I walked over to the burger joint for a good burger, some fries and 2 Guinness to bring back to my Plaza Suite to watch the All-Star Game. I can't believe the National League lost again! I fell asleep right after the game and it seemed like seconds later the alarm clock went off. Down to the ballroom at 4am to greet the NBC entourage. At the same time, bride Leigh Daniel and groom Nick Cordes headed over to Rockefeller Plaza for their wedding ceremony.
So what did it take to produce a nationally televised wedding at the legendary Plaza Hotel? Weeks of walk thrus with producers, designers and directors and that doesn't include all the meetings we had as a team at The Plaza. 1,000 feet of cable, cameras, lights and more technical equipment than I have ever seen before. And for us, 4 captains, over thirty waiters, chefs, bartenders and managers, we were all working to make the party go off without a hitch. By 9:30 am we were in full swing and filet mignon was served as if it were a Saturday night wedding.
In a more traditional wedding, there is a timeline to stick to, but working on live TV, production schedules take over. For instance, the cake cutting ---commercial break--- first course and somewhere in between all of that, there was a first dance performed by legendary country singer, Martina McBride. At that moment, I looked around the room and saw friends and family having a good time. Fast forward to 2:35 pm, walking through the Ballroom to oversee load out, making sure the Ballroom is ready for the next party, I see the Bride and Groom alone, finally, catching a moment without millions of viewers watching them.
I started to think, what do we really provide? What I realized is that when you dim the lights and the last guest leave, it is the memories that we create which last forever, and that's why I love what "I do."