Letter From The Editor

Over the holidays, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum: I had run out of gift ideas for my husband. I pride myself as a person with a knack for always finding (or creating!) the perfect gift, but after 10 years of marriage and dozens of shared occasions, this well was running dry. I needed something that would make him smile, speak to his interests, and encapsulate our love and life together. But as my husband could tell you,

we are running out of wall space for another one of my homemade macaroni art quality projects.

The first gift I bought was a silly filler item; a customized 2” wooden block with different meal options on all six sides so neither of us would have to make the dreaded decision of what to eat for dinner on any given night. When it arrived in the mail, I sat with it and thought to myself: gee, I wish this die had more sides. That’s the thing about New York – there is no shortage of options, and that applies to everything from takeout to wedding venues and vendors.

As new places emerge every day, there are moments when we’re eager to discover the new and cutting-edge. Other times, we crave the comforts of a tried-and-true familiar. And sometimes, we’re just totally flustered by the exorbitant amount of brilliant options this city presents us with, that rolling the dice begins to look like an attractive idea. But unlike a GrubHub meal, weddings are filled with composites of a seemingly endless set of decisions, and every one of them matters. You probably won’t regret ordering in pitas on the fly, but you’ll want to make sure you make the best choices for all elements of your wedding.

It all may seem daunting today, but I would challenge you to swap “options” for “opportunities”. Every venue and vendor you’ll find in this magazine uniquely delivers a moment in time that will be forever cherished. It doesn’t matter if you have 40 guests or 400, and choose between a metropolitan reception in the city or a sprawling manor soiree 90 minutes away; where you end up is where you were meant to be. At Sophisticated Weddings, we’re here to point you in the right direction – your right direction.

In the spirit of opportunity, while deciding from a vast number of our area’s options for where to shoot our cover for 2024, we let our gut guide us to one of our favorite venues: Tribeca Rooftop. This chic, industrial downtown venue flawlessly inhabits the essence of our beloved concrete jungle, with an iconic skyline curtaining the backdrop, as it invents unforgettable moments from within. Faithful to tradition, it feeds our appetite for the old and new; this is a place we’ve long known and loved, and recently it has seen a renovation that expands its reach, with more grounding and exposure than ever before to those NYC incredible sunsets. In fact, it is one of a small handful of Manhattan venues that can accommodate separate spaces for the ceremony, cocktail hour, main reception, and even an after party from its rooftop terrace. We could think of no better place to bring home Chicago Med alum and bride-to-be Torrey DeVitto, as she returns to her native New York for an exclusive photo shoot and interview in Celebrate (page 26).

In this issue, we also head uptown with celebrity interviewer and lifestyle influencer Ali Stagnitta in Going Up (page 54), which captures her in one graceful and alluring gown after another at the marvelous JW Marriott Essex House along Central Park South. From the legendary Pierre Hotel and its newly renovated ballroom, inspiration jumps off the pages in Timeless Romance (page 68), as affianced influencers and models Malika Miller and Dominic D’Angelica play dress-up in anticipation of their wedding later this year. And since there’s something to be said for stepping out from this urban playground, we’ll dive into all our favorite venues 90 minutes or less away in Outside the City (page 100), as well the destinations around the world that have captured our hearts from Aruba to Morocco in the Wanderlust section (page 136).

In case you’re wondering whether I ever figured out a suitable gift for my husband, I’m happy to report that I’d once again crushed it – gift-giver reputation intact. And we never did use that decision block for dinner… because it turns out, when you’re with the right person – the person you love – the answers always seem to emerge from within, whether it’s dinner, the perfect gift, or the scenery we create for the most special day of our lives. For your wedding day, the decisions lie with you, but rest assured, we’ll be here to guide, support, and cheer you on every step of the way.

Yours for everything except deciding dinner,

Samantha