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We have studied emission kinetics in dye-doped polymeric films (HITC:PMMA), deposited on top of glass and silver and embedded in Fabry–Perot cavities (metal-insulator-metal waveguides). For highly doped films on glass, we observed strong concentration quenching, as evidenced by a dramatic shortening of the emission kinetics, consistent with our previous studies. However, for the same dye-doped films on top of silver, slower emission kinetics were observed despite the high decay rates of individual dye molecules near the metallic surface. The concentration quenching rates in Fabry–Perot cavities were nearly identical to those of HITC:PMMA films deposited on top of silver. These findings are explained within a theoretical model for the inhibition of Förster energy transfer near a metallic surface. Furthermore, the emission kinetics of the dye-doped films on top of silver were approximately single exponential—consistent with the strong coupling of excited molecules with propagating surface plasmons.