. For beverages, we used a mobile bar, The Fizzy Filly Bar, which is a beautifully renovated horse box from the 1950s. They were super accommodating to all our requests and the bar itself went really well with our decor. And of course our photographers, Love Bears. We had hired them for our Mallorca wedding and were super happy when they were still available. Photography was a top priority for us from the beginning. We really wanted someone that would document the day naturally and capture the essence that we were going for. Their vibe and style went really well with ours and, as you can see, the result was beautiful.
Bride @gabsbntz
Groom @rickyrivera
Planning: @studiosully
Photo: @lovebears.co
Florals: @theedgeofwildfarm
Cake: @katiesnides
