A Boca Raton Wedding Weekend Built on French Garden Style and Old-World Tradition

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Samantha, a senior attorney, and Michael, Director of Business Development, met through family connections in Florida and went on a blind date in New York City. After a seven-hour first date, they knew this was different. Just two and a half months in, Michael invited Sami on a two-week trip to Italy, where he was serving as best man in a friend’s wedding in Sorrento. Following the wedding, the couple took an 800-mile drive from the Amalfi Coast to Puglia and back to Rome, all in a vintage 1972 Alfa Romeo Spider. Along the way, it began to pour, stranding them on the side of the road until locals came to their rescue. By the time they reached Rome, the moment had turned into an “I love you.”

Location: Boca Raton, FL, US
Style: Whimsical, Enchanted, French Garden
Number of guests: 150
Time of planning: 6 months
Setting: Cathedral Ballroom & Outdoor Spaces
Season: Start of Spring

Michael proposed in Central Park on July 26, 2025. Both families flew in from New York and Florida for the occasion, and the celebration continued on the Upper East Side: drinks at the Pierre, dinner at Scalinatella with their families, and a nightcap at Casa Cruz.

The couple initially wanted a destination wedding, but Samantha’s family insisted on keeping things in her hometown of Boca Raton, Florida. So instead, they built a European-inspired wedding at home, with the team at Ella Events by Gabriella Marie planning a weekend that perfectly reflected their love story.

Welcome Dinner

The whole weekend was carefully curated around love, atmosphere, and tradition. It opened with an Italian-style dinner on Valentine’s Day, reimagined into its own branded evening called Casa Wald, setting the tone for the weekend with romance and timeless elegance right from the start.

One especially fun touch: Samantha and Michael gathered photos of all their guests and turned them into caricatures as keepsakes, a playful nod to the old Italian restaurants known for lining their walls with portraits of favorite regulars.

Fashion

The morning of the wedding, Samantha started the day quietly, reading her wedding feature in The New York Times over a cup of coffee, surrounded by her new family and her bridesmaids.

For the ceremony, Samantha wore Berta, a silhouette made specifically for her, finished with a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. “It was one of the first dresses I tried on,” she says, “and I could not stop thinking about it.” The gown balanced elegant and timeless with an unexpected edge, corset detailing and laser-cut lace giving it real personality. Her beauty look stayed just as considered, three different hairstyles worn throughout the day, and a bouquet of lily of the valley in hand.

For the evening, Samantha changed into Oscar de la Renta with Manolo Blahnik heels. “The theme of my wedding was French garden, and I felt like the cherry blossoms captured that feeling. I loved that it was a white-to-pink ombré, which made it feel less bridal. The branch around the neck of the mini dress also felt very on-theme and unique.”

Michael’s tuxedo was one of a kind, custom J. Mueser, embroidered with his initials, finished with Paul Stuart loafers and an Audemars Piguet watch. “I’ve been passionate about custom suiting for years, but I always held off on a bespoke tuxedo,” he says. “I wanted to save that milestone for the right moment. My wedding felt like the only occasion worthy of it. Having already worked with the team at J. Mueser on several suits, I knew their craftsmanship intimately. My brother, mother, and fiancé all attended my fittings, so it really felt like a team effort.”

Pre-Ceremony

Before the ceremony, the traditional religious elements of the Jewish wedding took place in the Cloister Garden and along the dock overlooking the Intracoastal. Guests were welcomed with the Shmorg, a lavish cocktail hour featuring passed hors d’oeuvres and specialty stations tucked into the corners of the space, a sushi boat and hand rolls, a Jewish deli bar with pastrami sandwiches and latkes topped with caviar, and a live-action station where a chef prepared cacio e pepe straight out of a cheese wheel.

The men joined Michael at the Tish, then marched over with a jazz band following the signing of the ketubah and both mothers breaking a plate, a symbol of the profound transition ahead for the mothers and the soon-to-be newlyweds. Samantha entered her Bedeken space, welcomed by guests before settling in among the closest women in her life. Surrounded by family and friends, Michael ceremoniously lowered a veil over Samantha’s face, a gesture representing modesty and signifying that he loves her for her inner, eternal beauty.

