Mestiza New York: What is your approach to throwing an awesome party?

Sabrina Torti: Personalization – and not in a branding sort of way but in creating and event that showcases the couple, group or honoree.

MNY: What trends are you seeing in bridal gown styles?

ST: More fashion forward, styles a woman would wear to any great event but maybe just in color. Less of the traditional large gown and again, more personal.

MNY: What types of dresses do bridesmaids like to wear?

ST: Bridesmaids want to feel good too. I love seeing bridesmaids pick their own styles. The dress looks great on their body type, shows their personality and I’m over matchy-matchy.

MNY: What fashion trends have popped up in wedding guest attire?

ST: MEN! Guys want to feel good too. It’s becoming a trend to see men care about where their attire comes from, how it looks and fits. Guys are even getting together for barber appts on the morning of the big day and I find that fabulous!

MNY: What attracts you to Mestiza New York? What are some of your favorite products for brides, bridesmaids and guests?

ST: Well, besides stunning gowns and great quality? I love when I have a Midwest bride who knows NY style is her thing. I’m able to tell them I know they will get a gorgeous gown and great service with Mestiza New York.

MNY: What is your favorite wedding destination? What makes it meaningful?

ST: I would love to say I have lots of destination opportunities but unfortunately I don’t. However, catering to the Midwest client who wants to bring lots of East Coast or West Coast flair to middle America is really exciting.

MNY: What are your sources of inspiration?

ST: It’s corny but my clients are my inspiration. Just talking with them and hearing their excitement and ideas jump starts me creative process to build on that for the event. Of course the standards of Pinterest and other sites offer visuals but creating something no one has seen before is much more exciting. Yet, sometimes challenging because I have to ask the client to put their trust in something I might not be able to show them.

MNY: What’s the most outlandish wedding dress code you’ve come across?

ST: I did have a bride ask all guest to wear neutral colors once. Therefore white, black, grays, tans. She was wear red and wanted the opposite effect that traditional brides would have. And, it worked!

MNY: What projects are you working on now? What’s next for you?

ST: I have actually stepped into semi-retirement. The wedding world can be very consuming and telling a potential client you can’t take on their event is very hard to do but it was coming at the cost of my other clients and my family. So, this year I have chosen to limit the number of events I will take on to better focus on my current clients and family time. It’s been the best decision for me and my clients. I look forward to producing fewer but even more amazing experiences.

MNY: One more question: for brides that are in the midst of planning a wedding at this time, and for the brides you had to postpone, what is your advice to them?

ST: If you had to postpone or if you are still making the decision to postpone I have told my clients this “You don’t want a celebration that reflects ‘we did what we could during the crisis’ it feels sad, you want to wait it out as hard as that might be and have the celebration you deserve with happiness and joy.

And if you do need to postpone, do you best to work with your current vendors, we are all struggling during this. But we also know if the stars don’t align that someone else who is/was struggling will need the work too. So, if a vendor can’t provide services on your new date, ask them first for a referral to a colleague. They have likely networked to send referrals to each other during this time.

 Below, Louisa and her bridesmaids wear custom Mestiza dresses and gowns. 

Photos by Clary Pfeiffer