This Couple Pulled Off an Epic Wedding During New York City's Recent Blackout

On the 42nd anniversary of New York City's 1977 blackout, in which the city lost power for 25 hours, parts of the city were again plunged into darkness. For several hours on Saturday night, parts of midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side were completely without power. One notable building that was hit by the blackout? The iconic Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue.

The luxury hotel is a sought after wedding location-so it was no surprise that a couple had booked the venue for their June 13 nuptials. Right after Amy Rosenthal, the bride, walked down the aisle to meet her soon-to-be-husband Craig Silverstein, the whole room was engulfed in darkness. The bride's brother, Justin Rosenthal, recounted the scene for the New York Times, saying, "A lot of people thought it was on purpose, like some kind of mood-lighting situation. You know how like at concerts people pull out their cellphones? That's what happened."

The blackout, which was caused by a malfunction from power supplier Con Edison, continued through the reception. According to the New York Times, the couple's "12-piece band improvised, too. Using instruments that didn't require power (saxophone, trumpet, violin), the band played on. Realizing it couldn't use a microphone, it stuck to easy-to-sing classics."

The Plaza Hotel has been the venue of choice for many notable weddings, both in real life and popular culture (it was even the source of bridal strife in the 2009 romantic comedy Bride Wars with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway). But Saturday's blackout wedding was undoubtedly one for the books.