Your New York City
Wedding Planning Guide
The dress shops, planners, venues, and vendors we’d actually book ourselves. Pulled from a decade of getting to know who delivers in this city, and who doesn’t.
Not sure where to start? We’ll match you.
Tell us your date, budget, and style. We’ll send you 3 personally chosen NYC vendors within 24 hours.
Where to Get Married in NYC
Your venue sets the tone for everything else, and New York has the kind of range you don’t get anywhere else. These five we’ve spotlighted ourselves, plus a guide to city hall for the brides keeping it tight.
Brooklyn Grange
Made for a Queens rooftop wedding with non-traditional Brooklyn-Manhattan-bridge sightlines.
Rooftop Farm · Queens
Read the venue reviewBrooklyn Winery
Best for a turnkey Williamsburg wedding without coordinating ten outside vendors.
Urban Winery · Williamsburg
Read the venue reviewBrooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
Right call for a small-to-mid Brooklyn wedding with quiet historic-NY character.
Historic Brownstone · Park Slope
Read the venue reviewBrooklyn Historical Society
Worth it if your wedding aesthetic is bookish, library-magazine, or Wes Anderson-leaning.
Historic Library · Brooklyn Heights
Read the venue reviewRoberta’s
The pick for anti-fancy Brooklyn-restaurant style with a backyard.
Restaurant Venue · Bushwick
Read the venue reviewNYC City Hall Weddings
Worth a read if you’re skipping the full production for a sharp, quick, perfectly-NYC legal ceremony.
Courthouse · Lower Manhattan
Read the city hall guideWhere to Shop for Your Wedding Dress in NYC
New York has more legendary bridal salons than almost anywhere in the country. We send brides who know exactly what they want, and brides who haven’t a clue yet, to the same short list.
The Top 10 Wedding Dress Stores in NYC
Use it as a one-Saturday salon-hopping plan that hits the right designer rosters for your aesthetic.
Updated 2026 · Manhattan + Brooklyn
Read the full guideHow NYC Brides Shop Differently
Read it for which salons to actually shop at, when designer trunk shows hit NYC first, why alterations cost double the national average, and why NYC brides are doing City Hall in mini dresses.
2026 trends · Sourced from Knot, Pinterest, Kleinfeld
Read the breakdownHair, Makeup & Med Spas
The glam squad on your wedding morning, and the facials and laser work in the six months leading up. Verified NYC artists and studios, with starting budgets where they publish them.
Bridal Med Spas
Skinney Medspa
Worth it if you’re considering body work (which needs 6+ months of runway) or want one medspa with the full menu under one membership.
Per-treatment · ~$200–$2,000 per session · 3 NYC locations
Visit skinneymedspa.comHeyday Skincare
Best for a steady maintenance facial every 4–6 weeks for the six months before the wedding, not a procedural plan.
Facial memberships $80–$110/month · 6 locations
Visit heydayskincare.comDeep Blue Med Spa
Made for brides in strapless or low-back dresses whose photographer is going to focus on the shoulders.
Bridal Beauty Plan · custom multi-session · 1040 Park Ave
Visit deepbluemedspa.comTribeca MedSpa
Best for brides who want a personalized plan led by a board-certified dermatologist instead of a one-size bundle.
Custom bridal program · 4.8★ on 154 reviews · 114 Hudson St
Visit tribecamedspa.comBridal Makeup Artists
Miss Harlequin
Best if you have a bigger bridal party and want one team to handle everyone in one room in three hours.
Bride from $400 · party packages $1,500+ · Chelsea + on-location
Visit missharlequin.comLemondy
The pick if you want polished, less-is-more makeup and you’d rather book one team for both hair and makeup.
Hair + makeup packages from ~$650 · Midtown + on-location
Visit lemondy.comBeauty by Fomicheva
Worth it if you want one solo artist who knows your face and can also pre-set your brows or lips before the day.
