Ashleigh and Joe came over to New York from their home in Yorkshire, England to get married in Central Park in August. They were both 24 when they got married. Ashleigh’s lovely mom and dad renewed their vows with us in Wagner Cove in April two years ago so I think I have them to thank for this referral!
They met when they were just ten years old, at middle school. They have been best friends ever since. They officially got together as a couple when they were sixteen, in 2016, so they had been together for eight years when they got married. “We grew up together and remained friends throughout high school,” said Ashleigh. “We have then supported each other through college and university. I am now a primary school teacher and Joe is studying his PhD to become a university lecturer,” she added.
Joe had proposed when they were both nineteen years old, on a beach in Fuerteventura. He had obviously been planning to do it. “Joe had been begging me to go on a walk to the beach all day and I’d been shaking it off saying I was tired and just wanted to relax next to the pool,” Ashleigh said. “In the end I gave in and we went – it’s a good job I did!” she added. So, of course she said yes, but they didn’t want to get married straight away. Ashleigh told me that they both felt that the big, traditional white wedding wasn’t for them. “We are both quite introverted, Joe more so, and we knew we didn’t want too much spotlight on us!” she added. They had considered maybe going to Italy to get married or perhaps the traditional elopement town of Gretna Green in Scotland. “However, after seeing my mom and dad’s vow renewal photos at Wagner Cove we were sold on Central Park!” she said.
Ashleigh and Joe had enjoyed looking at the photos from the vow renewal of Ashleigh’s parents, Caroline and Josh. They renewed their vows at Wagner Cove to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Then it was suggested to them that maybe they should consider our wedding packages. So, they did, “since then – we were hooked! We felt there was not anywhere more iconic than Central Park too!” she said. Well, I’m inclined to agree but I am of course very biased. They both knew that being married was important to them. “We have both grown up in loving families with parents who are married and very much in love,” she said. Now I’m wondering if I can persuade Joe’s parents to renew their vows with us in Central Park and then we’ll have the full set! “The core values of family, loyalty and partnership have been passed down to us both and we both knew it was something we wanted, hence getting engaged quite young at nineteen,” she explained. “We have always known we were each other’s ‘person’ and so there was no question of ‘if’ we would get married, it was always ‘when’ we will get married!” she said.
I asked if they had had any concerns about getting married in New York. Some couples do say they worry a little about handing over such a lot of money for such a big day to someone over the internet, which is a very valid worry. Ashleigh and Joe knew they could trust me to deliver the wedding day they wanted since Ashleigh parents had in effect been guinea pigs for their wedding! “We were a little apprehensive about the attention we may get from passers-by, however the attention we did get was all positive!” she said. Oh yes, expect to be congratulated as you walk down the street if you get married in a public park in New York City. “One of our favorite moments from the day was walking through the park with our photographer and videographer and passing a jazz band in the park. When they saw us they changed their song to the ‘Here Comes the Bride’ bridal march. We must’ve got over fifty congratulations from total strangers, and so many people said we looked amazing!” she said. I’ve walked through Central Park with lots of newlywed couples and I’d say this is a typical experience.
I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “Not one bit. Our wedding was perfect from start to finish and we wouldn’t change it for the world,” Ashleigh said. “I think we would if we weren’t having the party at home though,” she said. So, with having the destination wedding in an awesome with just their nearest and dearest in attendance, and then having a big party on their return home, they do get to enjoy the best of both worlds, and wear their wedding gear twice! “We loved having just our close family and friends there with us on the wedding day, it felt so special to all be on ‘holiday’ together too – as well as the actual wedding day,” Ashleigh said.
For Ashleigh and Joe, this was their first time in New York. Although they had wanted to visit for some time. They chose to stay in Romer Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen. They stayed for a week arriving on the Monday and getting married on the Thursday. “We had the most pleasant stay and will definitely return to Romer,” Ashleigh said.
Ashleigh and Joe had liked the rustic look of Wagner Cove, where Caroline and Josh had renewed their vows, but they felt the space was too small for their group of thirteen people. I suggested Cop Cot, “we were in love with it from the first time we saw it!” said Ashleigh. Their guests were their parents, Ashleigh’s brother his partner, Joe’s Grandma her partner, best man and his partner, and the maid of honor. They were thirteen in total – a lucky number this time!
Ashleigh wore an A-line off-the-shoulder lace and tulle gown from Elite Bridal, a bridal chain local to them who make all of their own dresses. Joe wore a gray two piece suit, with a sage green tie to match with the other groomsmen. Ashleigh admitted that her shoes weren’t the most practical but they were very pretty! She wore the Judy shoe from Charlotte Mills, and Joe wore Dr Marten’s loafers. I had arranged for their fresh flowers to be delivered to their hotel early that morning. “The flowers were absolutely beautiful, myself and my maid of honor had a bouquet of blush pink roses and gypsophila, with the groomsmen having matching boutonnieres,” said Ashleigh. They had decided not to have professional hair and makeup, because they felt confident enough to do it themselves. Before she left the UK, Ashleight had her nails and eyelash extensions done. “I have always said I wanted to look like myself on my wedding day so was happy to do just do my normal makeup routine, with a little bit of extra sparkle on the eyes!” she said. “It will be one of my favorite memories of the day; getting ready with my mom and maid of honor,” she added.
