"It was one of the truest moments of my life." --Elizabeth Keifer
Elizabeth Keifer and Robert Convertino first met through Robert's brother, a film composer, while she was working in California and while he was based out of Syracuse. After doing the long-distance love thing for two years, the couple split up, only to eventually rekindle their romance. They got married on September 14th, 1996 at the Righa Royal Hotel in New York City. They exchanged vows in the presence of forty family members and close friends.
The Setting~
Beth verDorn, my co-star Jerry's wife, recommended the Righa Royal Hotel. She'd gone to a daytime wedding there that was exactly the same as what we wanted--understated. I was looking for a place in the city, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to organize it. And I wanted a hotel so my family could come and have everything in one place--my mother was afraid of New York City.
The Bridal Procession~
I wasn't in full bridal regalia with nineteen bridesmaids or anything like that. I had two little flower girls--my nieces, who are three and five--and they stole the show. My sister, Mary, made their raw-silk, Victorian-style dresses. They had hand-smocked flowers, embroidery, Peter Pan collars and a big sash in the back. One was soft pink, one was sea foam green and they touched the floor and puffed out.
The Ceremony~
Reverend August Gold, an interfaith minister, performed the ceremony. I'm very eclectic and it reflected that. It went everywhere from quoting the Apace Indians to the Hawaiian wedding chant to Shakespeare and the book of Ruth from the Bible. Almost everybody who was there said they've never experienced anything like it. As far as I'm concerned, it was what a wedding is supposed to be. We were exchanging sacred promises in front of our loved ones and in front of God. It was one of the truest moments of my life.
The Dress~
I wore my Isaac Mizrahi--I've never looked more ladylike and elegant in my life. I looked like Jackie Onassis. I loved it because it felt right. It felt like Liz was getting married and, thank God, it wasn't some Blake dress. Bobby wore his double-breasted Armani suit. It's taupe, and since my dress was off-white, they went very well together. (Imagine Liz's surprise when she picked up People magazine's special issue on celebrity weddings and saw that her wedding dress was fourth on the list of the top ten wedding dresses! "I picked it up because I knew my husband, Bobby, and I were going to be in the feature on soap opera weddings. They also had the top ten most perfect wedding dresses, and I'm number four--right after Carolyn Bessette Kennedy! There's something lucky about Bobby and about the marriage. Bobby's my magic charm, everything's been blessed since we got married.")
The Bouquet~
My bouquet was all gardenias. When I went to order it, it had five tiers! I said, "I don't really want that. I want the maid of honor bouquet," so they made a smaller version of their bridal bouquet. Bobby wore a gardenia and the mothers had gardenia wrist corsages, which somehow ended up on my nieces!
The Party~
The reception was held right there in the hotel. My sister-in-law surprised me by kicking it off with a bagpiper. That broke the ice, because it's a very profound sound, especially in a small room, and then we went on to toasts. I had had a beautiful string trio play throughout the ceremony, and they played at the reception, too. During their breaks, I'd play specific songs from CDs that I wanted to dance to--big-band stuff: Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York and The Lady Is a Tramp and the theme from The Godfather. It was very eclectic. Then we'd tone it down a little more with the string trio, so the evening had an ebb and flow to it. It wasn't a sit-down dinner; we had hors d'oeuvres and a buffet line with various pastas.
The Cake~
I got a cake from the Cupcake Factory--the same place where GL gets its wedding cakes. It was gorgeous--the colors matched the dresses of the flower girls.
Married Life~
There's a definite difference when you get married. There's a commitment and a different kind of intimacy. You're trusting that other person not to bail out on you through the bad times. Before the wedding, we were OK with seeing each other every other weekend. Now that's impossible. We can't create a bond in our marriage on the alternate weekends. (Liz is referring to a time when her and Bobby worked at different locations. Since this time, they have bought a beautiful home in New Jersey.)
The "After Party" in the hotel room.
From left: Ann Marie and John Convertino (Bobby's parents), Bobby, Liz, Jerry verDorn, Grace Keifer (Liz's mother), and Jim and Brian Keifer (Liz's brothers).
Notice: Some information on Elizabeth Keifer and Robert Convertino's wedding was compiled from the soap opera magazines when Liz did an interview with them very close after the wedding took place.