During Lisa Glickman and Lee Green’s dramatic ceremony, the chuppah was large enough to allow many of their guests to join them beneath it.
After Lisa Glickman and Lee Green became engaged in July 2006, they heard no shortage of suggestions about what type of wedding they should have. Lee’s priority was to accommodate all the people who were important to them. His parents preferred that the food be kosher. Lisa’s mother wanted the event to be fun. And Lisa herself? “I was all about the décor and the environment—what kind of emotion the guests would experience,” she says.
Lisa and Lee with their parents at the ketubah signing before the ceremony.
The couple listened to everyone’s ideas, and Lisa and her mother looked at no fewer than 50 venues from Central New Jersey to Westchester. “I was trying to get to that place where we were all on the same page,” says Lisa, who works in business planning for Eileen Fisher. “You realize it’s not about two people coming together. It’s two lives coming together: both of you, plus your families, your friends, and your co-workers. So you try to find a way to make it work.”
The place cards, calligraphied in chocolate-brown ink.
Lisa and Lee, an associate director in the commercial mortgage group at Bear Stearns, found their solution at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. One major consideration was location. The couple, both 34, live and work in
The letterpress invitation featured a customized font.
After choosing a location that satisfied everyone, Lisa’s real work began as she collaborated with Rocco Agostino of Glen Island to bring her vision to life. Regina LaVecchia of Diana Gould florists in Elmsford worked closely with Lisa on the decor, and A Most Creative Affair of Tarrytown was hired to handle the logistics on the day of the wedding.
Lisa’s strapless ivory gown was designed by Monique Lhullier.
“I’m not sweet and cute, and I knew my wedding wasn’t going to be sweet and cute,” Lisa says. Instead, she went for drama—and planned the wedding in phases, each with a different look, feel, and emotion. “It was important to me to stay true to what was supposed to happen at each moment.”
Lisa and Lee outside at the Glen Island Harbour Club, overlooking the Long Island Sound.
Phase One was the ceremony, which started at 8 pm. What’s most important then? The words. Therefore, to Lisa, an elaborate chuppah wasn’t necessary. Neither were flowers. Instead, she decided to blanket the space with fabric and provide dramatic lighting with candles. Letterpress programs graced each chair. A jazz harpist greeted guests as they walked in, and a guitarist played as the rabbi and grandparents proceeded down the aisle. After that, a true surprise: The Harlem Gospel Choir walked in singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” followed by “At Last” as Lee and his parents entered, followed by Lisa and her parents.
The radiant bride with her bouquet of gardenias, hand-tied with a satin ribbon.
“There’s always music during a ceremony, but who says it has to be a keyboardist or trio?” Lisa asks. “I’d wanted a gospel choir for my wedding since I was ten years old.” She thought she’d be a “sobbing mess” during the ceremony, but she was wrong: “It was the most ridiculously happy moment. I could not stop smiling.”
During the reception, the tables were adorned with a dramatic mix of orchids and greenery.
Phase Two: the cocktail hour, with a focus on food. The couple wanted their guests to feel excited as the reception began, so they chose a deejay who played contemporary pop and lounge-like music. The décor? Red lighting, textured merlot linens, and red votive candles. The mood was energetic and fun, but the highlight was the vast quantity and variety of food, from the food stations (including a New York-style station featuring pastrami, corned beef, and knishes) to the more than 40 passed hors d’oeuvres (plus a vodka bar).
The chocolate cake by Lulu Cake Boutique featured edible orchids and branches.
Phase Three: the reception, with an emphasis on people (370 attended). “The décor was breathtaking but quiet,” Lisa says, with candles, orchids, and a green-and-brown color scheme. Letterpress menus announced the three courses. “The look was unlike anything people had ever seen,” she says. “Everything was meant to evoke a sense of calm, which
we felt would be a great foundation for the party to sprout from.”
Lisa and her maid of honor and bridesmaids, dressed in chocolate silk taffeta gowns by Amsale.
The food, by all accounts, was amazing. (Dinner was an appetizer of onion tart, salmon and caviar, and salad on one plate; a choice of three entrées; and a trio of desserts.) “The guests kept saying they didn’t know kosher food could taste so good,” Lisa says. “When we said the cake was kosher, they almost fell off their chairs.” The band was also terrific:
“They played the most amazing Hora,” Lisa says. “It lasted thirty-five minutes!” The “candy bar,” with 19 different types of confections, set up during the reception by A Most Creative Affair, was also popular. But what really made the event memorable was the emotion, just as the bride had hoped.
The bride and groom dance the Hora, which lasted 35 minutes!
“When I walked into the ceremony space, I was overwhelmed at being a part of it all and seeing the happiness on everyone’s faces,” she says. The couple felt grateful for the contributions their guests had made to their lives and happy to be able to provide them with a beautiful evening. “The wedding was for Lee and me,” she says. “But it was in honor of all of them.”
