In 2000, I was a theatre intern in New York with no money and a lot of walking to do. I used to pass the Palace on Madison and think it was the most glamorous building I had ever seen. I did not go inside. It didn’t occur to me that going inside was something a person like me got to do.
I now work there. That still gets me a little.
For years it was getting ready. Couples stay here because it is beautiful and the location is perfect, and then they go get married somewhere else, and I would spend a morning in one of those suites and then leave. This year I finally photographed a whole wedding in the building, and it turns out I was right at twenty-two. The place is ridiculous.
What The Lotte actually is
Two buildings pretending to be one. The Villard Mansion went up in 1884, McKim, Mead and White, back when this stretch of Madison was called Millionaire’s Row. They later built a 55-story tower around it. So the ground floor is Gilded Age, and everything above it is a modern hotel, all at 455 Madison, directly across from St. Patrick’s.
It is very old New York, in the best way.
The tower suites
This is the part I know cold, because I have been shooting getting ready up there for years.
The light is dazzling. Big windows, high floors, nothing in the way. On a clear morning it is the easiest good light in Manhattan, and on a gray day it goes soft and even and honestly might be better. With 909 rooms, what you get varies. If you have any say, ask for something high.
The courtyard
The gated courtyard off Madison was the carriage entrance to the mansion. The stonework is copied from a fifteenth-century Roman palazzo, which sounds like a lot until you are standing in it, and then it is exactly as much as it needs to be.
We shot portraits out there. St. Patrick’s is right across the street. It is also one of the only outdoor spots in midtown where you are not standing in traffic with forty tourists watching, because the gate closes.
The marble steps
Inside the mansion, there is a marble staircase, and it is the best thing in the building.
We did portraits on it, and the ceremony at the bottom. No weather to worry about, and a set of stairs that would be the nicest thing in most cities. If you get married here, use them.
The Villard Ballroom
The reception was in the Villard Ballroom. Oval, crystal chandeliers, gilt ceiling, seats up to 300.
At night it goes dark and romantic, which is my favorite thing a room can do. Bright white ballrooms photograph well. This one photographs like something.
Everything else in the building
There are more rooms here than most couples realize when they tour.
The Gold Room and the Madison Room, both full of carved walnut and coffered ceilings and original gilt chandeliers. The Library, the mansion’s original library, holds about 80. The Apartment, around 1,900 square feet with big windows looking at both the courtyard and St. Patrick’s, seats about 125. The Holmes Ballroom seats around 220. The Reid Salon seats around 130 under eighteen-foot ceilings.
So a small wedding here is not a downgrade; it is just a different room.
The thing nobody tells you
Most Manhattan hotels give you a lobby, a ballroom, and a hallway, and you make it work.
Here you have the courtyard, the staircase, the mansion rooms, the library, the suites, and a bunch of corridors and landings that are all worth shooting. Almost none of it is open to the public. You get in because you are the one getting married.
Which also means rain barely matters. We could have shot for three hours without going outside and never used the same background twice.
If you are considering it
Give yourself portrait time. This building will take as much as you hand it, and booking a place like this and then allowing forty-five minutes for pictures would be a shame.
Ask which spaces you have and when. They run more than one event at a time, so what is open to you on a Saturday depends on what else is happening.
And if you are staying the night before, get high up. The views are worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Lotte New York Palace?
455 Madison Avenue at 50th Street, Midtown Manhattan, directly across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a few blocks from Rockefeller Center.
What is the Villard Mansion?
The historic building at the center of the property, built in 1884 by McKim, Mead and White. It is a New York City landmark and includes several event spaces, including the Gold Room, the Madison Room, and the original library.
How many guests fit in the Villard Ballroom?
Up to 300 seated. It is the largest space and where most big weddings hold the reception.
Can you have a small wedding here?
Yes, and the smaller rooms are some of the best ones. The Library holds around 80. The Apartment holds around 125 and looks out at both the courtyard and St. Patrick’s. The Reid Salon holds around 130.
Where do ceremonies happen?
Several places, depending on size. The one I photographed was indoors at the bottom of the marble staircase in the Villard Mansion.
Can you take pictures in the courtyard?
Yes, and you should. It was the original carriage entrance; the gate closes, and St. Patrick’s is directly across the street.
What are the best photo spots at the Lotte New York Palace?
The marble staircase. The courtyard. The tower suites for getting ready. The mansion rooms with the walnut and the gilt. This building has more good options than almost any hotel in the city.
What is the light like?
Two completely different things in one building. The tower suites get bright, huge window light. The mansion rooms and the ballroom are dark, warm, and lit by chandeliers.
What happens if it rains?
Almost nothing. Nearly every good spot here is indoors. This is one of the easiest venues in New York to photograph on a bad day.
How much portrait time do we need?
More than you think. There is enough here to fill two hours without repeating yourself.
Do we need a permit to shoot near St. Patrick’s?
Not for portraits on the public sidewalk. The courtyard is hotel property and part of your event space. Photographing inside the cathedral is separate and has its own rules.
Have you photographed here before?
Many times for getting ready, and now a full wedding. If yours is here, I would love to hear about it.
If your wedding is at the Lotte New York Palace
Tell me which rooms you have, and I will tell you what I would do with them. Get in touch.
For more on where I work in the city, see my Manhattan wedding photographer page.
