Arif and Aaron came over from their home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to New York on a cruise in November. Aaron was 30 and Arif was 32 when they got married. They got married with no guests in Wagner Cove.
They had met at university, over twelve years ago. Their decision to get married was more of a mutual chat than a proposal, they told me that an official proposal just wasn’t their thing. They agreed to get married in September of 2020. “Marriage was always on the cards but only when the time felt right,” said Arif. “Our relationship is built on complete trust and respect for each other, our love and admiration for one another grows every day, we’re best friends but we also have boundaries, we often spend time apart and co-dependency is a big fat no!” explained Arif, which certainly sounds like a relationship on very stable ground. “Marriage is important to us, because it signifies our everlasting love and highlights the relationship between us,” he said.
Arif and Aaron never considered any other options as to where to get married. “Central Park was always going to be the location for us to elope, we both love New York City very much so it was only natural we marry there,” Arif told me. The couple had visited New York together shortly after having met, and on that visit they spent their first day exploring Central Park, so it has some special memories for them. “It was beautiful and surreal, a big nature spot in the middle of a very busy city was unlike anything we’ve seen,” said Arif. I completely agree; I love the photos taken in the park that include the iconic skyline, but the ones that could have been taken in the middle of a wilderness always impress me. From that very first visit, Arif and Aaron always said that when they got married, it would be in Central Park.
They told me that their friends were thrilled for them to be getting married in such an amazing city. Arif said that his mom was very supportive of their choice to elope, and she understood that they would be sharing such a special moment with just the two of them and she agreed that’s essentially what marriage is all about.
Arif and Aaron came to New York on a two week transatlantic cruise. They stayed for four nights in the city, in the Whitby Hotel. Their ceremony in Central Park was their legal wedding, and they also had a humanist blessing and celebration at home in Belfast. “Planning the elopement was very enjoyable and Claire was there every step of the way,” said Arif. He said that their time in New York and their elopement wedding ceremony in Central Park was perfect because the whole thing was centred around just the two of them, “we were able to enjoy the focus just on us and not worry about others” he said.
They found planning the bigger wedding and celebration at home more difficult, on the other hand. It was complicated to plan and organize every single minute of the event and also to agree just who to invite. After the hard work, they really enjoyed the day of their celebration at home with so many of their loved ones, “but the elopement just felt more personal, it truly was our day,” said Arif. That’s the thing about guests – it’s so nice to have loved ones share in the celebration of your love, but once you start adding other people into any arrangements then things inevitably start getting more complicated.
Arif and Aaron chose to hold the ceremony in Wagner Cove, because they loved the view, and because it is probably the most private spot in the middle area of Central Park to hold a ceremony. We kept the ceremony quite short and traditional, with a short introduction from our officiant about their relationship to date and a mention of close family members who are no longer with us, but tend to be in someone’s thoughts when they take a big step in life such a marriage. They kept to tradition for this legal ceremony in New York, and wrote their own vows for the blessing at home.
Arif and Aaron looked gorgeous for their wedding day. I do love matching grooms, and though they both wore tuxedos with patent shoes and velvet tuxedo jackets they chose different but complementary colors. Aaron purchased his green jacket from a local suit shop and Arif purchased his burgundy one from a local Marks and Spencer store. They held the ceremony in the early afternoon, which is when the light is better for photos at this time of year. Then they had afternoon tea in their hotel. “It was beautiful and the staff were next to none,” said Arif. On the evening of their wedding day they went to Quality Bistro, steak-centric brasserie in midtown. Arif said the food was out of this world.
I asked Arif if he had any advice for other couples planning on doing what they did. “Go for it,” he said, “it was the best day of our lives.” I asked him how we did. “Thank you so much to Claire for organising everything and writing the ceremony, it was beautiful and emotional” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better officiant, he was very professional and made us feel very comfortable, the ceremony was very relaxed and enjoyable thanks to him,” Arif said. “The photographer was awesome, I couldn’t pick out my favorite photo as they were all perfect. She knew every part of Central Park set us up for the perfect photos.”
Thank you for your kind words, Arif, and it was an absolute pleasure planning your wedding with you. I wish you and Aaron the best of luck for your future together. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, either a large affair or a small and intimate one like theirs, 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.
