A D.C. Wedding Planner Takes New York

With both my April 2011 bride (Nadya) and her venue (the amazing Gotham Hall) being in NYC, we have limited face-to-face meetings and when we do have those face-to-face meetings, we have to try to get as much done as possible.  Our last meeting was no exception, I spent the earlier part of the morning on a train to NYC with my 2 forms of entertainment for the ride, Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine and Hello Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea (which is perfect light reading for a 3 hour train ride, not to mention, pretty funny). 

Upon arriving at Penn Station, I first began my search for the nearest Starbucks and then walked the 3 blocks to Gotham Hall.  I would have preferred a NY style pizza instead of the coffee but surprisingly  I found that there are no authentic NY style pizza shops or authentic NY delis within 5 blocks of Penn Station…bummer.  

Arriving at Gotham Hall around 12:15pm, I had some time to peek around a bit before my bride arrived.  Wow…is the best way to describe it!  Formerly the Greenwich Savings Bank headquarters and built in 1922, the only thing left over from the bank are the teller walls that are freestanding within the dome shaped main ballroom.  Everywhere you look you can see the characteristics of ancient amphitheatres (the Flavian amphitheatre – the Colosseum – is the prime Roman example).  A dome tops the ceiling and columns flank each wall.  The venue could not be more perfect for Nadya and Jordache’s wedding (more exciting wedding details to come). 

We began our whirlwind vendor meetings with a walk-through of the space by the special events manager, Cindy.  She showed us the mezzanine (where cocktail reception would take place and the where view of the ballroom is amazing) and the main ballroom area (where the ceremony and dinner/dancing would take place).  We then met with the in-house lighting, sound and draping companies where we went through all of the elaborate details of the wedding such as the tree lined aisle, color changes and designs throughout the night in the ballroom area as well as the dome, just to name a few. 

Finally emerging onto the streets of NYC a few hours later, we began our 25 block hike (we started off thinking we would just walk a few blocks but we got caught up in the energy of the city) to SoHo for our first NYC florist appointments.  Halfway through our floral meeting I realized I was losing my bride due to exhaustion so we took a much needed coffee break where we established that the next 1.5 hours we had free were going to be spent walking around town, “gathering ideas for the wedding” and, of course, shopping!  SoHo to Canal Street to Union Square to Broadway…

A few things I thought were interesting on our NYC walk…the notorious club Limelight has turned into a cute boutique market selling everything from chocolates to gourmet cheeses, the street in front of the world famous Macy’s store is now closed to vehicles and lined with tables and chairs where you can sit and people watch. 

Rounding off the day’s meeting with a final floral meeting, we then spent the last 45 minutes of our day trying to track down an authentic Italian hoagie that was requested by my boyfriend back home (thank you, Nadya!).  

50+ blocks walked, 15 hour day (travel time included), 6 vendor meetings and a walk-through later, we had everything we needed to make some much needed wedding planning decisions.  I can’t wait to fill you in on some of the really cool details of this wedding!

Christine