During our time in New York, we partnered with the Intercontinental Hotel Barclay. And let us be the first to tell you, this is by far our favorite wedding venue in New York. Forget the convenience of the location and the amazing hospitality, this hotel is B E A U T I F U L. Recently renovated, the  hotel screams elegance and luxury. We’re positive had these renovations taken place in 2008, this would have been Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding venue choice—the New York Public Library would have been a close runner up. Yes, that’s how gorgeous this space is.

While we were there we worked with Mara, and she couldn’t have made us feel more at home. She helped us get our bearings, because the hotel is huge. Keep reading for a rundown on why this is our favorite wedding venue in New York.

Location, Vanderbilt’s and canneries.

Remember we said the location was great? When you have guests from out of town, who are not familiar with the area, convenience is key. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the InterContinental Barclay is short (doable) walk away from almost everything–Grand Central, Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Saks Fifth Avenue and the subway. We say doable, because during our couple minutes of free time, we walked to these places.

What’s even more intriguing is the history. Originally built the Vanderbilt family in 1926, The Barclay was designed by the architects, who also designed Tiffany’s. Back in 1945, the hotel put a large birdcage in their lobby. The cage was filled with canaries, the tunes of the song birds went together with the string music that was played on the terrace. The cage soon became a well known association with the hotel. People would come and go and house their birds there. Though there was a renovation, the hotel didn’t lose it’s history. You can find the canaries are reminiscent in the ballroom wallpaper.

Both the location and the history of the hotel is our second favorite part of the InterContinental Barclay. Keep reading for the first.

Our stay.

The bedrooms in the hotel did not disappoint. We each stayed in a one bedroom sweet–totally Art Deco vibes. When you walk in, the first thing that stands out is the elegant marble checkerboard flooring.Talk about a first impression. It’s the perfect combination of historical and modern elegance. First thing we noticed was the neutral tones set off with pops of color.

Now for our favorite part of the hotel–the wedding venue areas.

Wedding Ceremony goals, the Harold S. Vanderbilt Penthouse. 

Just like any other hotel, the ballroom is perfect for a wedding area. But we have our eyes set out on the Harold S. Vanderbilt Penthouse. With it’s own private terrace overlooking all of Manhattan, you will have the most incredible view for your wedding ceremony.

As wedding planners, we typically run into a problem with ballrooms where the bride doesn’t like the carpet, the color of the walls or the lights. Let me be the first to tell you, the hotel has none of these issues. The lighting, spectacular. Like really. Perfect lighting, not that yellow. Also, did we mention the room is filled with chandeliers? Just like the rooms, the carpet and walls are also neutral colors. So they’ll go perfect with any wedding color palette and theme.

Needless to say, the InterContinental Barclay is every New York bride’s dream. Planning a wedding in New York? Bride’s if you’re reading this, it’s not too late (see what we did there with that Drake reference?). Send us an email at info@btseventsmanagement.com, and we’ll be sure to get back to you! 

In the meantime, drool over this pictures of this gorgeous hotel.