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Andrea Garcia Gatterer and Maria Rivero Gonzalez met more than a decade ago—but they aren’t exactly sure of the details. “We have each found a strip of photo booth pictures with friends where we appear in the other’s, just in the corner,” Andrea shares. Whatever the circumstances, they weren’t a fit at the time: Maria had just finished her sommelier studies and was moving back to Mexico, and Andrea was just arriving in New York City to attend Parsons.
In 2019, Maria moved back to the United States—specifically, to North Fork, Long Island. The two became close friends. “One lucky night on in September 2019, after a night of gazing at the stars and a few drinks, our relationship materialized into something else,” Andrea says. “From then on, we texted all day long until late at night, sleeping very little and confessing our deepest darkest secrets to each other.” They began a whirlwind romance that included trips to England, Colorado, and Paris. The pair even sheltered in place together during the pandemic. They both knew then that it was meant to be.
“We are lucky and had two engagements,” Andrea says. “In true Maria fashion, she had to beat me to it and went first.” Maria proposed unexpectedly one morning, with coffee and breakfast in bed. The following month, Andrea returned the gesture with a picnic proposal in the very spot they’d say “I do” a year later.
After scrapping plans for a Positano wedding due to pandemic restrictions, the couple decided on a venue close to home: RGNY, the North Fork winery of which Maria is the CEO. “It would still be a destination wedding for our guests, but most importantly, it would be at a place that had deep meaning to both of us,” Andrea says. From there, the vision was solidified: “We wanted it to feel like a dream—a black-tie event in the middle of a vineyard with touches of modernity, vintage, femininity, and a razor-sharp attention to detail,” Andrea describes. “We got a lot of inspiration from the elements and the nature that surrounded us, but wanted to show the duality of that and our city life. Our wedding weekend was our way to invite our guests into our own intimate universe.”
In planning, “we played to each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Andrea says. “I wanted to handpick every flower, plate, linen, and design detail; whereas Maria was heavily focused on music, food, and wine. She chose a wine for every moment and plate served throughout the wedding weekend.” Both brides have Mexican backgrounds, and made sure to pay homage to that. “The most important thing to us was to have a party the Mexican way, which means the service is impeccable, the food is delicious, everything feels relaxed and easy while the party lasts until the next day,” Andrea shares. “Everyone kept being shocked that we planned a party that lasted for more than 12 hours.”
Read on to see all the unique details of their September 11, 2021, wedding, planned by Britt Cole and Francie Doorman of 42 North Events and photographed by Ana Hinojosa.
Andrea has had the same skincare routine since she was a teenager—“Clinique moisturizer and a mix of light and creamy foundations from Clinique and Lancôme,” she says—and saw no reason to change it up for her wedding day. “I wanted to look like myself and not too made up. We kept a natural look that accentuated my eyes.” She went for airy and feminine waves in her hair.
“For me, it was Marina Moscone all the way,” Andrea says of her bridal gown designer. “We met at Parsons 10 years ago;. She is one of my best friends, but also an extremely talented designer.” Andrea had a feeling and vibe in mind, but wasn’t sure the concept or silhouette, so she turned to Marina to bring her abstract concept to life.
“The process of making the dress was a dream,” she says. “I did not see myself wearing a veil, so Marina [created] a cape that incorporated all the motifs from our invitation and wedding designs. It was so personal, original, unique, and meaningful.” The motifs, created by another close friend at Del Rivero Design Co., included “lemons to represent my Italian heritage, cactus for both our Mexican heritages, our spirit animals from the Aztec and Celtic cultures, grapes to symbolize Maria’s passion for wine, and, most importantly, a rocket and a moon with two astronauts, which stand for a saying we have which roughly translates to ‘I love you always and forever, through infinite highways across all galaxies.’”
Maria paired an ethereal Monique Lhuillier gown—actually first spotted by Andrea—with a pair of diamond earrings and a family heirloom brooch.
Though Sag Harbor Florist handled the ceremony and reception florals, the couple turned to a dear friend to create their personal bouquets—and not just one or two. The brides had six in total. “Teresa Montemayor of Elemento Tres is a very talented wedding planner in Mexico,” Andrea says. “She spent the entire morning making three bouquets for each of us that would reflect our personalities.”
Maria and Andrea shared a moment before the ceremony to connect alone and see each other’s stunning bridal ensembles.
The vision for florals and decor combined the brides’ two aesthetics. “A mix of vintage and feminine for Andrea, and sleek and modern for Maria,” Andrea says. “The ceremony layout was a full circle to hold the energy together, and the stage where we stood was surrounded by flowers. We asked Anastasia from Sag Harbor Florist to make it so it would look like we were standing on a cloud of flowers, and she delivered.”
