Wedding With a View: Intimate Rooftop Nuptials (With a Tiny Guest List) in New York City

updated May 3, 2019

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Bride & Groom: Katharina & Ralf
Wedding Date: August 13, 2015
Venue: 620 Loft and Garden, New York
Number of guests: 14

An intimate wedding day doesn’t have to skimp on the glamour. In fact, a small guest list makes hosting a grand, elegant day just a tiny bit easier (on your stress levels and on your wallet). Sold on the idea? Then do I have the wedding inspiration for you: A seriously chic—and tiny—wedding that took place one late summer afternoon on a Manhattan rooftop.

(Image credit: Sascha Reinking)

For Katharina and Ralf, planning their New York City wedding wasn’t easy. Although they only hosted 14 guests, they planned a lot for their guests to do, including a stunning ceremony on the roof of 620 Loft and Garden followed later by a dinner reception at the Park Hyatt and, oh yeah, a helicopter tour of the city in between. And they planned the whole thing from Germany where they live.

The results, it’s easy to see, were well worth it. The talented photographer Sascha Reinking captured the whole day (and a bunch of one-of-a-kind portraits for them—total Pinspiration), and the groom, Ralf, sat down to tell us a little more about their incredible wedding in the city.

(Image credit: Sascha Reinking)

How would you describe your wedding style?

Classy and elegant.

What was totally “you” about your wedding?

Everything. Every single detail felt like it had our handwriting on it—from the invitation letters, to the pre-dinner with our whole wedding party, to having our 14 guests take a helicopter flight of the city while we went out for wedding photographs. Everything was just a little over the top to make sure this day was as unforgettable for our guests as certainly it was for us.

(Image credit: Sascha Reinking)

Biggest challenge:

Organizing this fantastic day from abroad [in Germany]. We took our time organizing the details and went twice to New York City to meet with vendors.

Proudest DIY:

Our amazing invitations, personalized with a map showing all of the places in NYC which we made a part of our wedding.

Most worthwhile splurge:

The helicopter flight for all of our guests.

(Image credit: Sascha Reinking)

Favorite detail:

One thing money can’t buy—the weather on our wedding day. We were so lucky to get married on the most beautiful day of the whole week with lots of sunshine at our breathtaking location, 620 Loft and Garden.