--- title: New York Blackout Could Not Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding description: When a New York City-wide blackout turned a Plaza Hotel wedding into darkness, the bride and groom continued their nuptials by candlelight. canonical: https://time.com/5626453/new-york-city-blackout-wedding/ author: Rachel E. Greenspan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-07-15T15:08:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:56:35.116Z og:title: Blackout Could Not Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding From Happening in the Dark og:description: In New York, the show must go on og:url: https://time.com/5626453/new-york-city-blackout-wedding/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8278e8abbb976f6/6989fff516d88483d1c36b0d/new-york-blackout-wedding.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: New York Blackout Could Not Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Blackout Could Not Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding From Happening in the Dark twitter:description: In New York, the show must go on twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8278e8abbb976f6/6989fff516d88483d1c36b0d/new-york-blackout-wedding.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Blackout Could Never Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding From Happening in the Dark ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. In New York, the show must go on_ by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Jul 15, 2019 3:08 PM UTC by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Jul 15, 2019 3:08 PM UTC Sometimes the best-laid plans can end with a wedding ceremony in the dark. Guests thought it was simply mood lighting when a [New York City-wide blackout](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/14/nyregion/nyc-blackout-scenes.html) hit a wedding at the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue on Saturday, the bride’s brother [told the New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/nyregion/newyorktoday/manhattan-blackout-wedding.html). But it was a Con Edison problem that left parts of the Upper West Side and Midtown in darkness. Needless to say, Amy Rosenthal and Craig Silverstein’s [wedding](https://time.com/5618262/sophie-turner-joe-jonas-wedding-dog/) was not what they expected. > [](https://twitter.com/emmagf/status/1150436427374780416) Though the blackout was scary for those trapped in elevators and subway cars — and for the 73,000 Con Edison customers left without power for hours, as the [_Associated Press_](https://www.apnews.com/ffbd48c5c1084e188d48564db93ace35)reports — Rosenthal told the New York _Times_ that her wedding ended up being beautiful. “It was unbelievable,” the newlywed told the _Times._ “Everyone stepped up and were doing everything in their power to make the night a special one.” Beyond nuptials, the mass power outage could have potentially stopped [Broadway shows](https://time.com/5592969/jeff-daniels-to-kill-a-mockingbird/) and a [Jennifer Lopez concert](https://time.com/5584820/katy-perry-jlo-met-gala-2019/) from happening. But shows like [Hadestown](https://time.com/5603667/2019-tony-awards/), which won Best Musical at the Tony Awards this year, and [Waitress the Musical](https://time.com/4285668/waitress-broadway-sara-bareilles/) took their performances to the streets, treating some to free songs near Times Square. > [](https://twitter.com/hadestown/status/1150220920872755200) > [](https://twitter.com/NineDaves/status/1150197829161431040) Even the Millennial Choir and Orchestra gave their performance outside Carnegie Hall, which also lost power. > [](https://twitter.com/RaviReports/status/1150196760461152256) It is New York, after all, and the show must go on. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5626453/new-york-city-blackout-wedding/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5626453/new-york-city-blackout-wedding/"},"headline":"Blackout Could Never Thwart This Unstoppable Wedding From Happening in the Dark","datePublished":"2019-07-15T15:08:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:56:35.116Z","description":"In New York, the show must go on","url":"https://time.com/5626453/new-york-city-blackout-wedding/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","New York","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8278e8abbb976f6/6989fff516d88483d1c36b0d/new-york-blackout-wedding.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel E. 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