Allison and Glenn got married in May on Belvedere Castle Terrace. Allison is 31, from Harrisburg Pennsylvania and Glenn is 35, from New York City. They had been together for a little over twelve years when they got married in Central Park.
They met on a dating site, like so many of our couples. They had been engaged for over six years before they got married, so were certainly in no rush. Glenn had proposed by creating a scavenger hunt of clues that went on all day! “We ended up in a garden at night time when he popped the question, I was so stunned!” Allison told me. His family were in on the surprise and had champagne back at their house ready for their return.
When considering where and how to get married, they did consider getting married on a beach, “but that just wasn’t our vibe,” said Allison. I asked Allison if she thought these smaller weddings were becoming more popular. “I’ve definitely seen more elopements and smaller weddings the last few years, but I think that’s because brides are owning their days more, and not falling into the trap of doing it the ‘traditional’ way,” she told me. “We loved that our wedding had no traditions, at all!” she added.
So, instead of a beach, they chose a castle for their wedding ceremony location. “We wanted the feel and vibe of New York City, and I really loved the idea of Belvedere Castle, right in the center,” Allison sad. “We thought it was poetic,” she added. Indeed, Central Park is in the middle of Manhattan, and Belvedere Castle is in the middle of Central Park! Fun fact: it is also the highest point in Central Park, and for that reason, it is a weather station. I watched New Year’s fireworks from there one year because of its views, it was lovely.
Allison and Glenn stayed the Embassy Suites Hotel by Hilton on West 37th for a week while they were in town. For the ceremony, we had a brief introduction and then they exchanged some traditional vows and some more modern vows, and then our officiant performed a hand fasting ceremony with them, with some ribbons that they had brought along. Then they exchanged rings and were pronounced married. “It was perfect!” said Allison. “Claire was amazing and let us customize our vows and it felt so serene and intimate,” she added. It was just the two of them for the ceremony, no guests.
Allison got a silk flower bouquet and boutonniere set in pink, white and burgundy from Etsy, “it was awesome,” she said. I am increasingly seeing couples get silk flowers for their wedding day. It’s cheaper than fresh flowers, they last forever and they look very convincing in photos. She wore a sleeveless lace corset dress with a sheer pearl cape, purchased from Amazon.
On the day, heavy rain was forecast and I had been worried about them getting drenched on the way to the ceremony. There is good cover overhead at Belvedere Castle Terrace but it takes around ten minutes to walk from the entrance to the park to get there, and because it’s high up, it does get windy. We checked in with them in the morning to see if they wanted to switch the location to underneath Bethesda Terrace, and they decided to stick with Belvedere Castle. They were right to do so and there were only a few little light rain showers. After taking photos around the park, they went on to have dinner at Carmine’s.
I always ask our couples who get married with us why getting married is important to them, and I really liked Allison’s answer. “We felt that marriage was just another level to our love, not a defining instance. We saw it as a way to give ourselves to the other, publicly,” she said. After having been involved with a great number of weddings over quite some time I’d agree with this. Getting married is a step in a relationship, just one step of many. A big one and a public one but when you really think about it (and I do, a lot!) it’s just a day where your relationship goes from one phase to the next, and the wedding is a celebration of that.
I asked how we did. “Everyone was amazing. They were all absolutely beautiful and instrumental in making our day so beautiful. Thank you so much for all you’ve done!” Allison said. It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you, Allison, and I wish you both lots of luck for your future together. 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.
