Jill Gordon is celebrating 30 years of her namesake event planning studio, Jill Gordon Celebrate. The renowned event designer’s journey began serendipitously in 1995 and has since become a symbol of timeless elegance and innovative celebration in the Hamptons and New York City. We asked Jill a few questions to learn more.
What was the spark that led you to found Jill Gordon Celebrate 30 years ago?
Honestly, it was more serendipity than an actual spark. Jill Gordon Celebrate began in 1995, when a friend asked for my help planning her wedding at her father’s East Hampton home on Georgica Pond. After years in boutique catering, both in New York City and the Hamptons, I discovered that wedding planning allowed me to bring together everything I loved: creating beauty, collaborating with extraordinary designers, and living in a world filled with flowers, stationery, gorgeous tabletops, and unforgettable meals. It quickly became clear that this was my dream job.
How has your creative vision for events and weddings changed since the company began?
I actually think that my creative sensibilities have remained fairly consistent. I grew up spending weekends and summers in East Hampton, and I’ve always been inspired by this place. For me, the draw to doing weddings out here has always been about what’s naturally beautiful — the landscape, the light, the local food, and flowers and decor that feel like they’ve grown out of their surroundings. I’ve always described our style as relaxed elegance, which is really about amazing hospitality paired with the chic Hamptons vibe we all love so much.
Can you share one or two standout events from the past three decades that define the Jill Gordon Celebrate aesthetic?
It’s tough to pinpoint specific events that sum up our aesthetic, because each one is so unique. But one that comes to mind was a wedding for a pair of local restaurateurs who had over 400 guests and wanted the day to feel intimate. They loved the idea of everyone sitting at one long table — until I explained that it would need to be over 400′ long and might be kind of tricky for service. We all had a good laugh and re-grouped, and that’s when I came up with the idea of a continuous spiraled table. It turned out to be both surprisingly cozy and totally dramatic. Guests were blown away. It also was a true farm-to-table celebration — held at one of our favorite farms, with a menu designed by one of the groom’s best friends and chef-partner, and cooked at a completely open kitchen in the middle of the field. The night wrapped up with a surprise drone lighting up the Sagaponack sky, and an epic tented dance party kicked off by Debbie Gibson. I mean… so good.
How do you balance timeless style with today’s trends?
Such a great question. I’m a huge believer in timeless style, but I also love fashion and design, which are both constantly evolving. When you’re an aesthetic person, you’re always looking — whether you’re traveling, flipping through magazines, or just walking down the streets of New York. You naturally absorb and reflect what’s current without ever having to think about being trendy. Social media influences the couples we work with, so the real challenge is encouraging them to find inspiration that’s more wide-ranging than the last wedding they saw online. I’ll often ask them to look at fashion, hotel design, a great restaurant meal, a favorite piece of art, or even a classic film — anything that excites their style palette without feeling too literally “wedding.” Our goal is always to create new trends, not follow them.
What are you most proud of as you approach your 30th anniversary? How are you celebrating the milestone?
I’m so proud of our incredible team. We have a crew who have been working with us for years and who truly understand that our company ethos is all about taking care of our couples and their guests. We are hospitality-first, always. You can see all the pretty details in photos, but what you can’t see is the incredible energy behind the scenes. The heart, the joy, and the dedication that make our events feel so special. Guests often come up to us during the night to say it’s the best wedding they’ve ever been to, or that we thought of every detail, or that someone on my team had gone above and beyond. That kind of feedback means everything. I think that same energy carries through the entire planning process. We are so lucky to work with the most fantastic clients, and it’s really a privilege to celebrate with them.
