Creaghan + Peter: A Candlelit Rehearsal Dinner at the New York Athletic Club
The night before a wedding sets the tone for everything that follows. For Creaghan and Peter, that meant gathering their closest family and friends inside one of Manhattan's most distinguished private clubs — the New York Athletic Club on Central Park South — for an evening that felt quietly grand. Warm candlelight, towering greenery, and the club's extraordinary architectural details created a rehearsal dinner that was as memorable as the celebration to come.
Vendor team: Eryc Perez de Tagle Photography (@erycpdt); BLB Events — Planning + Design (@blb_events); New York Athletic Club — Venue (@newyorkac); Alex Edge Entertainment — Pianist (@alexedgeandco); Pre-Dame — Hair & Makeup (@predamebeauty); Bentley Meeker — Lighting & Audio (@bentleymeeker); Ten Story — Stationery (@tenstorystationery)
About the Venue: New York Athletic Club
Founded in 1868, the New York Athletic Club occupies a landmark Beaux-Arts building on Central Park South in Midtown Manhattan. Its interiors are a study in old New York grandeur — hand-painted coffered ceilings, ornate marble fireplaces, monumental stained glass, and rooms that feel built for occasions that matter.
The dining room where Creaghan and Peter hosted their rehearsal dinner carries that same sense of history. Deep wood paneling, gold-framed mirrors, and warm chandelier light give the space an intimate weight — it asks you to slow down and be present, which is exactly what a rehearsal dinner should do.
Floral Design Approach
For the rehearsal dinner, we designed around the room rather than against it. The NYAC's interiors are rich with detail — carved ceilings, antique fireplaces, stained glass — and the florals were conceived to complement that atmosphere rather than compete with it.
We chose a greenery-forward approach: tall, sculptural arrangements of southern magnolia, camellia and wild huckleberry foliage anchored each table, their canopies spreading overhead and creating the feeling of dining in a private garden tucked inside a historic hall. The escort card table carried the same language — a tall arrangement of mixed seasonal greens and branches, dramatic in scale and quietly architectural in feeling.
At ground level, candlelight did the work. Clusters of pillar and votive candles surrounded each tree base and filled the marble fireplace surround, casting the whole room in a warm, flickering glow. The result was lush and enveloping without a single flower in sight — proof that foliage and light, handled with intention, are more than enough.
The Escort Card Display
Guests were welcomed by a gold-linen escort card table topped with a sculptural arrangement of mixed seasonal branches and greenery — southern magnolia, grevillea, and wild huckleberry — rising from a single glass vessel. Votive candles surrounded it on all sides, glowing warmly against the dark wood paneling of the club's entrance hall.
Reception Atmosphere
Through the velvet-draped doorway, guests settled into an evening of candlelight and conversation. The green linen tablecloths anchored the room in color while the trees above created a sense of overhead canopy — intimate despite the room's grand scale. The marble fireplace, dressed simply with pillar candles, became its own quiet focal point along the wall.
Every detail of the room — from the painted ceiling panels to the stained glass memorial window — felt like part of the design. We simply added living green and light, and let the building do the rest.
Sustainable Floral Practices
As always, the florals for this event were locally sourced, seasonal where possible, and foam-free. Choosing a foliage-forward design isn't just an aesthetic decision — it's one of the most sustainable choices we can make, leaning on the inherent beauty of branches and leaves while minimizing floral waste. The bay laurel trees were sourced through our network of regional growers and repurposed after the event. Beauty can be abundant while still being conscious — and this evening is a beautiful example of that.