For the most memorable moment of the day, Samantha and Michael both pointed to the same thing: the ceremonial pieces. “I thought the Bedeken and the ceremony were the most memorable parts of the day, which is ironic because I did not think that would be the case,” Samantha says. “I thought the area that the Shmorg cocktail hour was set up was perfect and gave that real garden, open feel. We originally had the ceremony set in a different location, but due to weather and wind issues, we had to pivot to this space. The pivot was perfect and made the ceremony feel more intimate.”

Ceremony

The ceremony took place in the middle of the Cloister Garden as the sun began to set, the design coming fully to life in the fading light. Decor centered on the chuppah itself, a light teal green lattice woven with pastel florals, set on a light pink stage. Together, it landed somewhere between tradition and modern design, a French garden vision layered with European maximalist elegance.

Under the chuppah, Samantha and Michael stood alongside their rabbi, immediate family, and the most important people in their lives, making their promise of commitment through seven circles, seven blessings, sips of wine, vows, and a ring exchange. It closed with the breaking of the glass, the moment that arrived right after “I do.”

Planning & Reception Details

Samantha had a clear vision for the day and weekend from the start, certain about what she didn’t want and firm on the elements that mattered most to her. Working closely with the team at Ella Events by Gabriella Marie and floral and design partner Petal Productions, the ideas came together one meeting at a time, colors, fabrics, florals, and statement pieces building into a look that felt bold and distinctly different across every part of the day. Stationery played its own outsized role in the process, key elements from the invitation carried through the entire wedding, the inside of the kippots, the dance floor, the place cards. The concept of mixing patterns and elements traced back to Samantha’s Bat Mitzvah invitation, a design guests still talked about years later, and one she was determined to outdo.

The reception took place in the iconic ballroom of The Boca Raton, the Cathedral, the design built entirely around the architecture and anchored by a gazebo moment at its center. Every inch of the room felt like its own moment, yet came together cohesively in a full maximalist style, four different tablescape looks moving through the space, Ginori charger plates, mixed linen textures, and pastel florals lining the tables with candles nestled in between.

The floor plan centered on a bar tucked inside the gazebo, with lampshades hanging overhead, while chandeliers caught the light off the tables and pillars, and moss-covered fountains sat alongside oversized moss lampshades that framed the room. An eleven-piece band welcomed guests into the ballroom, each one first pulling their name from a floral gathering art piece to find their seat for the evening, high-energy from the very first note.

Reception

After the Walds made their grand entrance into the ballroom, the dance floor filled instantly as the Hora began. Since it marked the last of Michael’s mother’s children to marry, the couple followed with a mezinka, the celebratory Jewish custom honoring parents marrying off their youngest child. Guests then heard the story of how Samantha and Michael met, grew up, and became who they are now.

“Walking into that room and feeling the energy hit you all at once, especially as Sami let me pick our walk-out song, is something I’ll never forget,” Michael says. “I had spent the last seven months hearing about all the plans, and then the doors opened and it’s just… real. The band was incredible, the dance floor never emptied, and watching our families and friends lose themselves in the night meant the world.”

Dinner was coursed out by the catering team at The Boca Raton, closing with a wedding cake that reimagined Cipriani New York’s iconic vanilla toasted meringue cake as a seven-foot-long rectangle, displayed for Samantha and Michael to cut in front of their guests.

For their first dance, the two decided in the moment to skip tradition entirely, since Samantha couldn’t dance in her wedding gown, they officially opened the floor with her in her second look, the cherry-blossom-embellished Oscar de la Renta mini dress, dancing a choreographed routine to “This Will Be” by Natalie Cole. Among the evening’s highlights: Samantha’s uncle performing a special musical number on the keys, and the seven-foot cake rolled out for the two of them to light candles and blow out together, marking the moment for good.

"Seeing the planning that went into the reception come to life was such an incredible experience. I was involved in every single choice and detail, and to see it in real life was surreal. Each flower, each tassel, each plate and chair was a choice I perseverated over. Seeing how our families and friends came together to celebrate us was really what made it so special."

Samantha, The Bride