An OHEKA Castle Family Wedding Weekend
It was a special day in December when Samantha Bellando and Anthony Pistilli were introduced through a mutual friend at one of their favorite restaurants, Sage Bistro. The spark between them was instant. As they sat down to dinner, the conversation flowed easily, with moments of shared laughter and thoughtful glances.
“The restaurant seemed to fade into the background as we became lost in each other's company,” Samantha recalls. “Our connection deepened as we discovered shared interests and values. Hours flew by unnoticed, and before we knew it, we were the last patrons in the restaurant. That magical evening set the foundation for our relationship, filled with countless cherished moments and unwavering support for one another.”
“The restaurant seemed to fade into the background as we became lost in each other's company.”
A Proposal Among the Grapevines
A few months later, Anthony arranged a lunch date at Del Vino Vineyard. When the couple arrived, Samantha assumed they were waiting for their reservation when a photographer approached and asked if they could take a photo among the grapevines while their table was being prepared. As it turned out, that photographer was one of four photogs and videographers Anthony hired beforehand to capture a surprise engagement.
“The well-executed proposal that followed would be something I will cherish for a lifetime,” says Samantha. “The photographer led us to a secluded wine trail where Anthony proposed. The moment was intimate and perfect, with the sun casting a warm glow over the rows of grapevines. As we celebrated our engagement, we were led to a private tasting area to continue the celebration and enjoy that time together.”
The OHEKA Castle Family
Being part of the OHEKA Castle family, the bride-to-be knew exactly who she wanted to enlist for help during the wedding planning process.
“My family owns OHEKA Castle, and I have worked in weddings as long as I can remember,” she states. “But when it came to planning every detail of this day, we knew we could not do it without the help of Karyn LoCicero of Karyn Michael Events.
She is truly the most talented planner and wonderful friend. She made sure that no detail was overlooked. There was much to arrange in a short amount of time; we were engaged in the Fall and knew we wanted a summer wedding, so we had roughly eight months to plan our wedding weekend. All the vendors we worked with helped to make this process so seamless, their professionalism and knowledge made organizing this wedding that much easier.”
For the welcome dinner, the bride and groom hosted their immediate families for a Tuscan-themed dinner. After passed hors d’oeuvres with accompanying miniature cocktail pairings, guests were then seated for a six-course tasting menu by Chef Chris Cappello. They finished the evening on a sweet note with a three-tiered hexagonal cake featuring cherubs floating on cotton candy clouds, created by Chef Daniel Andreotti.
Wedding Day Details
Samantha and Anthony’s wedding day was spectacular from start to finish, beginning with a wedding mass at St. Paul Apostle Church in Brookville.
“Every moment of it was perfect,” the bride reflects. “The Monsignor who performed the mass spoke so eloquently; it was truly touching. From there, we returned to Oheka where our guests were greeted with a Taittinger champagne tower. Coming back to Oheka and seeing everything put together and the room filled with all our family and friends was more than we could have dreamed of.
The flowers that Pedestals created were stunning, Hart to Hart lit the room perfectly to enhance each detail, and our photographer Michael from Millimeter captured every moment – we can never choose a favorite photo since they are all so fantastic! Every detail was exactly how we envisioned it, and we are incredibly thankful to all of our vendors who worked diligently to make everything perfect. They were all so spot on, there is no one I could recommend more.”
The bride and groom’s first dance was to the song “Forever Begins Tonight” by Patrizio Buanne. As a surprise, they asked Patrizio to travel to New York from Italy to perform the song live, which made that first dance moment even more special.
“We had been taking dance lessons together for months,” the bride adds. “Even before he proposed, Anthony asked me to take dance lessons together as a fun activity we could share when he was actually already planning the proposal and just didn’t want us to be behind on lessons. When the time came to actually do the dance though, we were so overwhelmed with excitement and the size of my dress that we missed a few steps; but we had the best time and wouldn’t change a single step of it.
Patrizio’s performance was unbelievable! His talent as a singer is always evident, but his live performance is even more fantastic. We are so grateful to him. Evan, the band leader from Starlight was amazing at coordinating this for us and learned the music to accompany Patrizio on our first dance song so quickly. It was above and beyond what we could have hoped for!”
The evening was capped off with a firework show by Grucci. Since they started dating, fireworks have always been one of the couple’s favorite displays to watch together, so it was the perfect way to close out their OHEKA Castle wedding day.
A Honeymoon in Bermuda
The day after their post-wedding brunch, the newlyweds set off for a honeymoon in Bermuda.
“The weather was warm and tropical,” Samantha describes, “and the locals were friendly and knowledgeable about the island. We stayed at the St. Regis Bermuda Resort, where the beach dazzled with translucent waters.”
WEDDING TALENT
Location & Catering: Oheka Castle, Huntington, NY; Planner & Invitations: Karyn Michael Events; Floral Design: Pedestals; Rentals & Linen: The Finishing Touch; Cake: Daniel Andreotti – Oheka Castle; Lighting: Hart to Hart; Engagement Ring: Vlady’s Diamonds; Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo; Hair: Gizay Michaels; Makeup: Ylenia Mazzei Makeup, Beautini; Groom’s Attire: Victor Talbots; Groom’s Watch: Rolex; Entertainment: Rock and Soul Band – Starlight; Soloist: Patrizio Buanne; Live Painter: Cloud Studio Agency; Fireworks: Grucci; Espresso & Gelato: Dolce & Gelato; Transportation: All Star Limo; Photography & Cinematography: Millimeter