The reception room at Cipriani 25 Broadway is dark. Properly dark, gothic, unmistakably old New York, and I loved every minute of working in it.
I recently photographed my first wedding here, and I want to give you a useful venue guide rather than the brochure. What the spaces actually do, where the photos are, and the one timing problem that catches couples out at this venue.
First, which Cipriani
Cipriani runs several venues in New York, and the names confuse people when they tour. There is Cipriani 42nd Street in midtown, Cipriani 25 Broadway and Cipriani Wall Street downtown, Club 55 at Cipriani Wall Street, and Cipriani South Street at Casa Cipriani.
They are different rooms with different capacities and very different lighting. If you are comparing them, confirm which room your proposal is for, because the photos you found online may not be the room you are booking.
This guide is Cipriani 25 Broadway, in the Financial District at Bowling Green. If your proposal says Wall Street, that is a different room.
How the space works
You come in through a vestibule, and cocktail hour is right there as you arrive, draped off from the reception space so you cannot see into dinner yet.
That matters more than it sounds. Your guests walk in, and the party starts immediately, with no corridor and no waiting around in a lobby. And because the drape is doing the separating, the reveal of the dinner room still happens properly when it comes down.
What the room does at a normal guest count
The wedding I photographed here had around 130 guests across thirteen tables plus a sweetheart table.
There was plenty of space, and the room didn’t read as empty. That combination is unusual, and it is the most useful thing I can tell you about this venue, because the online photos make it look like it needs 300 people to work. It does not. If your guest list is in the low hundreds, this room will still feel like a party rather than a hall you failed to fill.
The light (or lack thereof)
The reception space is dark, and it is meant to be. Gothic, moody, heavy on atmosphere.
I’ll be direct about the practical consequence: this room rewards a photographer who likes working in it. If you are interviewing people for this venue, ask to see full reception galleries from dark rooms rather than daytime portraits. Not because the room is difficult, but because it is a specific kind of beautiful and you want someone whose work already looks like that. My guide to venues for dark and dramatic weddings covers the others in this category.
Where the portraits are
Here, I’ll tell you what I did and what I would do differently, because they are not the same thing.
We shot all our portraits earlier in the day at The Beekman, where the couple got ready, and we didn’t shoot any at the venue. That was a function of the timeline, not a choice, and I will explain why in a moment.
What I clocked while I was there, and would use next time:
The vestibule and entrance. The first thing you walk through is one of the building’s best frames, and it’s easy to miss because everyone walks straight past it into cocktail hour.
The interior generally. There is more of it worth photographing than one wedding gave me time for. I could spend hours in there and still be thrilled.
The Financial District outside the door. The Charging Bull is directly across from the entrance, and the rest of the iconic downtown architecture is a short walk away. Most couples never think of this part of Manhattan as a portrait location, and it is right there.
What the wedding day looked like
Many couples getting married here hold their ceremony somewhere else, and that decision can eat up all your portrait time at the venue if you don’t plan for it.
Here is the shape of the day I photographed. The ceremony was at a cathedral in Newark and ended at 4:30. Guests boarded buses by 4:50. The drive back downtown took a full 60 minutes. Guests arrived at the venue at 5:50, and cocktail hour started at 6:00.
If you want photographs in that room, you have to build the time in deliberately. Either hold your ceremony at the venue, or leave your off-site ceremony early enough to arrive ahead of your guests, or accept that your couple portraits will happen wherever you got ready, and plan that location accordingly.
Budget a real hour for the drive from New Jersey on a Saturday evening. We all know it can be a long one!
Can you get married at Cipriani 25 Broadway?
Yes. You can hold your ceremony at the venue, and if photos in that room matter to you, I’d push you toward that version of the day.
Getting ready
Most couples here get ready somewhere else, and the one I photographed got ready at The Beekman, about ten minutes away, with penthouse suites and real light.
I cannot tell you about the on-site getting-ready space because we did not use it. Ask the venue directly rather than taking my word for something I did not see.
One practical note from the Beekman side of that morning: their photography spaces run on a timed reservation, so if you are getting ready there, know when your window opens and closes.
Practical things
For driving guests, the LAZ Battery parking garage at 70 Greenwich Street is the closest option.
The Financial District empties out in the evening and on weekends, which is the opposite of the problem you have at a midtown venue. Streets impassable at lunchtime on a Tuesday are quiet on a Saturday night, making arrival and departure much calmer than a Manhattan wedding usually is.
On that note, a vintage cab staged outside at the end of the night photographs beautifully against this building, and the empty downtown streets help.
Frequently Asked Questions: Cipriani 25 Broadway Weddings
Where is Cipriani 25 Broadway?
Downtown Manhattan’s Financial District, at 25 Broadway by Bowling Green. The Charging Bull is directly across from the entrance. Cipriani also operates Cipriani 42nd Street in midtown, Cipriani Wall Street, Club 55 at Cipriani Wall Street, and Cipriani South Street at Casa Cipriani, so confirm with the venue which room your proposal covers.
Can you have your ceremony at Cipriani 25 Broadway?
Yes. Many couples hold the ceremony off-site and come here for the reception, but you can have the ceremony at the venue, which I recommend if you want portraits in the main room.
How many guests does the room hold?
More than you probably need. The wedding I photographed had around 130 guests at thirteen tables plus a sweetheart table, and there was plenty of space left over without the room feeling empty. Confirm the venue’s current capacity, but don’t assume you need a huge guest list to make this room work.
What is the lighting like at Cipriani 25 Broadway?
Dark, gothic, and atmospheric by design. It photographs wonderfully in the hands of someone who likes that kind of room. When you are hiring, ask to see complete reception galleries from dark venues rather than daylight portraits.
Where do you take wedding portraits at Cipriani 25 Broadway?
The vestibule and entrance you walk in through is the best frame in the building, and almost nobody uses it. The interior generally offers more than one wedding can give you time for. And the Financial District outside is full of iconic downtown architecture, with the Charging Bull directly across from the door.
How long does it take to get to Cipriani 25 Broadway from an off-site ceremony?
From a church in Newark, it took a full hour on a Saturday evening. Plan for real time, not optimistic time, and remember your guests are on buses behind you.
Why do couples here end up with no portraits at the venue?
Because of the off-site ceremony timeline. If the ceremony ends at 4:30 somewhere else and cocktail hour starts at 6:00, you arrive with your guests and have no time left. Either marry at the venue, leave early enough to arrive first, or plan your portraits wherever you are getting ready.
Is there somewhere to get ready at Cipriani 25 Broadway?
I don’t know, because we didn’t use it. Most couples here get ready at a hotel instead. The couple I photographed used The Beekman, about ten minutes away.
How does the layout work on the night?
You enter through a vestibule, and cocktail hour is immediately there, draped off from the reception space, so guests start the party on arrival, and the dinner room is still a reveal when the drape comes down.
Is there parking near Cipriani 25 Broadway?
The nearest is the LAZ Battery parking garage at 70 Greenwich Street. The Financial District is also much quieter on a weekend evening than Midtown, making arrivals and departures easier than at most Manhattan venues.
The short version
Get married in a dark, gothic, genuinely old-New York room in the Financial District, with cocktail hour draped off right inside the door and far more space than a hundred-and-thirty-person guest list needs. Hire a photographer whose dark-room work you already love. Use the vestibule on the way in. Walk out to the Bull. And if your ceremony is somewhere else, build the drive in honestly, because that is the thing that quietly costs couples their portraits here.
If you are planning a wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway and want to talk, get in touch.
