Plaza Hotel closure leaves bride scrambling for new wedding venue

NEW YORK -- A bride-to-be is searching for a new wedding venue after learning that New York City's iconic Plaza Hotel plans to temporarily close for a major restoration project.

The Plaza Hotel, at Central Park South and Fifth Avenue, is known for its red-carpeted entrance, French Renaissance architecture and appearances in films including "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" and "Bride Wars."

For Christine Carney and her fiancé, the hotel was supposed to be the site of their wedding on May 1, 2027. Carney said she had dreamed of getting married at the Plaza since she was a child, and the wedding had been planned there since April of last year.

"I loved the Plaza since I was little," Carney said.

Those plans were thrown into uncertainty Wednesday when Carney learned the hotel would temporarily close for four years beginning in January.

She said she immediately contacted the hotel's concierge.

"She came back on the line and was like I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is true. And I was like huh?! Oh my god. So now what?" Carney said.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, the operator of the Plaza, says the hotel is closing to restore the 18-story building's landmark facade. Staff at the Palm Court and hotel event rooms told The New York Times those venues also will close during the construction.

Carney questioned why the hotel was still booking weddings.

Wedding planner Alyssa Pettinato said the couple now faces the challenge of finding a new venue and potentially changing the wedding date.

"We have to pivot to a new venue, hope that the date is still free, if not we have to pivot to a new date and then every single vendor we've already locked in which is kind of half the wedding at this point — we have to hope and pray they're free for the new date. So, it's pretty much planning all over again," Pettinato, owner of Alinato Events, said.

Despite the setback, Carney said she still expects it to be a dream wedding, wherever it is held.

"It feels like it's quite unforgivable," she said.