Brenda and David brought over a group of friends and family from their home in Liverpool, England for their wedding in Central Park. They had been together for twenty nine years when they got married, so obviously they aren’t the type to rush things!
The met in 1993 at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. They vaguely knew each other before meeting properly since they were from the same part of the city. They got engaged over twenty years ago, but they can’t remember exactly when! They got engaged in Southport, which is a seaside resort north of Liverpool. So, marriage was always the plan for them, but life just got in the way, as it does for so many couples.
Brenda and David agreed that they would like a destination wedding. They considered eloping in Las Vegas. “Many years ago we considered somewhere sunny by the sea but we never really progressed with it,” said Brenda. David played football (or soccer for readers in the US) in his younger years so everything had to be planned around the UK football season, so it would be difficult to travel. “Then our son Josh came along and wedding plans went out the window! Brenda told me.
They knew that a big traditional wedding at home wasn’t for them, but they weren’t quite sure what they wanted to do instead. Then, one vacation they visited New York and they decided this was the city that was perfect for their wedding. “It took us twenty years to realize but it was well worth the wait!” said Brenda. I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “None whatsoever,” said Brenda. “Everyone gets a holiday at destination weddings,” she said.
Brenda said that she has seen more destination weddings and elopements with people she knows in recent years. “I think they are becoming more popular now, especially with the increase cost of living.” She said. “For a traditional wedding in UK you are looking at around twenty five thousand pounds,” she told me. You could have one heck of a trip to New York with that sum!
This trip was Brenda and David’s third visit to New York. They stayed for six nights at the Ameritania Times Square. They had stayed there once before, so they knew what to expect, and they liked it because it was close to lots of places that they wanted to get to.
So, once they had decided to get married in New York, they settled on Central Park for the place where they wanted hold the ceremony. “It’s an iconic location with beautiful surroundings and scenery. What better place for photos,” said Brenda. I asked if they had any concerns about getting married outdoors in New York in December, and of course she said that they were a little worried about the weather, “but it turned out to be a very warm day,” she said. “I can’t believe I never had to wear a coat or shawl and back home it was snowing and really cold,” Brenda told me. The ground in the park and the sidewalk was wet from the previous day’s rainfall so that did affect her long gown, but we only had a very light spots of rain on the day itself.
They had their ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion. They said that their favorite pictures were taken in that area, beside the Pavilion and on the rocks beside with it with the Lake and the skyline behind them. Brenda’s dad gave her away, and their son Josh was Dave’s best man. We wrote an introduction with their story so far – how they’d met, something about their family, and of course all about their son, and their pride and joy. Then they exchanged traditional vows.
They had around twenty guests, and many of them had never been to New York before. “They were a bit surprised that we wanted them to go all that way but could understand when they got there,” said Brenda. She said that she had some cousins who had been looking for something special to do to mark milestone birthdays so when they heard that they were getting married in New York, they wanted to come along with the group.
Brenda wore a wedding gown designed by Martin Thornburg and purchased from her sister in law Natalie’s store Brides by Natalie in Liverpool. Natalie had customized the gown for her and done all the necessary alterations. She also supplied the accessories and the bridesmaid dresses. “Natalie was a god send… I would have been lost without her!” said Brenda. She brought faux flowers over with her from England. Brenda had her hair done at City Hair Salon on 8th Avenue and her sister in law Natalie did her make up.
The hotel arranged for a limo to take Brenda and her family to Central Park for the ceremony. We had a vintage trolley bus pick up the guests from the park while Brenda and David took a few extra photos, and then they joined them on the bus shortly afterwards. “Everyone had an absolute ball driving around New York with music playing,” said Brenda.
The group went on to McGees Irish bar and their private room for their reception. “The venue was perfect, my dad is from Irish background so he was delighted!” said Brenda. They ordered their party selection, which was food options and open bar for three hours. Brenda told me that it was excellent value for money and the atmosphere was brilliant. “The food was amazing and they set the room out perfectly,” she said. “They don’t do desserts so we bought a small wedding cake from Whole Foods, and ordered donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts,” she said, which sounds fantastic.
I asked Brenda what her advice would be for anyone else who might be considering bringing a group over to New York for a destination wedding in Central Park. “If anyone is thinking of doing it, don’t hesitate,” Brenda said. “It was amazing and a day all of my family will never forget! We had an amazing day!” she said.
I asked Brenda how we did. “Wed in Central Park were fantastic. Claire kept me in the loop from day one. All I had to do was turn up,” she said. “Claire made a plan of the day and also helped me plan out the route for the trolley bus too. Would highly recommend as took a lot of stress away. Thank you so much Claire for organising such a fantastic day!” It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you, Brenda, 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 live locally or are planning on traveling to New York to get married, 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.
