Weekend Wedding Featured in Boston Globe. Rachel + Nick . 6.21.25
A Real-Life Rom-Com in the Hudson Valley
Rachel & Nick at The Maples Estate
June 21, 2025 | Schoharie, NY
If ever there were a wedding that felt like a modern-day love story come to life, it was Rachel and Nick’s. Their relationship began—fittingly for the times—over Zoom, during a group hang that turned into an unexpectedly intimate four-hour conversation. Fast forward five years, and those same two friends exchanged handwritten vows beneath the trees at The Maples Estate, our serene garden wedding venue tucked along the banks of the Schoharie Creek River in upstate New York.
Their story, filled with friendship, food, and fate, captured hearts well beyond their guest list—it was even featured in The Boston Globe.
The Setting: Nature, Architecture & Heart
Rachel and Nick chose The Maples Estate for its blend of relaxed natural beauty and modern comfort—exactly what they wanted for their Hudson Valley wedding weekend. With most of their 120 guests traveling from New Jersey and Massachusetts, the property served as the perfect midpoint and an ideal canvas for their vision: an elegant, multi-day celebration that still felt approachable, unpretentious, and full of fun.
Rachel and Nick’s Friday night rehearsal dinner featured fresh wood-fired pizza and raw bar by Otter Rock Shellfish followed by a welcome ice cream social on the cocktail lawn with Ben & Jerry’s.
The couple married outdoors under a canopy of trees, surrounded by lush summer greens and floral arrangements of anthuriums and Phalaenopsis orchids—artful, tropical, and modern, much like the pair themselves. The ceremony space overlooked the creek, where the sound of the water and a soft breeze carried through as they read their vows, promising to cherish not just the extraordinary moments, but “the joys found in the mundane and everyday.”
The Design: A Modern, Meaningful Fusion
For Rachel—a co-creator of Two Taste Buddiez, Boston’s food content platform with over 100K followers on both TikTok and IG—design and food were inextricably linked. The couple wanted the day to feel like a reflection of their shared values: elevated but unfussy, personal but polished.
Their aesthetic struck that balance beautifully. Hand-painted watercolor signage greeted guests with pops of soft color, while tablescapes mixed modern ceramics with organic greenery and warm, flickering candlelight. The overall effect felt sophisticated yet alive, the kind of beauty that feels effortless because it’s deeply personal.
After dinner, Rachel swapped her Nadia Manjarrez wedding gown for a red dress by Hong Kong designer Cheryl Leung‘s label, Sau Lee, for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony—one of many thoughtful nods to her family and heritage. The celebration’s Asian American fusion design extended beyond tradition, weaving subtle cultural details through the food, music, and energy of the night.
The Food: A Culinary Experience
Food was, of course, a defining feature of the weekend. The couple partnered with Dave the Butcher, a Hudson Valley-based caterer known for open-fire cooking and farm-sourced ingredients. Guests watched as a whole roast pig was carved on-site during cocktail hour, then served with tangy fish sauce vinaigrette for dinner—a crowd favorite.
Dinner unfolded in the pavilion under soft lighting, with long tables set for shared plates and laughter. The meal ended with not one, but two cakes: a three-foot-long dark chocolate cake with pretzel caramel for guests, and a small vegan carrot cake with lemon curd just for the couple. Every bite mirrored Rachel’s philosophy as a food influencer: food is connection, creativity, and celebration all at once. They even had late night truffle smash burgers distributed on the dance floor.
The Celebration: Pets, Pop Songs & Pure Joy
As twilight fell, the evening shifted into a joyful blur of dancing, music, and moments that felt straight out of one of Nick’s favorite rom-coms. Their miniature dachshund, Millie, and Rachel’s family dog, Lydia, stole the show as “flower pups”—a detail that perfectly captured the couple’s playfulness and warmth.
Guests roared with laughter as oversized cutouts of the pups (“Fatheads”) joined them on the dance floor to Taylor Swift’s Love Story, kicking off one of the most exuberant parties of the season. Later, for their first dance, the newlyweds swayed to Kina Grannis’s acoustic version of Can’t Help Falling in Love, from Crazy Rich Asians—a nod to both culture and cinematic romance.
It was a fitting full-circle moment for Nick, who had spent the early days of lockdown streaming rom-coms and wondering about the different ways people fall in love. His story found its happy ending—right here, in the middle of the Hudson Valley, under strings of light and a sky full of stars.
Why The Maples Estate
Rachel and Nick’s wedding embodies everything we love about what’s possible here at The Maples Estate: a celebration that’s intentional, design-forward, and deeply personal. From the creekside tree ceremony to the late-night dance floor, every space on the property helped tell a part of their story.
Whether you’re planning a garden wedding in Upstate NY, a fusion celebration that honors culture and modern style, or a weekend-long food-and-music-filled retreat, our team will help you craft an experience that feels uniquely yours
The Vendor Team
Venue / Coordination: @themaplesestate
Caterer: @davethebutcherny
Bartending: @bts.eventsupportcrew
Cake: @atinykitchennyc
Florist: @petaltothemetal_florals
Photographer: @atmnjrdn
Social Media: @socialhourwedding
Hair & Makeup: @pentmakeupartist
Rentals: @TBIRDS
DJ: @maddalone.entertainment
Officiant: @lynnwoodreformed
Transportation: @durham_school_services
Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: @fornrosso_hv
Ice Cream: @benandjerrys
Rehearsal Dinner Seafood: @otterrockshellfish
Hotel Block: @courtyardschenectady
Stationery: @bysabrinawarren
Printing: @markharrisstationers
Dress Shop: @wanderatelier
Dress Designer: @nadiamanjarrezbridal
Cheongsam: @saulee
Mini Dress: @shop_cinq
Suit Shop: @suitsupply
Bride: @racheleeng @twotastebuddiez