Four Weddings on a Budget

• Published Fall 2005

Budget: Blowout
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park
2 West St. ; 212-344-0800

Location
Those who can’t imagine a high-end city wedding south of Central Park should see the Hudson views from the Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park (ritzcarlton.com). The cost is calculated on a per-person basis; there’s no separate venue fee. And the couple can use any combination of banquet rooms, including the two ballrooms, the Harbor Vista area, and Rise bar and terrace. The hotel even throws in a one-night stay in the Ritz-Carlton Suite, where a “bath butler” fills the tub with rose petals.



Catering
Every aspect of the meal will be personalized. If martinis are the couple’s drink, they’ll create a separate martini bar. The dinner menu will include any requested ingredients, from truffles to Kobe beef. Four courses start at $700 per person, but $400 bottles of Cristal can easily jack up the final price. The pastry chef will fashion a dessert trio. A recent wedding featured a Ron Ben-Israel cake in the shape of Louis Vuitton trunk cases and a chocolate bar with 30 different Valrhona treats.

Music
Hank Lane Music and Productions (212-767-0600; hanklane.com) will arrange for live ensembles, from a string quartet for the ceremony to a jazz trio for the cocktail hour and twelve-piece orchestra for the party, plus after-party D.J.’s ($50,000). Lane can also book celebrity talent like Jon Bon Jovi, D.J. Skribble, and KC & the Sunshine Band. Just be prepared to double your wedding budget to pay for the performers and extra equipment.

Flowers & Décor
According to Floralia, the hotel’s in-house florist, anything is possible for a price. The ballroom can be transformed into a snowy winter wonderland. Tables can be covered with special-order silk. Pin-spot lighting can highlight the centerpiece on each table to amp up the drama. And don’t forget to work in the water view. Punctuate a wedding toast by surprising guests with a blast of fireworks set to the couple’s wedding song (start at $30,000) outside the ballroom windows.

Alternates: There is no quiet time of year at the Pierre Hotel (212-838-8000), so it’s best to book your date nine to fifteen months ahead. The average wedding at the Pierre hosts 240 to 350 people and comes in at $375 per person for food and beverage before tax and gratuity. •The Rainbow Room (212-632-5000; rainbowroom.com) in Rockefeller Center has three Art Deco event spaces: the main Rainbow Room on the 65th floor and the slightly smaller Pegasus Suite and Radio City Suite on the 64th floor. Cipriani manages the space and provides the menu, which costs $300 and up per person. All Saturdays are in high demand. They recommend booking a year in advance.