Allison and Sean got married at Wagner Cove in April. Allison is from Louisiana originally and Sean is from Ireland. They both live together in Manhattan now. Allison was 34 and Sean 36 when they got married.
They met while working for the same newspaper, the New York Daily News, when they were both in New York, but they weren’t dating then. After Sean had left and moved back to Ireland, Allison visited and they began a long-distance relationship. They were together (well, long-distance together!) for seven years before they got married. Sean moved to New York before they got married, but a long-distance relationship for this amount of time is certainly no small achievement!
After they had decided to get married, Allison and Sean considered having their wedding near to one of their respective hometowns. But, since they were both living in New York, they agreed that it would be too hard for them to plan a wedding from far away. I asked if they had any regrets about not getting married closer to home. “We were a little torn because we both have large extended families, and we could not include everyone,” Allison told me. “But we know all our loved ones are happy for us and supportive of our marriage, even if they weren’t there in person on the day. We ended up with a beautiful wedding that was perfect for us, so we don’t have regrets,” she said.
Allison and Sean also considered getting married at City Hall (and you can read what I think about getting married at City Hall here – unsurprisingly, I don’t think it’s as good as getting married in Central Park). They decided against getting married at City Hall, because they would have been limited to a very small number of witnesses, and they wanted to have friends and family there to witness their wedding.
I asked Allison what she thought of smaller, non-traditional weddings in general. “Smaller weddings and elopements do seem to be getting more popular, especially after the pandemic forced many couples to downsize or postpone,” she said. “A small wedding or elopement is great for couples who want to have a wedding that’s meaningful to them without all the stress and expense of a massive celebration,” she added.
The couple live near Central Park, and they spend a lot of time there, so it was an easy choice to see themselves getting married there. “There are so many unique, romantic spots in the park, and we love being able to visit the spot where we got married whenever we want,” Allison said. If they continue to live in Manhattan they will probably see the wooden structure at Wagner Cove change again. It was replaced several years ago after it was damaged by vandalism, and, though it does look very sturdy, it’s just a rough-hewn wooden structure, so will not last forever, and also, the view of the skyline just keeps on changing!
I asked if they had had any worries or concerns about getting married in Central Park or New York beforehand. “Our main concern about getting married in New York was making sure our immediate families and our closest friends would be able to attend,” Allison told me. They were concerned because it’s expensive to travel to New York and they were not able to give them a lot of notice. They contacted me exactly a month before the wedding, so we planned it all quite quickly.
They we were also a little worried about the weather, “since it tends to rain in April, but we got lucky and had beautiful weather,” Allison said. Getting married outdoors in New York in March or April is quite risky – it does rain a lot in these months – but when the sun shines, Central Park looks beautiful in the Spring, so it may be worth the risk! “We were lucky to have our wedding when the cherry blossoms were in bloom, so there are some lovely photos of us and our guests among the blooms,” she added. Another reason to risk the rain and get married in April!
Allison and Sean had chosen Wagner Cove because it is one the more private spots in the busy middle area of Central Park. It’s tucked away beside the Lake down some steps so people tend not to wander by Wagner Cove by accident. “We loved the photos taken during the ceremony and the way we were perfectly framed by the wooden structure,” said Allison. “Our photos on Bow Bridge also turned out great, and you can see the iconic skyline behind us,” she added.
We kept the ceremony fairly short. “Our ceremony was lovely, and our officiant Kevin was a good mix of calm, reassuring and humorous,” said Allison. He started with a brief introduction, and their friend read the poem He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W. B. Yeats, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Then Allison and Sean exchanged traditional vows, before reading out their own vows that they had prepared for each other, and then they exchanged rings.
Allison and Sean had purchased bouquets and boutonnieres from Brooklyn Stems in Bushwick. “They created lovely designs for us with tulips, gerberas, roses, and ranunculus in shades of dusty rose, burgundy, and yellow,” Allison told me. Allison wore a white maxi dress from Anthropologie and white sandals from DSW. She did her own hair and makeup, but with guidance and reassurance from her friends. Sean wore a suit and shoes he bought in Ireland.
Their guests were their immediate families and close friends from as far away as Ireland, Canada and Virginia, and a few local New York friends as well. Allison told me that everyone was excited to be at a wedding in Central Park. “People who came from afar thought it was an iconic spot, like something out of a movie,” she said. Well, they’d be correct! After the ceremony they took some portrait photos around Central Park. After that, they took their guests to a dinner reception at The Meatball Shop, nearby on the Upper East Side. They said that they had a great time. It does look like that location may have since closed.
I asked how we did. “Everything went perfectly,” said Allison. “Our officiant and our photographer were both very professional and personable. Working with you on this was great. You made everything easy for us!” she said. Thank you for sharing your story with us, 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.
He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W. B. Yeats
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
