Citywide Services

Harvest & Revel is that dreamy catering company that, in addition to food, handles all the event details—beverages, bar packages, staff, flowers, and photographers—that make party planning sort of maddening. Now back to the food. Founder Sara Elise and her staff don’t abide by the set menus typical in the catering space. Instead, you collaborate with them to design a menu that embraces the season and suits the particulars of the event you’re hosting. Every bite prepared by the Harvest & Revel team is sustainable, locally grown (when possible), health-forward, and exquisitely presented.

Roey Yohai runs his New York studio with his wife, Zoe. The couple met many years ago while Yohai was in Greece on assignment, when he was a photojournalist. The photographer’s experience shooting candid portraits, wanderlust-y travel pictures, and, of course, editorial spreads means Yohai brings a depth and realism to his images. Instead of staged (and, too often, stiff) wedding pictures, he excels at capturing natural, spontaneous moments.

Imperfect Produce is arguably the most sustainable, cost-effective, and convenient produce delivery service. These days, even fruit and vegetables need to meet cosmetic standards to make it to the display shelves at the grocery store, meaning, thousands of tons (or one in five pieces of produce) that don't meet these standards of aesthetic perfection, go to waste. Imperfect Produce collects this perfectly edible and highly nutritious food directly from the farms and delivers it to subscribers weekly (these boxes are customizable so you receive the produce you'll actually use). An added bonus: aside from the food- and water-saving aspect, this mode of shopping is up to 50-percent cheaper than hitting up the grocery store.

Chris Hessney founded his eponymous event planning and design company after more than ten years of working in the event management field. He’s earned a reputation for his expertise in brand identity and decision making (and excellent taste, we must add), with a roster of clients that includes Vogue, Andre Balazs, Stuart Weitzman, and many others. He thoroughly considers every detail.

While photographs certainly capture the visuals and aesthetic of a wedding, nothing captures the actual experience like film. Naz Melconian shoots weddings and other events on Super 8 and edits them into 5-minute videos that can be easily shared with friends and family. Melconian is very much an artist, so these aren’t exactly your dad’s home videos; they’re gorgeously shot and edited, and the finished product has an emotional quality that’s enormously powerful. He's based in Toronto, but travels to New York and LA frequently for shoots.

Jennifer Wang is a former fashion girl (she used to be with our denim favorite, 3x1) who was arranging flowers for friends until it grew into a full-fledged business. Her bouquets, which can be ordered online for delivery, incorporate whatever's in season—in addition to being more sustainable, that also keeps things surprisingly affordable. We love Jen for small events, like dinner parties or an intimate wedding, as she makes the most perfect, natural-looking mini-bouquets that are perfect for tablescapes.

Real-life couple Ken Juska and Ro Agents come as a two-for-one package deal that includes both DJ and photographer. In addition to his practice as a beautiful collage artist, Kenan DJ's a long-standing radio show, Chances with Wolves. At weddings, he's known for playing records that keep everyone on the dance floor without selling out to the predictable set list—expect lots of Motown and everyone saying "I love this song—I haven't heard it in forever!" Ro is a documentary photographer during the week, whose style shines through in her photography, as nothing ever seems posed or staged. She's got a way with natural light, always finding the best spots for post-ceremony family shots. They're based in Brooklyn, but they'll travel (to Manhattan and beyond) for weddings.

45 Riots is the real deal—members of their band are not only regulars on the New York nightclub circuit, but they've also toured globally, playing in bands for Prince, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys...the list is as impressive as it is long. They're universally considered to be one of the best Motown bands in New York, and their combination of old-school classics and newer songs (their big-band version of "Drunk in Love" is insane) makes them incredibly easy to dance to. Our advice? Wear flats.

In addition to being a great fried chicken joint, with easy-going locations in Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, Pies ‘n’ Thighs caters parties and weddings (to every guest’s delight). Their Southern food is supremely authentic, and although the fried chicken is, again, particularly standout, their pies are just as good.

Okay, so Elizabeth Messina is more likely to be available for your granddaughter’s wedding than for yours, but her photographs are probably the most respected (and Pinned) in the industry. She’s a magician with light, and her style is delicate and ethereal, with delicate lines, soft colors, and enchantingly natural posing. She’s an artist when it comes to form, but that doesn’t mean she can’t capture the emotion and happiness of an event; her bride-and-groom photographs are all love and joy.