For a recent rehearsal dinner, Charles Rivera, VIP events coordinator at The Kimberly Hotel, was bringing together two different cultures. “A Filipino woman was going out of her culture to marry a man of Indian descent,” he says. “She’s a nurse, he’s a doctor, so it was important that the dinner atmosphere was smooth and that the restaurant offered both cuisines, Indian and Asian.

“Luckily, Nikki Beach, with its Asian flair, spices, and mixes, is right next door. It’s a nice atmosphere with an upbeat tempo and beautiful décor, where people can sit on couches. It’s a place where you can relax and enjoy each other’s company.

“For your rehearsal dinner, the simplest thing is often the best. You don’t want the rehearsal dinner to take away from the wedding.”

“Luckily, Nikki Beach, with its Asian flair, spices, and mixes, is right next door. It’s a nice atmosphere with an upbeat tempo and beautiful décor, where people can sit on couches. It’s a place where you can relax and enjoy each other’s company.

“For your rehearsal dinner, the simplest thing is often the best. You don’t want the rehearsal dinner to take away from the wedding.”

Your Hotel Also Sets The Tone
Most brides choose one hotel to accommodate all their out-of-town guests and immediate family members. It’s also where they’ll have their own room for their wedding day preparations.

“If you, your friends, and family are here for your special event, we block out the rooms, meet with you and your groom, and put whatever welcoming gifts you might want in your guests’ rooms,” says Charles. “It takes all the stress off everyone’s mind. Then you and your guests can go off to the church rehearsal and to the rehearsal dinner.”

After the dinner you might want to come back to your suite with 10 people. “We can arrange to have some hors d’oeuvres and drinks delivered to your room and continue your pre-wedding party. Then the next day you celebrate.” Extending the rehearsal dinner makes for an even warmer gathering with friends and family.

“Whatever leads up to the wedding,” says Charles, “make it stress-free and relaxed.”

Dinner Choices
For their rehearsal dinner, most people choose Italian, French, Mediterranean, or Asian menus. “They often like the family style of service too. People are always trying to go with the extravagant,” says Charles, “but if you really want to welcome your guests, you can use flowers and décor to make them feel at home.”

Smoothing The Way
Not only does The Kimberly offer a relaxing environment that brings people together, but they seem well aware that some brides have special needs and requests right before their wedding.

“A bride may come to us and say, for example, ‘I need everything to go fine with my mother-in-law.’ So we get a mini-profile of everyone coming to the wedding and we try to smooth out any of the roughness. We might offer them a special spa package, or some other unexpected treat.

“We take the initiative and we do it. So when the bride is meeting with the family before the wedding, and her mother-in-law says, ‘This is a very nice hotel you picked,’ you can say, ‘That’s just the beginning. Wait until I marry your son.’
“Let’s say you’re getting married in our penthouse. You may want an intimate dinner with both sets of parents to break the ice. It may be that the parents themselves are meeting for the first time.

“We could have our chef plan a special menu to be served on the terrace, where you’d be overlooking the Chrysler Building and have a panoramic view of the city.”

What A Marriage Can Be
“The most fun is when the families are together, to see different cultures come together to celebrate as two people unite. There is a beginning, a future. When I see the diversity of different unions working, it’s beautiful. It shows the glory of our humanity, and of what the marriage can be.”

Charles did a 50th anniversary this past weekend. “They were both 77 years old, and it was such a beautiful sight, with their grown children and younger grandchildren. When I see someone getting married today, I look toward that.”

(Above: press photos)

The Kimberly
145 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022
212.702.1600, www.kimberlyhotel.com