Ranee Bartolacci and Nir Meir
Plaza Hotel, August 8, 2009
N ir Meir proposed to Ranee Bartolacci on Christmas Eve 2008 while strolling along the Pont des Arts in Paris—a suitably dramatic prelude to the pair’s no-expense-spared wedding eight months later at the Plaza Hotel. “I was kind of in shock,” says Ranee, 36. “He said, ‘I have something for you.’ It was Christmas Eve, so I thought it was a Christmas present. It ended up being an engagement ring.” Ranee, an event planner, designed the ornate affair herself, from the elaborate table arrangements to the immaculate white dance floor. “It was never stressful at all,” she says. “We just wanted to have a fun, classy party.” She wore a custom-made Catherine Malandrino gown, and the couple exchanged vows beneath an airy white chuppah adorned with orchids. (Nir, 35, recited his vows in Hebrew, while Ranee said hers in Italian, a symbolic melding of their families’ heritages.) Afterward, the 200 guests dined on sea bass and filet mignon at tables bedecked with towering candelabras before dancing to a live set by Kool & the Gang. “I stepped back for a moment and looked around, and everyone, from our friends to my grandfather, was dancing and having fun,” Ranee recalls. “It was a fun, fun night.”
The Details
Music: Kool & the Gang
Hair: Jerome Obry at John Barrett Salon
Groom’s Tux: Tom Ford
Bride’s Gown: Catherine Malandrino
Shoes: YSL
Cake: Sylvia Weinstock
Ranee Bartolacci and Nir Meir
Photographs by Brian Dorsey Studios
“Every time you go to a wedding you end up hearing Kool & the Gang, so we decided to have them play live. It was fun for all ages”the dance floor was packed the whole night. They sang an a cappella version of “Joanna’ for our first dance. We both love that song.”
“On the tables we had these landscape designs: candles and little metallic balls that absorbed the colors from the different lighting.”
“I designed the intertwined N and R logo, which appeared on the seating cards, wedding invitations, ceremony cards, wine glasses, and champagne flutes.”
“We looked at a few other places first, but when we saw the Plaza we knew we wanted to have our wedding there. It’s such a beautiful hotel, and it has a lot of history.”
“The cake was five feet tall and had a bunch of different flavors. I happen to like cake a lot, but Nir picked the flavors and I chose the design.”
