Since as far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to get married at the Plaza Hotel. With my blonde hair and vivacious personality I have, from time to time, been called Eloise! Growing up, after a long day in NYC, my parents would take me to the Palm Court for their amazing tea and dessert. I knew there was no other place I could get married.
David and I were engaged last July 10, 2010 at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. Our proposal (and our relationship!) was right out of a fairytale. I closed my eyes to throw a coin over my head into the fountain and make my wish and when I opened them David was on one knee with the ring in hand asking if my wish had come true! Unbeknownst to me, he also had a photographer there capturing every moment on camera!
When we arrived home to NYC the next day, my mother, father, brother and sister-in-law were waiting at the airport with roses, balloons and video cameras in hand. When we got in the car my mom told me that her and my father had taken a suite at the Plaza and that we were headed there to meet David's family and spend the night celebrating. She also told me that we had an appointment to book our wedding there the next morning! How much better could it get?!
We quickly called the legendary event planner, Arthur Backal of State of the Art Enterprises after hearing he was the only one we should use for a perfect New York Event! He and his team of Leslie Mastin & Henrik Jan were with us every step of the way and brought creative ideas and an entire library of knowledge to help us plan our big day!
The next day, Emily Reifel from CPS Events walked into our lives and we began taking the initial steps to plan the wedding of my dreams! From the minute we all met Emily we knew she was a professional who would bring our vision to life. Boy were we right! The time and effort that she and her staff put into our wedding was unbelievable. She and Arthur’s Team were always ready to answer all of our questions and handle all of our concerns. All of Emily's hard work and attention to detail along with State of the Art’s expert advice we were able to take the evening to another level - it was all just simply perfect.
Our wedding was this past June 11, 2011. Our ceremony took place in the Terrace Room. From the minute I laid eyes on the Terrace Room a few years prior, I knew there was no other space in NYC that was as gorgeous. Stephen Kolins from SBK created a magical and extremely warm feeling with what seemed like every white orchid in existence! Hundreds of candles and white peonies, orchids, hydrangeas and more gave the room the perfect look and feeling. After the recessional, with music played perfectly by Starlight Orchestras, the doors behind our chuppah opened, leading our guests to the famed Palm Court for cocktail hour.
Our families have not stopped hearing how incredible it was to have cocktails in the Palm Court. With a red glow, provided by Bentley Meeker, our guests enjoyed overflowing stations of caviar, sushi, porterhouse steaks, a tartar bar and more! Stephen designed a replica of the Trevi Fountain for our guests to throw pennies in (we had incorporated the coins into our wedding program from our ceremony) to make their own wish, just as we had done on the night of our engagement!
Walking into the ballroom took our breath away. With centerpieces of white orchids and hydrangeas as far as the eye could see, a glossy white dance floor with our monogram and a bar that rose almost to the ceiling, the room looked exactly the way I had always dreamed it would. Valerie from Starlight introduced the new Mr. and Mrs. David Emden to Chris Brown's "Forever" and everyone spent the rest of the evening on the dance floor.
One of the highlights of our after party, which went until almost 4am, was having the waiters (along with Emily's help!) come out with sparkling champagne bottles as the band played Katy Perry's "Firework".
To say this was the wedding of my dreams is actually an understatement. To The Plaza and the entire CPS Events staff - it all exceeded my wildest expectations! All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Elissa R. Emden
WEDDING OF ELISSA ROME AND DAVID EMDEN
JUNE 11, 2011