Bride from $350 · solo artist
Visit fomichevabeauty.comBridal Hair Stylists
The Salon Project by Joel Warren
Made for a Midtown wedding (Plaza, St. Regis, Pierre, Lotte) where you’d rather be at a salon getting your hair done than running around a hotel suite.
In-salon styling · ~$300–$475 per bridal look · Rockefeller Center
Visit thesalonproject.comWarren Tricomi
Right call if your hair has specific needs (very fine, very thick, very curly) and you want the stylist who’s done that texture a hundred times.
In-salon styling · ~$300–$475 per bridal look · Madison Ave
Visit warrentricomi.comHidden Gem Atelier
Best for Brooklyn and LIC weddings where you want a small-team feel over a 50-artist agency.
Boutique · $300–$475 per bridal style · Greenpoint
Visit gemhousesalon.comPlanners & Officiants
A good planner is the single best investment you can make. A good officiant turns the ceremony from fine into one you’ll actually want to rewatch.
NY Wedding Planners Share Their Favorite Vendors
Worth a read if you’re hiring a planner and want to see who THEY work with, or if you want to skip a planner and just hire their network directly.
Real planner picks · NYC
Read their picksTop 10 Highest-Rated NYC Officiants
Use it if you’re skipping a religious officiant and want someone who’ll write something personal, not generic.
Compiled from reviews · Manhattan + Brooklyn
See the listNYC Florists We Send Brides To
Flowers run from a $5,000 small ceremony to a $100,000+ Plaza-installation moment. These are the NYC studios couples keep telling us about, with starting budgets so you can find the fit before you reach out.
VH Floral Design Studio
Right call if your wedding crosses NYC and Hudson Valley and you want one florist who handles both ends.
Mid-tier · typically $8K–$15K · NYC + Hudson Valley
Visit vhfloraldesign.comDesigns by Ahn
Best for a bride who wants quiet, intentional flowers and would hate centerpieces that overpower dinner conversation.
Mid-tier · typically $8K–$15K · NoMad
Visit designsbyahn.comSachi Rose
Made for the bride whose Pinterest is heavy on moody, layered, slightly untamed floral work.
Mid to luxury · typically $10K–$25K · Manhattan
Visit sachirose.comStems Brooklyn
Right call if your wedding is at a loft, garden, or rooftop AND sustainability is non-negotiable for you.
From $10K · Bushwick
Visit stemsbrooklyn.comOvando
The pick when your venue is a hotel or skyline-view ballroom. They already know the room.
Luxury · typically $20K–$50K · UES + West Village
Visit ovandony.comBelle Fleur
Worth the splurge if your wedding is at the Plaza, Pierre, or Mandarin Oriental and you want flowers that feel rich and considered, not trendy.
Luxury · Plaza/Pierre tier · Manhattan
Visit bellefleurny.comLewis Miller Design
Especially for brides who hate the word ‘tasteful’ and want their wedding to feel like a happening, not a wedding.
Top-tier · Vogue-feature pricing · Garment District
Visit lewismillerdesign.comRachel Cho Floral Design
Best for luxury-tier work without the dramatic-installation editorial-photographer markup.
Luxury · from $10K minimum · Long Island City
Visit rachelchodesign.comPoppies & Posies
Made for an estate, garden, or Hudson Valley wedding where you want flowers that look picked from a private garden.
Mid to luxury · typically $10K–$30K · NYC + Hudson Valley
Visit poppiesandposies.comNYC Caterers Worth Booking
Catering will be the single biggest line item on your NYC wedding budget. By a lot. These are the names couples keep talking about, with starting per-person prices and minimums where they publish them.
Pinch Food Design
Worth it at a loft, gallery, or museum where you want your cocktail hour to be the thing guests Instagram.
Luxury · $300–$450/person · $10K NYC minimum
Visit pinchfooddesign.comGreat Performances
Best for a NYC landmark venue where you want a team that already knows the building.
Top-tier · $350–$600/person · Citywide
Visit greatperformances.comCreative Edge Parties
Made for Cipriani, Mandarin, or private-club weddings where you want plated dinner that holds up next to the rest of the production.
