Julie and Brad met while attending college at Lehigh and were close friends throughout college. Post- College while Brad was living in NJ and Julie was living in NYC and they stayed in touch and started dating long distance and eventually Brad moved to NYC and the rest is history. In Julie’s words, “We decided we wanted a New York City wedding very early on in our planning process. We now live in New York and just wanted a classic city wedding. My dad mentioned looking at The Plaza (my parents stayed there the night of their wedding) and from that moment I had my mindset on it. The Plaza was the first place we looked and after that, all of the other venues we looked at just didn’t compare! I couldn’t stop thinking about the Grand Ballroom and the Terrace room. Everything was so detailed and beautiful and exactly what we had in mind. It was classic and amazing, a true New York City wedding. We met the CPS Events team and fell in love with them. Their spunk and enthusiasm for everything made us so excited, and they explained everything with such ease and comfort and made us feel so calm about the entire wedding planning process.” The big day arrived quickly and before we knew it, guests were arriving at the ceremony! Julie and Brad’s processional consisted of very close friends and family, and as an ode to Jerry Garcia, they walked down the aisle to “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead.  In order to be a Gurland, you must share a serious love for the Grateful Dead.  Their love is shown by the fact that each of Julie’s siblings all shares the initials, “JG”, showing their affection towards the talented singer/songwriter. Brad’s family was quick to learn this as well and all of the guests expected nothing less than for “Ripple” to be a part of their wedding day!

After the ceremony guests moved into cocktail hour, where there was a surprise for Brad and his family.  The Nelson’s are deeply rooted in Philadelphia and share a strong love for the Phillies baseball team. Julie not only wanted to show Brad how deep her feelings were for him but also for the Phillies and so a Phillies Station complete with Philly Cheese Steaks, Hot Dogs, Peanuts, and Cracker Jacks welcomed guests to the party! This was also a complete surprise to Julie’s oldest brother Justin, who is a true Yankees fan, but this day belonged to the new Mr. & Mrs. Nelson. The fabulous Harris Lane & his Band opened the Grand Ballroom with a burst of energy that didn’t stop throughout the evening.  Harris even got into the “JG” mania and wore a Grateful Dead tie and he, too, learned quickly how to be a Gurland!

Guests dined on a Summer Vegetable Salad, Pumpernickel Crusted Salmon, Grilled Prime Beef Entrecote, Espresso Chocolate Valrhona Torte, and cake by the legendary Ron Ben-Israel.  Dinner service moved quickly in order to keep those guests on the Dance Floor. Julie danced with her father, Brad dance with his mother, both to classic rock songs, and even Julie’s parents Dr. & Mrs. Gurland got into the action with a  classic ballroom dance of their own to “Into the Mystic”, and then invited guests to join them to “Old Time Rock & Roll”. Harris played for an extra hour because the dance party was just that hot. He closed out the night with, who else, but the Grateful Dead! He played “Casey Jones” and Brad and Dr. Gurland just felt the need to get up on the stage with Harris and sing along with the Band.  Pretty soon the rest of the Gurland’s and the Nelson’s were all singing “Truckin” on stage too! What a way to send Julie & Brad off into their new life together!

Julie told me later that, “The entire staff made our wedding weekend flawless. They were there when you needed them at any point during the weekend. We didn’t have to think about a thing. The energy in the room that night was amazing and the love and warmth we felt is something we will always remember. The Plaza now holds a very special place in our hearts. It is a weekend we will surely never forget!” The music definitely doesn’t stop here!