A very frequently asked question when I am planning weddings in Central Park is the one about where a couple should go to eat after their wedding. It is a difficult one to answer because it all depends on your group size, how much walking or traveling you want to do, what your budget is, what your tastes are, and many other factors. So I thought one way to answer the question would be to gather together a list of some of the restaurants my clients recommend. What follows is a list of places where the couples who have featured in the blog in 2016 have eaten. Several of the couples took their parties on a river cruise, rather than to a restaurant. It is a popular option which allows parties to eat, drink and celebrate while also doing some sight-seeing of the incredible view of Manhattan from the river.
Cat and James
British couple Cat and James got married on Belvedere Castle Terrace in September. Their guests were their parents, James’ mum’s partner and both their sisters. They all went to the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park for drink after the wedding, and after that, they all went on to a private dining room at Lincoln Square Steakhouse, which they loved. They said it was the best food they had eaten during their whole week in New York City. It is a 60s style steak and seafood restaurant on the Upper West Side.
Victoria and Paul
Victoria and Paul came from their current home in Alaska to get married in Wagner Cove in May. Victoria is Moldovian and Paul is French. Their guests were four of their friends. After their wedding ceremony and photos, they all had dinner at The Milling Room restaurant, which is a few blocks away from Central Park on the Upper West Side, a great area for bars and restaurants. “The Milling Room has a welcoming atmosphere, super delicious food and desserts, plus they provided great service,” said Victoria. After their dinner, they went for drinks at the Viceroy rooftop bar, The Roof, which has views of Central Park.
Mitchell and Brian
Mitchell and Brian brought their close friends and family over from Texas in June to get married in the Dene Summer House. There were fifteen adults and three kids in their party. Mitchell and Brian are regular visitors to New York, so they knew which places were good to eat at. After the wedding ceremony Mitchell and Brian took all their guests for a family-style lunch at ABC Kitchen, which serves award-winning farm-to-table environmentally conscious food. Later on in the day the adults met up again for a drink and a late dinner at the Smith Nomad, a brasseries which serves all the bistro classics..
Louise and David
Scottish couple Louise and David brought Louise’s parents, and David’s sister and her partner over with them, for their wedding in the Ladies’ Pavilion in May. After the ceremony their guests went to the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central for a few drinks, a must for any Scottish visitors to New York, while the photographer took more photographs of the couple around Central Park. After that the party met up again to eat at the historic Tavern on the Green in Central Park, which was originally built in the 1880s. “The restaurant was lovely, not casual or pretentious and absolutely delicious. The staff were fantastic, I got a complimentary glass of champagne and the staff were very accommodating taking our photographs,” said Louise.
Rivka and Dani
Rivka is originally from New Zealand and Dani is from England, but Rivka and Dani have been living together in Australia before they got married in Cop Cot in August, so they had guests from all over the world at their wedding. After their wedding, they went on to the Highline for more photos, since it was very close to their reception location, The Park in Chelsea. They had a party of fifty, so they had a private room for their reception, this restaurant has a range of private spaces for parties.
Tatiana and Fabio
Tatiana and Fabio are a Brazilian couple currently living together in Upper East Side Manhattan. They got married in the Conservatory Gardens in July. They had a large group of friends and family, and their dog at their wedding. They went on to Brazilian restaurant Berimbau to continue the celebrations after the wedding ceremony.
Laura and Louise
Laura and Louise brought a party of ten over from their home in England to get married in the Ladies’ Pavilion in August. In the evening they took their guests for a meal at popular contemporary American restaurant Sarabeth’s on Central Park South, which they said was amazing “they couldn’t have done more to make the meal special,” said Laura.
Alistair and Victoria
Eloping couple Alistair and Victoria came over from England in September to get married in Wagner Cove. After their wedding ceremony and photographs in Central Park the couple went to the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park for a drink, and then after that, went on to Chart House in Weehawken for a meal. It is a seafood restaurant right on the Hudson River, directly across from Manhattan, so diners there can enjoy panoramic views of the New York skyline.
Hayley and Mike
Hayley and Mike brought thirteen close friends and family over from the UK to get married in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Once the ceremony was over the photographer took some group photos, then the couple stayed with the photographer to take photos around Central Park, while the guests left to have drinks at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel near Columbus Circle, which has a lounge with floor to ceiling windows, overlooking Central Park. Later that day, the party all had dinner in the Loeb Boathouse.
Jamie and Paul
British couple Jamie and Paul had been together exactly ten years before their wedding in June at the Ladies’ Pavilion. They eloped for their wedding, but Jamie’s aunt and uncle were their guests. They hired a boat for a row around the Lake after their wedding, then they all went to the Tavern on the Green after that for lunch.
Amy and Garry
Scottish couple Amy and Garry had already planned a trip to New York for Garry’s thirtieth birthday in October when they decided that it would be a great idea to get married while they were there. They had twenty-three guests for their ceremony at Wagner Cove. After the wedding, the party went to Gallagher’s Steak House, established in the 1920s and situated close to Times Square. They had reserved a private room for their group, so that they were able to do speeches and dancing.
I hope these examples have provided some useful inspiration. The Loeb Boathouse and the Tavern on the Green remain popular choices for couples getting married in Central Park. They are both fabulous places to eat and to watch Central Park from. As I mentioned in the introduction, a river cruise is also a popular way to finish off your wedding day in Central Park. There are many other places that couples go to celebrate their first meal as a married couple, though, and I hope this short list illustrates the wide choices available in New York City. I will be posting more blogs in the near future, detailed where some more of the couples who have featured in this blog have eaten after their wedding in Central Park.
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