It felt like magic, as if we were the only ones there.
“We walked down the aisle to ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me,’ played by the string quartet and sung by one of Maria’s friends,” Andrea says. “We entered at the same time from opposite sides and facing each other. It felt like magic, as if we were the only ones there, because we looked to each other’s eyes and held our gaze through the entire walk.”
“The ceremony is what truly reflected us as a couple. It was not traditional—it was very honest and heartfelt,” Andrea says. “We read a lot about different rites and ceremonies, and we took what felt important and true to us. We had friends participate by speaking about us and our union, we lit a candle that joined our lights as one, and exchanged rings. There was a fertility and abundance rite where we were showered with birch trees, and we wrote our own vows.”
One of the most special rites they incorporated was the lazo ceremony. “We had a couple friends tie us with a lazo that was handmade by our joint group of girlfriends, and had other friends tie strings to it with good wishes.” Adds Maria: “It’s cliche but it truly felt magical to me. I felt like the there was a bubble of love being contained around us.”
In the moment of their first kiss as newlyweds, “I felt loved,” Andrea says. “It was like reaching a pinnacle in a way. You work hard at planning an event such as this and think of every detail—but, in the end, it is just an opportunity for everyone who loves us to witness our love for each other.”
As the sun set over the landscape, the couple’s 206 guests moved into cocktail hour for sparkling wine and local clams and oysters. “We set up some lounge areas throughout the field, a small preview of what was to come inside the tent,” Andrea says. “We also had a couple peach trees, which served as our ‘wishing trees.’ Guests could write a message or wish for us on the cutest custom tags and then wrap each one on a tree. We will be planting both trees on the property with a plaque that includes our names and wedding date.”
The party moved across the field toward the magically outfitted reception tent. “The setting was everything I had hoped for,” Andrea says. “Sag Harbor Florists did flower arrangements on the poles in the tent that extended until the top, then drooped into the dance floor. They made the most beautiful flower arch at the entrance of the tent, and each table had gorgeous arrangements with candles spread throughout.”
“For every place setting, we sourced vintage china from Borrowed Blu,” Andrea continues. “We wanted each setting to be unique with a different mix of plates and mix-and-match glassware. Modern touches such as the chairs offset the feminine details.”
They made their grand entrance to R.E.M.‘s “Shiny Happy People.” “As we walked in Maria started jumping from excitement and fell to her knees,” Andrea remembers. “It was a funny second that only a couple people saw, then she jumped back up and we finished our walk and sat down.”
“Dinner was served by North Fork Table Inn, one of our favorite restaurants ever,” Andrea says. “Maria chose wines from both RGNY and RGMX to accompany each plate; she wanted to share with everyone her passion and the best wines the family cellar had to offer. An orange wine from RGMX stole the night.” On the plates? Shaved Brussels sprout salad, spiced short rib with potato pave, and broccolini. “There was also a special dessert to represent each bride: Broken chocolate cake for Andrea and poached peach wrapped in pastry for Maria.”
After dinner, they offered carajillos, a hot Mexican coffee drink with liquor. “It is something we drink traditionally in Mexico after lunch or dinner to get the party going. However, it is a rarity in the U.S., so we had to teach the bartenders how to make one. It was fun!”
Music was important to the couple, so they flew in a favorite act from Mexico to get the party going. It kicked off with their first dance pick, “El Baile y el Salón” by Café Tacvba. “It’s a happy song and you could really feel and see our loved ones dancing and smiling to it,” Andrea remembers. “When the song ended, the dance floor was packed!”
“We took a few minutes for just the two of us in the middle of the party; we exited the tent with sparklers to have Ana shoot pictures of us with the tent as the backdrop,” Andrea shares. “It was a great moment to look back and see everyone having fun celebrating us, and to have a few minutes just for ourselves.”
As the reception concluded, guests were moved to yet another location on the property for an epic after-party. “We used a barn where they usually park the tractors and converted it into our very own rave, with the ceiling covered in disco balls and silver paper strings. It was as if we had transported everyone to a warehouse in Brooklyn,” Andrea describes. “There was also a couch with a neon sign that read ‘One Life Stand’—the name of the Hot Chip song we used to kick off the after-party.”
Andrea changed into a second dress, also by Marina Moscone, and a pair of Common Projects sneakers for the event. “I can only describe it as me in dress form,” she says of the custom piece. “It was short and filled with an [ombre] of ostrich feathers from ivory to light pink.”
“No matter what happens, stay true to yourself,” Andrea advises, looking back. “We knew what we wanted from the beginning, and we did not let go of what was important. In the end, what we were left with was the feeling of love that surrounded us—that feeling is what we will hold on to for life.”