For Rachel Meyorwitz and William Brody, not even Hurricane Sandy could prevent them from getting married.
The Merrick couple was scheduled to be married at The Venetian in Babylon on Nov. 3, but when Sandy struck, several questions arose. William is adopted, and he recently developed a relationship with his birth mother and birth father, both of whom have families of their own around the country. They were set to fly in for the wedding.
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Airports were closed, there was no word on whether there was damage to The Venetian and the uncertainty surrounding the wedding was startling to Meyerowitz. She got in the car, along with Brody, and drove to Babylon, and the conditions were extremely treacherous, Meyerowitz said.
"I didn’t care," Meyerowitz said. "I said I would walk if I had to. There were people in the street with water up to their waist."
Seeing the conditions in person made Meyerowitz realize that she needed a contingency plan, and when representatives from The Venetian finally called three days before the wedding, options were discussed. Meyerowitz refused to reschedule, so they needed to explore new locations.
First, the couple traveled to Crestwood Manor in Northport, but Meyerowitz did not want to settle. She then was advised to check out Terrace on the Park in Queens, and after not being impressed by the lower level, she checked out the second floor and knew she had found what she wanted.
"They took us upstairs, and it was like “this is it,” she said.
Most of the guests were able to reschedule their flights, although the next obstacle was the hotel that 40 rooms were reserved for the wedding. They were also hosting FEMA and were at 110 percent capacity. Meyerowitz called to express concern, but the hotel made sure the rooms were available.
Lastly, the hotel refused to shuttle people from Queens due to liability purposes, so Meyerowitz called The Venetian to take care of it. On Friday morning, just one day before the wedding, Meyerowitz was informed that she was getting two 52-passenger buses. The original cantor was unable to make the wedding due to the gas shortage caused by Sandy, but she found a replacement to handle the proceedings instead.
"The wedding went off without a hitch," Meyerowitz said. "It was beautiful and we had a great time."
What do you think about the obstacles that were overcome during the wedding preparation? Tell us in the comments section below.
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