Ashleigh and Dan brought over their parents with them from Newcastle, England to get married in Central Park. They got married at Wagner Cove in April. They had been together for almost eight years when they got married. They met while working in their first jobs in retail.
When they first contacted me, just over a year before they got married, they weren’t sure quite when they wanted to get married. They were initially thinking any time between July and September, but in the end they chose what many consider to be the month that Central Park is at its prettiest – April. This is the month when the cherry blossoms are all over the park and it a look very pink.
Ashleigh and Dan had visited New York twice before, but this time they wanted to bring their parents with them to witness their wedding. They got married in the April, had a party at home in May and went on their honeymoon in September.
In the run-up to the wedding, when discussing where they wanted to get to for photos, Ashleigh and Dan had said that they wanted to go to Times Square to take some photos. Once they had arrived in New York, Ashleigh asked me if we could make a last-minute change to the plans and skip Times Square and stay in Central Park for photos.
It’s easy enough for us to change plans last minute if we’re just talking about a location change. It’s not always possible to change timings at short notice because photographers and the other people who are there on the day may have other jobs and plans around the wedding, so often we can’t change timings. If we can change plans, we will always make every effort to do so, but I can’t promise anything. As it was, we were able to skip Times Square and stick with Central Park for photos, which does make things feel more relaxed.
Times Square is a popular requested location for post-wedding photos and honestly, it’s probably my least-favorite place in Manhattan. I agree with Ashleigh and I find it far too busy and full of people. Personally, I think the billboards, lights and stores are unpleasant to look at, and I’m always a bit baffled when couples want to take photos there. We all think of a few iconic places when we think of New York, and I appreciate that many think of Times Square. I’ll also concede that I’m very biased and I think Central Park is the nicest part of Manhattan, but I also love the rivers, the bridges, and many of the streets of New York. I love many of the famous buildings of New York, and I do enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city. But not Times Square. It’s just too much for me!
We had the groom and his parents and the bride’s mom meet the videographer and the officiant at Wagner Cove itself. Then we had the photographer meet the bride and her dad at the entrance to the park and he walked in with them. Wagner Cove is a great location for a bride to make an entrance. The photographer can leave her out of sight at the top of the steps and the officiant can announce her and then she can walk in. So, that’s what we did for this wedding.
After the ceremony, they took their time taking photos around the park with their photographer, Jakub Redziniak. He took them over to Bow Bridge, and the lovely boat landing which overlooks it, then on to Bethesda Terrace, where they were able to really take their time, thanks to not rushing off to Times Square, and finishing up on the Mall.
Ashleigh was very happy with how it all went. “It was a day to remember in the most gorgeous setting we won’t ever forget it,” she said. “We are forever grateful to all four of you for giving us our perfect day,” she added.
Like many of our visiting couples, Ashleigh and Dan threw a party with wider friends and family on their return home to England. In the run-up to their wedding, they told me that they were sad that their grandparents were unable to travel to New York to be at the wedding in person. As it happened, their remaining grandparents and other loved ones were able to go to the evening party back home, which does help to make family feel more included in the wedding, even if they’re not able to be at the ceremony in person.
I asked Ashleigh how we did. “Thank you so much for arranging such a perfect day for us! We absolutely loved every minute and couldn’t fault a second, the day planned out exactly how we wanted it to!” she said.
If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, whether you plan to bring your close family as with this wedding, or if you are planning on traveling to New York just the two of you to elope, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest.
