Brooklyn, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge

Weddings at The River Café

The River Café sits on the water at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, with Lower Manhattan filling its windows. It is one of the most romantic rooms in New York, and it works as well for a wedding as for the dinner the night before. We have planned a wedding here: a church ceremony in Brooklyn, portraits on the cobblestones of DUMBO, and dinner at The River Café as the bridge lit up above it.

The River Café beneath the Brooklyn Bridge on a bright afternoon, Lower Manhattan across the water. — The River Café, on the wedding day, beneath the bridge.

The view does the design work that other rooms need flowers for. As the evening goes on, the skyline lights up across the river, so we plan the dinner around the moment the city comes on, and keep the first dance or a toast for the minutes when the windows turn from blue to gold.

The dining roomDinner and dancing: A room of palms, candlelight and windows onto the river. For the wedding we planned here, it was set with round tables dressed in white with green chargers, and a small illustrated portrait at every place. The couple entered to applause, and the dancing moved beneath the striped awning ceiling.
The terrace by the waterPortraits, cocktails: Beneath a striped awning at the water’s edge, with the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan behind. It is the place for portraits at dusk, and for a drink before dinner when the weather allows.
A ceremony nearbyCeremony: Our couple married at Queen of All Saints, a Gothic church in Brooklyn, and drove to the restaurant in a white Rolls-Royce by way of brownstone streets and DUMBO. A ceremony elsewhere and a dinner here make a day that belongs to the borough.

A restaurant first

The River Café is a working restaurant, and a wedding here follows its rhythm. We agree with the house what it provides and what we bring in, and plan the design so it adds to a room that is already dressed, rather than competing with it.

Sunset and the skyline

The timeline follows the sun. We place the portraits by the water in the last light and bring guests inside as the city begins to glow, so the view changes over dinner rather than being seen once.

Arrival beneath the bridge

The restaurant sits at the foot of the bridge on a narrow street by the water. We plan drop-off and pick-up with the house, and cars or coaches from Manhattan timed to the traffic over the bridge.

A welcome or rehearsal dinner here

For a wedding elsewhere in the city, The River Café is a natural choice for the dinner the night before: guests who have flown in see New York at its most beautiful on their first evening. See wedding weekends.

Our wedding at The River Café

Christine & Daniel’s River Café wedding

A Brooklyn church ceremony, then dinner on the water. The River Café, Brooklyn.

Read the story: Christine & Daniel's River Café wedding

The groom holds the bride close on a brownstone stoop in Brooklyn Heights.

By a tall window, a woman in a white and rose hanbok holds the bride's arms and smiles at her, the gown hanging beside them. — In hanbok, that morning.

The carved wooden doors of Queen of All Saints church in Brooklyn, the stone steps and railings trailing white flowers. — Queen of All Saints, in Brooklyn.

The couple stand at the white marble altar beneath gilded paintings, white flowers on either side and guests in the pews. — At the altar.

At the church door, the couple kiss as petals fall around them, white flowers climbing the stone beside them. — Married, at the church door.

The couple stand on a leafy brownstone sidewalk in Brooklyn, the bride's long train spread across the pavement. — Portraits on a brownstone street.

A round table dressed in white with rattan chairs, candles and white flowers, beneath the striped ceiling of the restaurant. — The dining room, set.

The couple kiss beneath a striped awning by the water, the Brooklyn Bridge soft in the haze behind them. — By the water, before dinner.

The invitation suite laid out with white flowers, pearl earrings, a bottle of perfume and the bride's shoes. — The invitation, and the details.

The view from the suite: Brooklyn towers, green treetops and a church spire in the morning light. — The view from the suite.

By a bright window, a friend adjusts the groom's bow tie. — The bow tie.

Do you plan weddings at The River Café?

Yes. We have planned a wedding at The River Café, told on our River Café wedding page.

Can The River Café host a rehearsal or welcome dinner?

It is one of the rooms we suggest most for the night before a wedding. The restaurant confirms its private dining options for your date and guest count.

How many guests does The River Café suit?

It suits a seated dinner in one room, where every guest has the view. The restaurant confirms current capacities, and we plan the floor around your guest list.

Can the ceremony be held at The River Café?

Our couple married at a church nearby and came to The River Café for dinner, which gave the day two settings and a drive through Brooklyn between them. Ask the restaurant about a ceremony on site for your date.

Planning a wedding at The River Café? Tell us about it.

Tell us about your wedding, and we will take it from there.