A Classic, Fall Wedding At The Rainbow Room in New York, New York

Rachel Pauker is a born-and-bred New Yorker who met Brian Fryd shortly before starting her second year of graduate school. “New York has been the backdrop to most of our relationship, and continues to be the place we call home,” she describes. “So, it felt fitting – if not a given – that we would get married in the city.”

During their wedding planning process, Rachel and Brian only viewed one other potential venue before walking off the elevator on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center. Immediately, they fell in love with the Rainbow Room. 

“I am not exaggerating on this,” Rachel explains. “I could see the smile on Brian’s face when he first got a glimpse of the view from the cocktail area; and when we walked into the reception area, the look on Brian’s face said it all. I too was beaming with excitement, and so the therapist in me wanted to make sure I was not just projecting this onto Brian. I leaned over to Brian and asked, ‘Any thoughts?’ Without missing a beat, he responded, ‘This is our place.’”

The Rainbow Room proved to be the perfect fit for the couple, laying the foundation for the rest of their wedding vision. “It is an old New York staple with a somewhat recent refurbishment that beautifully mirrors the light and vibrancy of New York, while still staying true to its art deco roots and the venue’s history,” says Rachel.

We loved that we had nearly a 360-degree view of New York, and the entire venue felt set up to accentuate these stunning sights. While we wanted to add our own personal touches – lots of flowers – working off the beautifully curated design of the space not only meant less design work for us, but I think it also enriched our vision of a formal city wedding.”

For the bride and groom, the wedding day was an incredible, fun-filled experience. The couple believed that if they were going to have the opportunity to host so many close friends and family in one space together, their wedding needed to be a fantastic party. 

 A live band performed a seamless mix of old and new tunes, which kept everyone on the dance floor all night, and the newlyweds took advantage of their chance to mingle with their guests throughout the celebration.

“To the soon-to-be brides and grooms, I hope you have fun too,” Rachel says. “And for the pet lovers out there, just because your animal is unable to attend, that does not mean he or she cannot be incorporated into your special day. We turned a photo of our handsome beagle, Duke, into a prop that guests could use at our photo booth. It’s possible that Duke was in as many pictures as we were that night!”