Elana & Greg: The Art of Love at Angel Orensanz Foundation

After connecting through the dating app, The League, Elana and Greg had their first date in May 2016 at La Esquina, the trendy Mexican restaurant in Nolita. Talking to mutual friends eased any nerves before their initial meeting. Elana remembers how easy that night felt for her. “Our quirky senses of humor helped us hit it off from the beginning. I was drawn to Greg’s dedication to his family, career ambition, and generosity. And he has a great smile.” As their relationship evolved and became more serious, she was the first to say, “I love you.” The feelings were mutual with Greg admitting, “I have been waiting to say those same words for a very long time.”

We are excited to introduce Elana, our BB Featured Bride for February. She and Greg married on an unforgettable autumn day at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. Here, she shares the first chapter of their Real BB Wedding story.

Part 1: Proposal & Planning

Greg set the bar on how to pull off an epic surprise proposal despite marriage already being a topic of conversation. The couple looked forward to Sunday mornings in their Greenwich Village apartment, reading the New York Times over breakfast. Acting as though a particular ‘public notices and lost & found’ in the classifieds caught his attention, Greg circled it, then gave the section to Elana. Addressing her by name in bold capital letters, the ‘ad’ read as a declaration of love and commitment signed by ‘Greg Borofsky.’ “Just as I finished reading it, he got down on one knee and formally proposed,” Elana recalls. “I was completely taken off guard in the moment.”

 

 

After becoming engaged in September 2019, the couple started looking at wedding venues. “We looked at a lot of venues in New York City. We’re not ‘hotel ballroom’ kind of people and wanted a place that had special character and a distinct history.” Elana continues, “I fell in love with Angel Orensanz Foundation after seeing pictures a year before we got engaged. The venue was always our first choice, and part of my wedding vision early on.”

Located in the Lower East Side, the Angel Orensanz Foundation was originally built in 1849 making it the oldest living synagogue building in New York City. Its austere facade opens to a captivating interior space that seems to defy place and time. Marked by a soaring vaulted ceiling, the main room unfolds in a series of arched galleries, columns, and ornate moldings done in the Gothic Revival architectural style. Today, it operates as an event and exhibition center – PS1/MoMA, The Whitney Museum, Alexander McQueen, Philip Glass, and Maya Angelou have all presented work there.

The couple planned to get married after a year-long engagement. “As we were signing vendor contracts, the pandemic started getting serious,” Elana says. “With the stress of uncertainty, we decided to move our wedding back a year.” After talking with vendors to make sure they were available, the couple set a new date for 2021. “Because we made the call early on, postponing was fairly seamless. While it was disappointing and difficult at the time, in hindsight, we were really glad to have waited.”

 

 

In addition to its magical atmosphere, the fact that the Angel Orensanz Foundation hosted such celebrated creative luminaries appealed to Elana, who works as a creative art director. She wanted their wedding to communicate this fact and be a meaningful art experience for guests. “In thinking about design and style, I aimed to balance unique and artistic with timeless. Before meeting with Bride & Blossom, I knew we were going to have white flowers with greenery and black accents. Greg is color blind, so these colors made sense to us. I wanted our decor to feel edgy, modern, and sculptural, yet classical.” She finishes with a laugh, “I’ll place blame on my job here – the thematic continuity with typography, floral motif, and black and white scheme resulted from my obnoxious attention to detail. To be honest, I didn’t know a lot about types of flowers going in. I gave Carla and Rachel mood boards and photo inspiration and let them propose what they thought would look good given my dress, venue and greater wedding vision. I was picky – I’m glad they were patient with me and revised our proposal as many times as they did!”

Stay tuned next week for when Elana talks about her striking Viktor & Rolf dress and personals.

Couple’s Vendor List
Venue: Angel Orensanz Foundation
Photographer: Dave Robbins Photography
Videographer: NST Pictures
Bride’s Dress: Viktor & Rolf
Bride’s Shoes: Valentino (Ceremony) Loeffler Randall (Reception)
Groom’s Tux: Hugo Boss
Rings: Diamonds Doing Good
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Halston
Planner: Cindy Altunis Events
Hair: Andria Tobey
Makeup: Deborah Altizio & Atelier Bridal Makeup
Caterer: Heavenly Events
Cake: By The Way Bakery
Music: Golum
Invitations: By Invitation Only
Favors: Magnetic Memories & Rescue Flats