Bisan and Fabian had their wedding celebration with us in Cop Cot in Central Park in August. They had been together for four years when they got married. They met when they were both studying for their Master’s degree in London. After meeting in London their relationship withstood the test of being long-distance for some time, Bisan having lived in Italy and Fabian in Korea.
They actually had their legally binding wedding ceremony that May, and then a dancing party in Bisan’s home country of Jordan after that. This wedding blessing in Central Park with us was a blessing and celebration with guests mostly from Fabian’s side; he is Paraguayan. They had decided to have multiple celebrations for their union and it was important to them to keep each one unique.
We arranged for their flowers to be delivered to their apartment that morning. Bisan carried a textured, lush and petite bouquet with a semi-compact form featuring David Austin roses, freesia, ranunculus, sweetpea, standard roses, etc with very little greenery. It was finished off wrapped in a double sided white satin ribbon.
Bisan and Fabian met with their photographer Jakub Redziniak for photos around Central Park in advance of the ceremony. They took portrait photos at Wagner Cove, Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace and Fountain before walking down the Mall to Cop Cot. We had arranged for the officiant, musician, guests and videographer to meet in Cop Cot ahead of the couple and photographer arriving. Bisan and Fabian walked into their ceremony together.
They had around fifty guests at the ceremony, and they decided Cop Cot suited their group best. I agree that for a group this size, Cop Cot is perfect. Also, it’s very easy to find, being visible from the street on Central Park South, and it has some seating for some of the guests. The only possible drawback of getting married in Cop Cot is in case of rain it doesn’t provide any shelter. Although the greenery provides a lovely shade from the sunshine, if you’re concerned about rain then it’s best to have a backup location planned. Bisan and Fabian had a backup plan B ceremony location of underneath Bethesda Terrace, which provides ample cover for a group this size. But luckily, they didn’t need it.
We arranged for a harpist to play at the ceremony. She played background music for the guests to listen to before the couple arrived, and they walked in together to the harpist playing Pachelbel’s Canon. We used traditional vows, and then Bisan and Fabian each had a list of reasons to read out to tell one another why they will never take each other for granted. Then they exchanged rings. They also had the officiant read a quote from Rumi in the introduction to ceremony, which I’ll put at the end of this blog post.
Bisan and Fabian had requested a secular officiant for this Central Park wedding ceremony. Their guests mostly knew that they were already legally married, but we still had them exchanging vows and rings and pronounced married at the end of the ceremony as if this were a “real” wedding. In both of their cultures, it is common to perform two wedding ceremonies. Although usually the second ceremony would be religious and in their case, it was secular.
I asked Bisan how we did. She said, “thanks a lot for everything! It was amazing and we had a great time. Everything was perfect from the flowers, photographer, the officiant, the videographer and the harpist.” 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.
The quote from Rumi used in Bisan and Fabian’s ceremony:
“A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, eastern or western… Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”