Waterbury's Palace Theater Hosts a New Year's Eve Wedding

The Palace Theater was not dark on New Year’s Eve, but it wasn't because of a show or a concert. It was the black tie wedding reception of former WFSB and current WTNH traffic reporter Teresa LaBarbera and All-Star Driver owner Brandon Dufour that took to the stage (and the lobby) of the Waterbury Theater. After the 6:00pm ceremony at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury (a pretty impressive church,) the guests boarded shuttles to head to the venerable Palace Theater. Many television news personalities from various stations took the night off to be among the attendees. The event was a year in the planning, and by all accounts it went off without a hitch.

The formal affair had a color scheme of black and white with touches a deep red. It included about 265 very well-dressed guests. In the spirit of the theater, Mrs. Dufour (who is taking her husband's last name both personally and professionally) changed out of her ball gown and into a second gown for the couple's first (choreographed) dance that guest watched from seats in the house. After the final dip, the curtain rose to a large band onstage and two female vocalists performing in front of a projected countdown clock. The bride and groom began a playful snowball fight with the fake snow in a pile on the stage. Guests then climbed on to the stage to join the celebration.  

The highly organized bride had been blogging about the wedding preparations. She had promised that there would be a surprise at the stroke of midnight and I would guess that the party atmosphere celebrating their marriage and the new year might have involved confetti.

MaryEllen Fillo of the Hartford Courant has been covering the engagement and wedding planning of the couple, and posted a few photos on January 1.

This video starts with guests at the wedding watching the couple perform their first dance  at the historic Palace Theater. What happens when the curtain opens is truly spectacular!