Luxury · $300–$450/person · West Village
Visit creativeedgeparties.comBartleby & Sage
Right call if your guest list pulls from multiple cultures and you want a menu that represents everyone without making it the whole story.
Mid-tier · $200–$300/person · Bushwick
Visit bartlebyandsage.comDish Food & Events
Best if your party has serious gluten-free, vegan, kosher-style, or allergy needs and you want it handled without it being the whole story.
Mid-tier · $200–$300/person · Long Island City
Visit dishfoodnyc.comUnapologetic Foods
The pick for a South Asian wedding, or for Indian food that becomes the thing your guests text you about the next morning.
Mid-tier · ~$200–$300/person · West Village
Visit unapologeticfoods.comAbigail Kirsch
Made for a guest count of 150+, especially at Pier Sixty, Tappan Hill Mansion, or the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers.
Top-tier · $350–$600/person · Garment District
Visit abigailkirsch.comHometown Bar-B-Que
Right call for Brooklyn-style anti-fancy, or if you want the food to be the moment without an institutional-caterer markup.
BBQ tier · $85–$150/person · Red Hook
Visit hometownbarbque.comNYC Cake Designers Brides Talk About
From couture sugar artists who cake at the Plaza to the bakery you’d book if your wedding mood is “the cake my mom would have wanted.” Plus the vegan/gluten-free specialist who somehow tastes like neither.
Ron Ben-Israel Cakes
Worth the splurge for a Pinterest-moment cake at a top-tier hotel wedding (Plaza, Pierre, Mandarin).
Couture · from $20/slice · $1,000 minimum · Garment District
Visit weddingcakes.comCharlotte Neuville Cakes
Made for a wedding designed around stationery or fabric details you want the cake to echo.
Couture · $20–$35/slice · Chelsea
Visit charlotteneuvillecakes.combyPensa
Right call for a single-tier or two-tier sculptural cake that’s about flavor as much as design.
Boutique custom · from $300 minimum · East Williamsburg
Visit bypensa.comLael Cakes
Right call if you have a celiac or dairy-allergy family member and want an inclusive cake without making it the whole story.
Boutique custom · $12–$22/slice · Bed-Stuy
Visit laelcakes.comDuchess of Cameron
The pick if you want a cake that photographs like fine art but tastes like a real bakery, not a paint job.
Hand-painted · $15–$25/slice · Manhattan
Visit duchessofcameron.comEmpire Cake
Best for a tight cake budget when you still want a NYC bakery worth its name.
Classic NYC · $8–$15/slice · under $1,500 budgets possible · Chelsea
Visit empirecake.comMah-Ze-Dahr Bakery
Worth it for a luxury cake that also ships nationwide via Goldbelly. Useful if your wedding spans cities.
Luxury · $20+/slice · 225 Liberty St
Visit mahzedahrbakery.comMagnolia Bakery
Made for a classic NYC buttercream cake plus a pudding or cupcake station for the cake-skeptics in your party.
Classic NYC · $8–$15/slice · West Village + multi-location
Visit magnoliabakery.comNYC Wedding DJs & Live Bands
The music vendor you book is the one whose set you can imagine your specific guests dancing to. Reviews and awards are useful. Taste alignment is the actual test.
Wedding DJs
Beat Train Productions
Best for couples who want a music-first DJ (no cheesy MC moves, no forced crowd-work) and a clear roster-matching process.
From $1,450 · average wedding $3.5K–$5K · Brooklyn
Visit beattrainproductions.comMarcus Ho DJ
Made for a multicultural wedding where you need a DJ who can MC in more than English.
From $2,750 (6-hour package) · Manhattan
Visit marcushodj.comBen Boylan
The pick if your nightmare scenario is a DJ who talks over the music or runs the Cupid Shuffle unprompted.
Mid-tier · no overtime charges · Brooklyn
Visit nontraditionalweddingdjs.com74 Events
Right call if your music vibe leans hip hop, disco, soul, or your guests skew musical-nerd.
