“The Angel Nyack” brings weddings to village for good cause

What better way to celebrate love this Valentine’s Day than by giving back to the community? As part of “Love Week,” the Angel Nyack—a newly formed not-for-profit organization formed to preserve the local First Reformed Church —is offering a limited number of micro-wedding, elopement and vow renewal ceremonies to raise funds for Soup Angels, a twice-weekly meal program hosted by the church for over 20 years.

Held in the aptly named Lovatt Chapel of the First Reformed Church on February 14 and 17, the non-denominational ceremonies include seasonal bouquets and boutonnières, an officiant, a professional wedding photographer, musical accompaniment, a pop of confetti, and a champagne toast. Each package costs $2,500, with half that number being tax deductible.

“We believe that hosting a lot of weddings in this space is going to be really important for preserving this building for the community,” said Susan Wilmink, president of The Angel Nyack and producer of this event. “We decided this could kick things off because of Love Week and all the things that are going on…In general, the concept is because we really think weddings could bring a lot of life, joy, and all kinds of people to Nyack.”

Nyack-based artist and owner of floral design firm Festoon Kris Burns has transformed the space into a winter-wonderland, complete with larger-than-life paper anemones, which she frequently decorates with during the colder months.

“This is like a jewel-box chapel, so I decided I wanted to make it kind of like a snow globe,” Burns explained. “I wanted it to feel very enclosed and kind of like, ‘It’s winter, but spring is coming.’”

Though no official ceremonies have been scheduled at time of publication, a photoshoot held on Wednesday, February 7 allowed the creative team behind this initiative to show off what they can do when the time comes for the real thing, as well as pictures to advertise for another run of packages in June 2024.

“Nyack is a special place—it’s a gem on the Hudson River,” said celebrity-photographer Kellie Walsh. “I don’t think a lot of people know about how beautiful it is—all the amazing businesses and restaurants. And if we now have an amazing venue that allows people to come in and give back to the community, that’s the biggest thing…Having these really heartfelt weddings where they can give a percentage to Soup Angels is really, really beautiful.”

To learn more about how you can celebrate your love with The Angel Nyack, visit https://theangelnyack.org/.