Eight years after meeting as college students at a housewarming party, Nick Best proposed to Stephanie Sofer at their own New York City home. “I was able to hire Juilliard musicians to play live and create a really perfect backdrop,” Nick explains. “Steph’s mom is a jewelry designer, so the proposal was made even more special by the fact that I was proposing with an engagement ring her mom designed.”
Once engaged, Stephanie kept picturing their wedding somewhere green. “I wanted essentially an elevated garden party aesthetic, which is difficult to do in NYC,” the bride shares. “Early on in our search, I stumbled across a picture of a ceremony at Pippin Hill and it was exactly what I had imagined.”
Elizabeth Gopal of East Made Co. sold the pair on the venue and hosting their late spring celebration in Charlottesville, and Anya Kernes was behind the lens. To set the tone, Dear Elouise crafted a lush invitation suite.
Curating the wedding wardrobe was the most fun part of planning for Stephanie. She started in an Oscar de la Renta look for the welcome party at Keswick Vineyards and then put on her mom’s own engagement dress, which her grandmother had preserved.
“I knew early on I would end up choosing a Monique Lhuillier dress for the ceremony, because I love the romantic, classic look of a lace wedding dress,” she explains. “I ended up swapping in the bodice of one dress to combine with the lace and skirt that I loved in another and adding the jacket. I really loved how it came together, I remember feeling like the most beautiful version of myself in that dress.”
Stephanie and her mother, Tanya Farah, designed earrings for the service and picked out existing pieces from her jewelry line for the rest of the weekend. “It was really special to design earrings with her that I know will become family heirlooms,” the bride reflects. And on the morning-of, Stephanie got glammed up with Caitlyn Meyer.
Nick complemented the bride in a white tuxedo jacket for the ceremony but changed into a gold Armani tuxedo jacket for the reception. “One of my favorite parts of the wedding outfit was a pair of cufflinks Steph gifted to me that were designed by her mom and had our custom wedding logo on them,” the groom shares.
On June 17, 2023, the couple’s rabbi performed the wedding ceremony on a hill overlooking the vineyard and Blue Ridge Mountains. “We decided to write our own vows, and I’m so glad we did, because it’s the part of our wedding that I remember most clearly,” Stephanie shares. “I will always cherish making our friends and family cry—happy tears.”
After cocktails, a delicious reception meal was served, and the couple attempted to sneak away of some portraits as the sun set. “Looking back at photos from the weekend, those are some of my favorites,” Nick shares. “Everyone saw us leave and followed us outside, and it was really magical to enjoy the sunset with everyone and have so many great photos.”
Back on the dance floor, Jarrell Entertainment kept the energy up all evening. The newlyweds shared a first dance to “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna and cut their wedding cake by Cake Bloom. And then Stephanie changed into a silver sequined midi Carolina Herrera dress that was easy to dance in.
After saying farewell to their loved ones the next morning at brunch, Stephanie and Nick departed on a honeymoon to South Africa and Mozambique.
