A Grand New York Wedding at the Plaza Hotel
Empire produced a wedding celebration for a Russian client at the historic Plaza Hotel. The bride and groom welcomed over 200 guests from Russia and around the world to the iconic New York hotel for an elegant evening punctuated by performances from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Affiniti NYC, and Gloria Gaynor, among others.
The evening began with an elegant cocktail reception in the Palm Court. In spectacular formal attire, arriving guests enjoyed caviar and champagne under palm fronds and a domed glass ceiling as the Todd Londagin trio played jazz standards.
Suddenly the enormous mirrored panel doors swung open and guests moved into the Terrace Room for the wedding ceremony. The Terrace Room had been transformed with hydrangeas and peonies and the room glowed with thousands of candles lit as the wedding party entered to a string and woodwind ensemble for the ceremony. At the top of the steps stood a huge floral Chuppah.
After the smashing of the glass, a Russian violinist struck up a lively song of celebration as guests followed the wedding couple to the Grand Ballroom which had been transformed into a vision of old Hollywood glamour, with lighting and florals that accented the decadent gold interiors.
Empire secured the world-renowned Duke Ellington Orchestrato perform for the newlywed’s grand entrance into the ballroom. The 17-piece orchestra crooned American jazz classics as guests enjoyed a seven-course meal and numerous toasts from the wedding party. Two Russian hosts emceed the evening in English and Russian.
Towards the end of dinner, Gloria Gaynor, the soulful disco singer, was welcomed to the stage by the cheering guests and performed a full set including her hits “I Will Survive” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” Her soulful voice and classic hits had guests on their feet throughout the performance. Affiniti NYC closed out the night with modern dance classics, keeping guests on the dance floor into the early hours of the morning.
Empire worked closely with The Plaza and a team of florists, lighting designers, and engineers to orchestrate every moment of the wedding. Photo's credited by @vertdegris
Empire is a leading producer of both corporate and private concert events.
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
