Abi and Simon eloped to get married in New York from their home in the North West of England in April. They held their wedding ceremony in the Ladies Pavilion, overlooking Central Park Lake. Simon was 54 and Abi was 48 when they got married, and it was a second wedding for them both. I asked if they had any regrets about eloping, “no regrets at all. The day was perfect in every way,” Simon told me.
They met through a mutual friend, and had been together for just over six years when they got married. They got engaged on a Mediterranean cruise in August the year before they got married. Simon proposed on their balcony on the first night, just after they had left Barcelona. They told me that being married was important to them to demonstrate their commitment to each other.
I always ask our couples if they considered any other options for their wedding once they were engaged. “An elopement was perfect for us, as we have both been married before and wanted to do something that was just for us,” Simon told me. He said that they briefly considered a beach venue or Las Vegas, so this is the perfect time for me to mention that I’ve written a blog explaining why getting married in New York is better than getting married on the beach, and also why you might choose to elope to New York over an elopement in Las Vegas!
Abi and Simon had visited New York together a couple of years before they got engaged, having both been there before separately and felt that it was a perfect venue for them to get married. They considered where in New York they might say “I do”, and decided to get married in Central Park. “It’s picturesque and exactly the location and vibe that we wanted,” Simon told me.
They stayed at the Lotte New York Palace, “which was very ornate and great for some initial photos on the day,” Simon told me. They stayed for four nights – two nights before the wedding and nights after the wedding. Simon wore a dark blue suit that he bought from Marc Darcy and Abi wore a white dress from JJ’s House. I had ordered their flowers for them and arranged for them to be delivered to their hotel on the morning of their wedding. The bouquet and boutonniere were cream and yellow roses with accenting cream freesias. Abi went to a blow dry bar on the morning of the wedding and did her own makeup.
We wrote the ceremony together. I asked Abi and Simon some questions about themselves and their relationship and they chose two short readings. The officiant read a passage from Corinthians and the poem poem I Belong in Your Arms by Deborah Brideau, and I’ll put both at the end of this post. “Our celebrant was lovely and very welcoming,” Simon told me. After the short introduction, they exchanged traditional vows before exchanging the rings. We had a harpist play during the ceremony.
After the ceremony their photographer Jakub Redziniak took them around Central Park to take some portrait photos. He had met them at their hotel before the park, to capture some photos there and on the streets outside of the hotel. I asked which of their photo locations were their favorites, “ all of the locations of our photos were our favourites,” Simon said, “the hotel initially, on the streets of New York with cabs, at the Ladies Pavilion during the ceremony and at various locations around Central Park throughout the day, particularly under the arches and on the steps at Bethesda Terrace.”
I asked how they felt the day went. “The day was magical and everything we wanted it to be,” Simon told me. “It was 29 degrees in mid-April, so was very warm and the park was very busy. As we walked around having our photos taken, lots of passers-by congratulated us and took our photo, which was lovely. Also, a man stopped us and gave us a picture that he had just painted, which was amazing! People couldn’t have been nicer,” he said.
Simon told me that they at The View the night before the wedding. After their photo session, they went to the Central Park Boathouse for some drinks, and after that, they walked through Central Park to The Rampoldi, where they had a dinner reservation. They had a dinner cruise on the Hudson the night after their wedding. “All of them were excellent and highly recommended,” Simon told me. I like their approach to celebrating their wedding – they treated the whole trip as a celebration of their wedding, and didn’t try to fit too much into one exhausting day.
I asked how we did. “We couldn’t have done it without Wed in Central Park. Claire was great and responded very quickly to our emails. She was with us every step of the way and was excellent with advice and arranging all the relevant people, taking into account how we wanted the day to go. We wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her services,” Simon said.
Thanks so much for your kind words, and for sharing your story, Abi and Simon, and I wish you both the very best of luck for the future. If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, whether want to elope to New York alone as this couple did, or bring some guests along with you, visit our website. December weddings are so very popular! Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on TikTok, and follow us on Pinterest.
Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 to 7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
I Belong in Your Arms by Deborah Brideau
Finally I have found a place
Into which I fit perfectly, safely and securely
With no doubts, no fears, no sadness, no tears.
This place is filled with happiness and laughter,
Yet it is spacious enough to allow me the freedom to move around, To live my life and be myself.
This wonderful place, which I never believed really existed,
I have found, finally,
Inside your arms, Inside your heart, Inside your love
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