Valerie and Bastien got married in the Dene Summerhouse (otherwise known as the Treehouse for Dreaming) on a Saturday afternoon in July. The couple had been together for three years when they got married, and had been living together in Germany. They moved to New York right before they got married. They first contacted me just two months before the wedding, as they were also arranging their move.
The couple met in Frankfurt in Germany, not long after they had each moved there. Despite having clicked immediately and exchanged numbers, Valerie’s old American phone number didn’t work, so they were unable to follow up to arrange to meet. However, by chance, they ended up running into each other again a couple weeks later, where they each of course blamed the other for not writing or answering, but then laughed when they figured it out. And the rest, as they say is history.
During the afternoon on a Saturday in July is a popular time for a wedding. Initially they wanted to get married in the Ladies’ Pavilion, but that was booked, since we were requesting the event permit just two months before the wedding. So, we asked for their second choice of Cop Cot, and that was also booked. Their third choice was the Dene Summerhouse, which looks a lot like Cop Cot, but is smaller, at a higher elevation, and further north in the park.
One strange thing about the Dene Summerhouse is that the parks department will not issue an event permit for this location. They will issue a permit for the Dene Lawn, which is a lovely lawn just beside it. So, for Valerie and Bastien’s wedding we got the permit for the Dene Lawn, and then we just hoped that the Dene Summerhouse would be free when everyone got there. Not everyone wants this kind of uncertainty for their wedding but Valerie and Bastien were happy to accept it, because lots of the other possible locations were booked!
Not surprisingly, given their history, the couple have friends and family all over. So, around twelve guests were there for the ceremony in person. We arranged a live stream for those who could not make it to New York. Bastien’s Grandfather even read a poem over Zoom which he had written for the wedding day. We had written an introduction to the ceremony about the couple’s relationship to date, then they exchanged traditional vows before reading out some special vows they had written for each other.
After the ceremony it was just a short walk over to Bethesda Terrace and Bow Bridge to take some photos there. The Dene Summerhouse is level with about 68th Street and on the East side of the park, so it’s maybe a ten minute walk up to that center area of the park with the main iconic photo locations.
The wedding took place around 3pm, when the sun is high and hot in July, but there is some shade cover at the Dene Summerhouse. So, by the time they had finished the ceremony and were ready to go out into the park for portrait photos, then sun had moved a little lower in the sky, so it was a good time to take photos, even though it was still hot.
I asked them how we did. “Thank you so much, the wedding went perfectly!” Bastien told me. “We wouldn’t have made it without your help. The officiant was wonderful, delivering the text and jokes perfectly, and the photographer was so helpful with poses and locations. Everyone thought the ceremony was fun and beautiful, so we’re super happy,” he said.
It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you, Valerie and Bastien, and I’m so glad that I could hep to take the pressure off at such a busy time for you. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, whether you live locally or are planning on traveling to New York to get married, 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.
