Bernadette and Jody got married on Belvedere Castle Terrace in early September of last year. It was unseasonably hot and sunny, so it doesn’t look like September in the photos! They brought around a dozen of their nearest and dearest with them from their home in Pennsylvania, including Jody’s three children and Bernadette’s son. So, this marriage was not just a union of this couple, but also the forming of a new family with their children also.
Bernadette didn’t want to make a big entrance, so instead the whole party arrived together, and walked to the castle through the Shakespeare Garden, up the stone steps and on to the breezy terrace. There are a couple of covered areas on Belvedere Castle Terrace where a wedding ceremony can take place, Bernadette and Jody chose the larger area with a view over Turtle Pond.
There was a lot going on in the city that weekend, and around Central Park. Labor Day had been the previous Monday, but the parade was being held on Fifth Avenue that morning. You can see in the background of some photos that Central Park was full of people enjoying a bonus sunny Saturday at the end of the summer.
Belvedere Castle is closed for 2018, due to huge renovations – the biggest the castle has seen since the 1980s. But it will be open again for weddings in 2019, and it will be looking fantastic by then. It is the highest point in Central Park, so has an incredible vantage point over Central Park. One New Year’s Eve, that’s where I watched the fireworks from at midnight and it was awesome.
They had a short and sweet wedding ceremony, where they wrote their own vows to say to each other. The party made the most of their spot on Belvedere Castle Terrace and took plenty of photos up there, before the guests left Central Park and the couple and the photographer walked back through the Shakespeare Garden for more photos amongst the flowers. “The weather was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a great time,” said Bernadette.
They took some more photos by the Lake, on Bow Bridge and at Bethesda Terrace before getting in to a carriage and having a little quite time together before the couple joined their guests at The Time Hotel for cocktails before their meal.
“We appreciate you helping us coordinate our wedding day and taking care of the details. You were very professional and detailed in all your communications and I appreciated the responsiveness!” said Bernadette.
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