From $2,500 · Brooklyn
Visit 74events.comLive Wedding Bands
Hank Lane Music
Made for a NYC ballroom wedding where you want a turnkey agency rather than vendor-by-vendor.
$12K–$16K for 8–10 piece · agency · Midtown
Visit hanklane.comAtomic Funk Project
Worth it for full-throttle live energy with soul, funk, and R&B as the spine of the dance floor.
Top tier · ~$15K–$25K · 12-piece · NYC
Visit atomicfunkproject.com45 Riots
Best for a Spotify that leans Arctic Monkeys more than Earth Wind & Fire, where you don’t want a band that sounds like a wedding band.
Mid-tier · ~$10K–$18K · 190 reviews at 5.0
Visit 45riots.comMod Society
Right call if your aesthetic is modern-vintage and you don’t want to hire a separate cocktail-hour band.
$9K–$15K · cocktail jazz + dance band · Brooklyn
Visit modsocietyband.comNYC Photographers Whose Galleries Made Us Stop Scrolling
The photographers who shot the NYC weddings featured on this site, plus the editorial-tier studios we’ve watched our planner friends book again and again. Scroll the galleries to find whose eye matches yours.
Sarah Tew Photography
Best for couples who want a documentary storyteller who’s covered everything from Brooklyn lofts to Manhattan ballrooms.
Mid-tier · ~$7K–$12K · NYC + Tri-State
See Sarah’s WGM weddingsDon Hwang
Made for a Brooklyn loft, warehouse, or warm-natural-light venue.
Accessible mid-tier · Brooklyn + Long Island
See Don’s WGM weddingZorz Studios
The pick for fine-art editorial work without the $30K editorial-tier price tag.
From $2,900 · Manhattan
See their WGM weddingOLLI Studio
Right call if you want video AND photo from one studio without coordinating two separate teams.
Combined photo + cinema · mid-tier · Garment District
See their WGM weddingChristian Oth Studio
Made for a Plaza/Pierre-tier wedding with a possible destination component (Como, Venice, Paris).
Editorial luxury · $25K+ · Manhattan
Visit christianothstudio.comAnée Atelier
Worth the splurge if your dream wedding photos look styled by a Vogue editor.
From $30K · 173 reviews at 5.0 · Manhattan
Visit aneeatelier.comSusan Stripling Photography
Best for photojournalistic coverage from someone who knows every NYC venue’s light and logistics.
Top-tier · ~$12K–$25K · 25 years NYC · Brooklyn
Visit susanstripling.comTati and Roman
The pick for film grain in your gallery without sacrificing the certainty of digital backup.
Mid to top-tier · film + digital · Brooklyn
Visit tatiandroman.comReal Weddings from Brides Like You
The brides who got married in New York and let us tell their story. Steal whatever you want from these.
Once You Have Your Shortlist, We’ll Handle the Rest
Our Smart Wedding Planner walks you through everything from budget to seating chart, built from twelve years of helping brides not lose their minds. And the budget tool below will tell you what your NYC wedding is actually going to cost.
Know a NYC Vendor or Venue We Should Add?
We update this guide constantly. If you’ve worked with a florist, planner, photographer, hair or makeup artist, med spa, or venue in NYC who you’d recommend to a friend, tell us. We read every email.
Send Your RecommendationWhat kind of vendor are you looking for?
Pick one. We’ll match you to the best NYC options for your wedding.
When’s the wedding?
A rough idea is fine. We just want to know how far out you are.
What’s your budget for this vendor?
No judgment, just helps us match you with people in your range.
What’s your aesthetic?
Pick whichever feels closest. We won’t hold you to it.
What matters most in this vendor?
Pick the one thing you’d compromise least on.
Your 3 matches are ready.
Enter your email and we’ll unlock your personalized vendor picks below. Never spam, never shared.
Three NYC vendors picked just for you.
Based on your timing, budget, aesthetic, and what matters most to you. Reach out to any of them directly. We’ve already sent these picks to your email too.