Meredith Giuliani always fantasized about saying \u201cI do\u201d on a\u00a0grand\u00a0scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, hosting her over-the-top nuptials in Grand Central Terminal was nothing short of a splashy dream come true.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just thought, \u2018How cool would it be to turn one of New York\u2019s most stunningly beautiful landmarks into a main character at our wedding?\u2019\u201d Giuliani, 32, an Upper West Side transplant from New Jersey, told The Post, joking that the transit hub acted as the architectural \u201cbest man\u201d for the f\u00eate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meredith Giuliani and David Garrett took over Grand Central Terminal for their wedding on Oct. 11. @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n
The bride called the shindig \u201cthe best party ever.\u201d @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n
The wedding party gathers at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n
Giuliani, a strategy and operations manager for a tech startup \u2014 and no relation to former Big Apple mayor Rudy Giuliani \u2014 exchanged vows with groom David Garrett, 32, a corporate real estate expert, in the legendary terminal\u2019s Vanderbilt Hall on Oct. 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a supersized spectacle \u2014 officiated by NFL Hall of Famer and New York Giants veteran Harry Carson \u2014 made complete\u00a0by 12-foot floral installations, golden mirrored flooring, a harpist and violinist duet, and a faux, old-timey ticketing booth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the ticket stand, designed by Giuliani<\/a>, the couple\u2019s 340 guests were given customized train tickets inked with their seating assignments for the reception celebration at A-list hotspot Cipriani.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lucky couple created a booth \u2014 christened Garrett Central Station \u2014 where guests would pick up their dinner tickets. @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n A guest shows off two \u201cfirst class\u201d tickets to the celebration at Cipriani. @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n The luxe lovebirds were the first to officially transform Grand Central Terminal into a wow-worthy wedding venue in more<\/a> than a decade<\/a> \u2014 and they did it big, committed to having \u201cthe best party ever,\u201d Giuliani told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have such an amazing group of friends and family,\u201d she said. \u201cWe wanted to make this an amazing experience for them.\u201d<\/p>\n While the newlywed chose not to disclose the cost of her NYC extravaganza, Aaron Donovan, a spokesperson for the MTA, which oversees all Grand Central Terminal operations, told The Post that renting Vanderbilt Hall can come with a price tag ranging between $25,000 and $40,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giuliani and Garrett share a kiss in the revered venue. @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n \u201cWe have such an amazing group of friends and family,\u201d Giuliani told The Post. \u201cWe wanted to make this an amazing experience for them.\u201d @claudiaoliverphoto<\/p>\n The price tag varies \u201cdepending on the amount of space and time requested, [as well as the] logistics and staffing needed to redirect the public to trains,\u201d he explained. \u201cAdditional fees to secure space controlled by Grand Central retailers, such as Vanderbilt Hall\u2019s Grand Brasserie, could more than double that cost.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple did, in fact, rent it out to limit commuter foot traffic during their sacred shindig.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giuliani\u2019s mother and father, a software procurement specialist, as well as her in-laws, who work in healthcare administration, footed the bill for their behemoth of a big day, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But before attendees feasted on filet mignon and Chilean sea bass at the ritzy Cipriani, the rarefied bride walked down the aisle in a custom ballgown, speckled in sparkles and feathers, by haute couturier Ysa Makino.\u00a0<\/p>\n She and Garrett shared their first kiss as husband and wife directly beneath the vintage clock overlooking Vanderbilt Hall \u2014 the historic hub\u2019s main waiting room-turned-public event space.\u00a0Built in 1913 and restored in 1998, the approximately 6,000-square-foot spot features 55-foot ceilings and two gold chandeliers.<\/p>\n Swanky soir\u00e9es like theirs can be difficult to orchestrate, according to Donovan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe MTA is delighted to be able to host weddings at Grand Central\u2019s iconic Vanderbilt Hall, but they are challenging to support due to requirements to allow continuing public access,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n David Florio, the MTA\u2019s chief real estate transactions and operations officer, told The Post that pairs considering a Grand Central Terminal wedding should begin making arrangements at least 11 months in advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giuliani began planning her chic soir\u00e9e at the Midtown marvel in September 2024, just a few short months after Garrett popped the question in May of last year, on Little Island along the West Side Highway.\u00a0<\/p>\n The wedding served up elegance suitable for the ornate transit outpost. @meredith_giuliani\/\/Instagram<\/p>\n The millennial said she insisted her guy propose in a popular area, where passersby would ooh and ahh at the touching scene. She recreated the look-at-me moment on her special day last week, snapping photos in front of Grand Central\u2019s 42nd Street and Park Avenue entrance, as well as inside the station\u2019s main concourse.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cStrangers were taking pictures and videos of us, and we loved it,\u201d gushed Giuliani, who\u2019ll soon change her last name to Garrett. \u201cIt was so overwhelmingly positive \u2014 people were congratulating us, complimenting my dress and wishing us well for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n She cherishes the memory as her and Garrett\u2019s way of sharing their love with the boroughs in which they fell in love. The honeys plan to honeymoon in the Maldives next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have so much to thank this city for,\u201d said Giuliani. \u201cWe feel really grateful and honored to be able to do this really crazy and unique thing in a city that means so much to us.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t