A Classic And Elegant Wedding At The Pierre Hotel in New York, New York

Michele Levbarg-Klein and Max Rayden met for the first time at a summer Shabbat dinner in 2010. Although they talked the entire night, Michele thought it was strange when Max gave her his number instead of taking hers, so she never called. In November of that year, a mutual friend set up the two on a date at the Connaught Hotel’s Coburg Bar. Two weeks later, they were officially an item.

With Michele’s home being in New York, moving back and forth between the states and London made for a challenging long-distance relationship. That all ended, however, when the couple took a trip abroad to Rome, Italy. Max planned for a special breakfast to be delivered to their hotel room, which would be followed by a surprise proposal on the balcony.

Unfortunately, a smiling Italian waiter brought the breakfast too early, and Max was still wearing his pajamas by the time Michele finished eating and was dressed to go sightseeing. Max pleaded with his then-girlfriend for 20 minutes, asking her to go back on the balcony while she complained that she hadn’t traveled all the way to Rome to sit in the hotel room. Finally, Michele was convinced to step out on the balcony and Max was able to pop the long-awaited question.

The wedding planning process was difficult, as Michele was in New York and Max was still in London; but the couple used it as an opportunity to exercise teamwork and create a truly personalized experience.

“Not having a wedding planner, we really took it upon ourselves to organize everything and made it a project of our own instead of handing it off to our parents,” they say. “It made it that much more special to see everything on the wedding day, knowing all the work we had put in to make our vision a reality.”

Michele and Max’s wedding vision was to have a classic New York wedding with a European party twist. Divvying up the tasks, Max was mostly involved with planning the religious ceremony, food, and music while Michele was in charge of the décor. The result was a gorgeous wedding that passed by faster than the couple expected.

“I remember a friend telling me to take a minute during the party, go to the back of the room and just watch–see all your friends and family celebrating and partying in the room you designed, and take in the fact that it’s all for you,” Michele says. “It was the best advice and a really special moment for me as a bride!”

Guests gathered from around the world that day, and the newlyweds were humbled by the amount of love they felt as everyone joined to celebrate their union. Along with the fantastic team at the Pierre Hotel, Michele and Max also want to thank their parents for making such a beautiful wedding day possible.