Not into all the fanfare that accompanies a formal wedding? Freaked out by triple-digit guest lists? Turned off by the 12-piece orchestra, the endless receiving line, the garter toss? If this describes you, then the unwedding may be just your thing. It’s a modern celebration that kicks off this new chapter of life with a fantastic menu, good wines, and spirited conversation, but keeps the standard wedding hoopla to a minimum. Our afternoon reception at New York’s Fig & Olive restaurant proves that a successful wedding, like a good marriage, is all about having everything you want—and nothing you don’t.
A communal table encourage easy-flowing conversation all night. Location and all food and drink, Fig & Olive Kitchen & Tasting Bar, NYC, figandolive.com. Flowers and event design, Lewis Miller, LMD Floral Events Interiors, NYC, lmdfloral.com.
Durng the cocktail hour, guests had the choice of wine, beer, and two distinctive drinks: the grapefruit tulip, (made with Chopin vodka,
chopinvodka.com, Pama pomegranate liqueur,
pamaliqueur.com, and grapefruit, lemon, and pomegranate juices), and the cucumber cosmo (Grey Goose vodka,
greygoose.com, Cointreau,
cointreau.com, lime juice, and pureed cucumber with a rosemary sprig for garnish).
A crisp Pinot Grigio was a good balance for ingredients like truffles and seafood.
Florist Lewis Miller, lmdfloral.com, enhanced the rustic space with a palette of greens and yellows. An oversize arrangement of olive branches—a nod to the Mediterranean menu—and vases of yellow English roses and white anemones looked special, not precious.
When you’ve got only a handful of guests, you can do something fun during the cocktail hour, like an olive oil tasting. A flavorful trio recommended by Fig & Olive, figandolive.com: sweet Moulin Baussy (from France), peppery Marques de Grinon (from Spain), and herbaceous Nocellara (from Italy).
In place of a seated meal, the bride and groom had tasting stations, each paired with a different wine; here, guests sampled two penne dishes, one with truffles and mushrooms, the other combining grilled shrimp and sun-dried tomatoes, both served with a dry, aromatic Pinot Grigio.
Seared scallops got the provencal treatment, with tomatoes, rosemary, and an artichoke puree; the accompanying French Chardonnay had hints of apple and oak.
Any way you slice it, a lemon cheesecake sets a refreshingly modern tone; the citrus flavor was a fitting finish to the menu’s bright, clean dishes. With such a simple dessert, an array of Meyer Lemons was the only embellishment needed.
Could there be a more ideal favor than a bottle of artisanal olive oil, personalized with a rubber-stamped tag and signed by the bride and groom? Oils, Fig & Olive, figandolive.com. “Love En Coeur” rubber stamp, Aladine, 212-463-7035. “Stardream” tag, Paper Presentation, 212-463-7035.
Vases of Toulouse-Lautrec English roses, parrot tulips, ranunculus, jonquils, and geranium leaves were wrapped with stalks of rosemary and conveyed a rustic feel that matched the party room’s European ambience.
