Allura and Anthony got married in the North Garden of the Conservatory Gardens in May. The North Garden is designed in a French style (the South Garden is English style and the Center Garden is Italian style). Allura is from New Jersey, and Anthony is from Chicago, Illinois. They were both 30 when they got married and they share a birth month of May, which was partly why they decided to get married in May.
The couple met on OkCupid while they were both living in Chicago. They have been together since late 2014. They got engaged at the William Vale, a luxury hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in July of 2020. “I was under the impression that we were having a local escape from our apartment due to all of the Covid restrictions in place at the time,” said Allura. Anthony surprised her with a proposal. “It didn’t feel real until the next day,” Allura told me.
Allura and Anthony got married in May of 2021, so they wanted to get married outdoors to reduce any risks of Covid transmission. They considered getting married at the Botanic Garden, and also MyMoon, both in Brooklyn. “We ultimately decided on the Conservatory Garden because it is an area of Central Park of great beauty, and accessibility, that people generally seem to forget to go visit,” said Allura. She’s right – the Conservatory Garden is quite off the beaten path for tourists and visitors to Central Park, so it’s a quiet area for a ceremony. It is partly because of this that I find that it is a popular wedding ceremony location with New Yorkers, rather than visitors to the city. It’s also popular with locals because it’s a great location for a large group, and locals tend to bring more guests because of course it’s usually easier for their guests to come along!
Their guests were only very close family and friends. Due to Covid restrictions their total count came to thirty-four people. “I absolutely loved the intimacy of our smaller wedding and I do think that they are becoming more popular during these times,” Allura said. “The restrictions we were under due to Covid really forced the question of who in your life are the true core supporters of your love and union,” she said. I asked Allura if she had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding, and she said “no regrets at all.” They did move on to have a cocktail hour and dinner at the Beekman Hotel after the wedding ceremony in Central Park, so they got the best of both worlds. This is also where they stayed and reserved room blocks.
Allura and Anthony prepared for the wedding separately. Allura practiced yoga and prayer in the morning. Then her close family and friends joined her later on for her to get dressed and ready with them. They had some rain on their wedding day. If rain is forecast for your wedding day, Allura’s advice is “proceed with it rain or shine. Water does not hurt anyone, and I view it as the angels crying tears of joy from the union being made,” which is the perfect way to think of it when getting married outdoors!
The ceremony was held in the North Garden of the Conservatory Garden. “My favorite pictures were taken here, and at the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain area,” Allura told me. We had a harp and violin play for the groom and guests while they waited for the bride to arrive. Alurra had chosen a version of Canon in D that moved into the Wedding March for her to arrive to. After they were married, they played Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis.
I arranged the flowers for Allura, and booked the musicians, officiant and videographer. Allura and Anthony booked their photographer, David Friend. I asked what made them choose Central Park for their ceremony. “The beauty of the Conservatory Garden speaks for itself,” Alurra said. “It is just naturally appealing as is, so the idea of being able to get married in such a setting made it an easy decision,” she added. I quite agree. Sometimes couples ask me if they can decorate the structure where they plan to get married, but I honestly think any extra adornments spoil the already stunning beauty of Central Park.
Allura and Anthony exchanged traditional vows and also some personal vows that they had written for each other. They had two readings, which I will put at the end of this post. One was the poem “Why Marriage?” by Dena Acolatse and the other was an excerpt from The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. “The ceremony was lovely,” said Allura. “We exchanged vows and had a couple of passages that resonated with us read by the officiant essentially acknowledging our love, our union, and the work that marriage entails,” she explained. They were very glad that they decided to get a video of the ceremony. “We definitely recommend leveraging the videographer option,” Allura said. “We were beyond pleased with the result and it allows a true revisit of the ceremony, which flies by so fast!”
Allura wore a Chelsea Couture bridal gown from Designer Loft with Jimmy Choo shoes for the ceremony. For the reception she changed into an altered ASOS dress. We ordered her bouquet of cream and white with a touch of lavender colored flowers. Allura did her hair herself and had her makeup done by JoAnn Solomon. Her veil, halo, and earrings were from Kleinfeld’s, with two bracelets passed down from family members. Anthony wore a blue tuxedo by Giovanni Bresciani from Robbie & Co Men’s Shop.
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Allura and Anthony, 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’re from near or far, 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.
Excerpt from The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
“When he looked into her eyes, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke — the language that everyone on Earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. Because when you know the language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”
“Why Marriage?” by Dena Acolatse.
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body…
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won’t hold them against me,
Who loves me when I’m unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me…
Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold…
Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship…
Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements…
Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole…
Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me,
I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage…
Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.
