WellWed in New York

Forecasting a Fantastic Day - Nino Gagliano of Backyard Garden Florist literally dreams about creating the ultimate wedding for each of his brides, so it’s no wonder handling long-distance travel plans for one Bahamas wedding was a snap for this consummate professional. “Tessa called me one day in October and said, ‘I found you through your website — can you help me with my wedding in Freeport, Bahamas?’” says Nino Gagliano, owner of Backyard Garden Florist in Syracuse, New York. “I told her, ‘No problem — come in and we’ll talk about it.’”

Gagliano has more than 25 years of experience, but creating Tessa Jenkins and Glenn Hever’s wedding at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club called on every one of his resources. Coming up with a plan was the easy part for Gagliano, who says he actually dreams about plans for his brides at night. For Tessa and Glenn he came up with a veritable tropical paradise of palm trees, linen, and chiffon as a backdrop for spectacular flower arrangements. Over months of conversation, shared photos, and sample arrangements, Gagliano created a plan for a ceremony that would give them exactly the wedding they wanted.

Then came the hard part: putting together a wedding in the Bahamas from the U.S. Gagliano’s plan required all the wedding supplies to be shipped from the States to the Bahamas, from the linen napkins (from BBJ Linens) to the luminaries for the window sills to the wire cutters for the floral arrangements to the flowers themselves (Tessa shipped all the vases and glassware). Because of international laws, all the items they shipped had to pass through customs before Tessa and Glenn could pick them up in the Bahamas. To avoid the possibility that the flowers could end up waiting, forgotten and wilting in the airport, Gagliano knew he’d have to be able to pull together a Plan B on the fly. (Fortunately, the flowers survived just fine.)

Once Gagliano arrived in Freeport and joined the rest of the bridal party, he had to get a work permit to put together the arrangements, but fortunately the wedding coordinator for the Grand Bahama Yacht Club introduced him to a local florist, who graciously agreed to let Gagliano use his facility as a staging ground for the wedding. With just three days to transform the yacht club into a flower-filled paradise, Gagliano translated that first conversation with Tessa into a wedding setting that was everything the couple wanted.

{Nino Gagliano's Expert Advice}

Have a vision for your wedding. How do you want your wedding day to look? Pull pages from magazines or online, and come up with a mental picture of your perfect ceremony. Then share it with your planner. If you don’t know what you want your wedding to look like, you probably won’t be happy with the final result.

Stick to your budget. It’s almost always possible to get the look you want whatever your price range, if you’re willing to be flexible and creative.

Be flexible. Sometimes there are things over which you and your wedding planner have no control. Have backup plans in place in case of bad weather or failed deliveries, but trust your wedding professionals to carry out your vision, even if every element doesn’t come together exactly the way you planned.

Get help from people with knowledge and experience. You can plan and execute a wedding by yourself, but you can usually save lots of time and a significant amount of money by hiring professionals to help you.

Don’t obsess. Your wedding is a uniquely special day, but it should be a happy and fun day, too. If you worry over every detail, you won’t have an opportunity to enjoy all the special moments of your wedding.

Photography: Mark Da Cunha, Photos of Nino: Stephanie Antshel