Unveiled - Silver Linings - Jennifer Zabinski
{Weather Girl} Jennifer Zabinski of the Wedding Library created a picture-perfect beach wedding in a tropical storm by having a fabulous contingency plan already in place.
No bride wants to deal with a tropical storm on her wedding weekend, especially when her wedding is scheduled to take place on the beach. But that’s just what happened to Jodi Sandler when her August wedding to Jake Dell’Aquila ended up sharing its date with a tropical storm warning. Lucky for Jodi, she had wedding planner Jennifer Zabinski to see her through the storm.
Zabinski, who runs the Wedding Library with partner Claudia Hanlin, has planned weddings from Florence to Mexico and wasn’t about to let a little thing like a tropical storm get in the way of Jodi and Jake’s dream wedding. She tracked the weather on the hour, every hour leading up to the wedding and set up a rain plan so seamless that guests had no idea there was a backup plan in operation.
Making every bride and groom feel like as much of a star as her many celebrity clients is Zabinski’s specialty. She has planned weddings for actor Lawrence Fishburne, producer Glenn Gordan, and baseball player Chuck Knoblock, and her weddings have been featured on the pages of local and national wedding magazines.
Zabinski loved the story of how Jodi and Jake fell in love. As neighbors in New York City, Jodi and Jake ran into each other frequently. When they started chatting, they realized that they’d both been students at Syracuse University at the same time and never met each other.
Jodi and Jake wanted a formal wedding with a true Hamptons vibe. “Jodi wanted a beach wedding, but one that incorporated organic beach elements more subtly,” says Zabinski. “She wasn’t looking for sand and seashells. She wanted something that felt organic and rustic.”
Zabinski worked with floral designer Matthew Robbins to incorporate beach elements like stones and driftwood into arrangements of delicate flowers. Rustic branches mingled with dainty chamomile and baby daisies in vintage vases in a sophisticated beachscape. To keep the neutral beach shades from becoming dull and one-note, Robbins incorporated pops of color to enliven the space. The celebration was a careful balance of sophisticated style and beach charm.
And when the storm warnings threatened to interfere with Zabinski’s wedding plans, she took it in stride because she’d already planned for the possibility of bad weather and had come up with a solution that made Jodi and Jake happy. By the time the wedding ceremony began, the skies were clearing. After the wedding, celebrants ventured onto the beach for photos, and when the after-party rolled around, the now-calm beach was packed with revelers.
*JENNIFER’S MOTTO: “Hire great vendors and ask for references. If another couple raves about their experience with a particular vendor or your wedding planner gives them a glowing recommendation, chances are you’ll have a good experience, too."
JENNIFER’S TIPS
1) Personalize your ceremony with contemporary music. Classical pieces are great, but don’t be afraid to choose something more modern, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Secret Garden,” “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins, or “This Year’s Love” by David Gray.
2) Bring in your favorite food and drinks. Jodi and Jake served beer bottled in Syracuse, where they went to college, and ordered cupcakes from their favorite bakery instead of having a traditional wedding cake.
Photos: Barnaby Draper, Mantis Wright
