Grace Mandl and Peter Heth had one of those perfectly New York proposals—but not for the reason you might think. “It was a sticky July night, and I was at a late-night hot yoga class in our neighborhood in Brooklyn,” remembers Grace, who had met Peter on Hinge a year-and-a-half earlier. “When my class got out, Pete was waiting at the studio for me, saying he was hungry and thought it would be fun to get some late-night tacos. On the walk to our favorite spot, in front of the brownstone I have always told him I wanted to live in one day, he got down on one knee! Right as he was popping the question, a rat ran across his foot. It was such an NYC moment.” They were crying and laughing as Grace, totally shocked, accepted.
They knew immediately where they’d wed, The Colony Palm Beach. Grace’s grandfather has lived in Palm Beach for ages, and it’s where her family gathers to celebrate special occasions. “Since I was a little girl, I knew that I would get married there,” she says. “The aesthetic was really just so us. I wanted it to feel very authentic to our everyday style, which was already in line with The Colony. I am a painter and textile designer, and Pete is a restaurateur. We are both extremely creative and wanted our personalities to shine through our wedding details.”
The most obvious place to allow her personal style to shine? The dress, of course—and there was no small amount of thought that went into it. “My wedding dress was something I’ve spent many years dreaming about,” Grace says. “I worked in fashion for eight years before painting full time, and some of that was in bridal, so I was quite opinionated about what I wanted.” It had to be comfortable and easy to dance in, and somehow pay homage to her mother’s wedding dress with long lace sleeves. “I found Μacye [Wysner, designer of Cinq] in July of 2021, right after her own wedding,” Grace says. “I fell in love with her romantic designs; they felt so original and also so very me at the same time. I happened to be in L.A. and messaged her to see if I could come meet her. I felt like I had known her forever.”
They worked together for a year to create a completely custom look, which included a dress, bow veil and matching purse. “The dress had really special detailing at the waist, and I was worried a traditional bouquet would hide that. Coincidentally, Macye had designed a super special bridal purse to go with my dress, and I had the idea to fill it with flowers and carry it as my bouquet. It turned out to be one of my favorite details of the day.” Daniela Gozlan curated the bride’s beauty look, and florist Ellis Lewis of Ellie’s Garden filled the purse with blooms.
On October 21, 2023, musician Story Slaughter (the bride’s college roommate and good friend) sang “I Will Love You” by Gin Wigmore as Grace walked down the aisle in her custom dress. “Pete’s best friend and business partner married us,” she says. “He was amazing and took the role so seriously. It was extremely poetic and thoughtful. We wrote our own vows, and the whole ceremony was emotional and beautiful and exactly what I dreamed of.”
At the reception, given that Peter is in the restaurant world, food was a huge priority. “Rather than a formal plated dinner, we opted for stations, which allowed for more flexibility and more eating!” Grace says. “We worked with the head chef at The Colony to design an insane menu for the party [that included] a sushi station, Floribbian fish and chicken tacos, filet mignon, pork tenderloin, and a multitude of salads.” Late night, there was more: hot honey chicken biscuits, French fries, and ice cream bars. “I kept joking that the theme of the wedding weekend was abundance, and the food was the perfect example!”
The newlyweds danced to “I Am Not Afraid” by Charley Crockett, then DJ Ray Acosta took over. “We told him that our vibe was ‘elevated NYC bar,’ and he made the whole event feel like we were at an elevated restaurant rather than a wedding,” Grace says. “Our reception went until 12—then we had to get up early for Sunday brunch!” They traveled to South Africa for 18 days on their honeymoon, going on safari, surfing, and soaking up the newlywed bliss.