“Our ceremony was absolutely perfect,” said Ashleigh. Josh played a starring role in another one of our events by giving Ashleigh away, then we had the officiant talk a little about their relationship to date, then he read the poem I’ll Be There For You, by Louise Cuddon, which I’ll put at the end of this post. They exchanged traditional vows and they also prepared something to read out to each other on the day. Ashleigh and Joe had asked if they could have the same officiant as had renewed their vows with her parents but unfortunately she was on vacation out of the city for this wedding. I had booked them someone else who is just as warm and welcoming, and they were just as happy with him. “We both felt connected to him instantly. All of our family have said how personal and special the ceremony was, and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house,” Ashleigh said. That’s the weird thing about this job – you’re succeeding if everyone is crying!
We had arranged for a violinist to be there for the ceremony, playing for the guests before the bride arrived and also playing a special piece for her to walk in to, and again after they were pronounced married. “Throughout the ceremony, all of our favorite songs were played by a talented violinist. These included more than one Taylor Swift song, and also a song from our favorite band, The 1975,” Ashleigh said.
After the ceremony, their photographer Jakub Redziniak took family photos at Cop Cot. He then walked Ashleigh and Joe up the Mall to Bethesda Terrace and to take photos under the arches, on the steps and next to the fountain. “I let Jakub know at the start of our session we definitely wanted photos taken at Bethesda Terrace, I really wanted our own Gossip Girl Chuck and Blair moment!” Asheigh said. I asked where their favorite photos were taken. “I really find it hard to pick a favourite, I love the ceremony photos as there are so many candid happy moments but the photos at Bethesda Terrace as so picturesque,” she said. She also said that it was lovely to have photos taken under the terrace out of the direct sunlight, as it was a very sunny day in early August when they tied the knot. “Jakub did a smashing job at trying to make sure there weren’t many passers by in the background, and in most of them it looks like we are the only people there!” she said. He does this with a combination of patience, a really good eye, and pure wizardry. I don’t know how he does it to tell the truth, but he does consistently do this!
Whilst Ashleigh and Joe were having their portrait photo session, the rest of their party went over to the Tavern on the Green for a drink. Then, our newlywed couple went over to join them after their photos, and they all went over to Gabriel’s Bar and Restaurant south of Central Park. “We had an absolutely gorgeous Italian meal and even managed to listen from some speeches from both our Dads, Ashleigh’s Mum, our maid of honor and best man while we were there,” Ashleigh said. They had been considering going back to Central Park for their speeches, but the restaurant was able to let them all stay for as long as the speeches took. “The staff at Gabriel’s were so lovely, and even let us choose what music we wanted and let us take home one of the empty wine bottles we had drank from as a keepsake,” Ashleigh told me.
They got married on a really hot day, so after all of that, they all went back to the hotel for an outfit change and then went on to Swing 46 Jazz Club for dancing and drinks. “We listened to Kate Curran and her band, who even sung ‘The Way you Look Tonight’ as an impromptu first dance for us,” Ashleigh told me. She said that they were back at the hotel and in bed for 9:30pm, but they had all been up at 5am getting ready so that seems quite reasonable to me!
Couples who are planning their wedding often ask me for restaurant recommendations, so I always ask newlywed couples for theirs. “Apart from Gabriel’s Bar and Restaurant, we mainly ate smaller meals as we went along exploring,” said Ashleigh. “We had lots of bagels, our favorite being Liberty Bagels! Also, lots of pizza – our favorite being Joe’s Pizza! And lots of cookies – our favorite being Levain Bakery which was an absolute highlight of our trip,” she told me. I do love a Levain Bakery cookie, too.
I asked how they felt about having a destination wedding now it was all over. “We think it was absolutely brilliant! For us, it completely took the stress away,” she said. “Everyone kept asking us, ‘are you stressed about the wedding yet?’ ‘have you got lots left to do?’ and our answer was always no! Claire made everything so easy for us!” she said. Ashleigh was also super-organized and was a pleasure to work with. I do need couples to make some decisions and then I put their wishes into action, so they were in fact required to think about some things!
Ashleigh’s advice to anyone considering getting married in Central Park; “if anyone is thinking of doing it – do it! Whether you elope just the two of you, take a small group or take a large group we guarantee you will have a beautiful day!” of course I think this is great advice! I asked her how we did. “We are absolutely over the moon we chose to get married with Wed in Central Park. From starting the planning process and communicating with Claire, to every last detail on the wedding day – everything was perfect!” she said. “We cannot thank Claire enough for helping us plan our dream day, we cannot wait till we have been married long enough to start again and plan our vow renewal!” she added. I wonder if I’ll still be doing this by the time Ashleigh and Joe get to their thirtieth wedding anniversary…
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story with us, Ashleigh and Joe, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you! I wish you both the very best of luck for your future together! If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, whether you or are planning on traveling to New York to get married with a group as this couple did, or eloping, visit our website. 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.
I’ll Be There For You, by Louise Cuddon
I’ll be there, my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind’s in a mess and your head’s in a spin
When your plane’s been delayed, and you’ve missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you’re looking your age
When your coffee’s too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said, “Fine,” but you’re out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident’s bay
And return to discover you’ve been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don’t reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear…
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you’ve got the flu, when you’re in a stew
When you’re last in the queue, don’t feel blue
’cause I’m telling you, I’ll be there
