Cheryl and Geoff eloped from their home in South Shields in England to get married in Central Park in August. They had their ceremony on Belvedere Castle Terrace. Cheryl was 37 and Geoff was 57 and they had been together for four years when they got married.
Many of couples get engaged in New York then have the idea to get married in New York too! This was not the case for Cheryl and Geoff, although it had been Geoff’s plan to propose at the top of the Empire State Building. They had a vacation booked to New York in 2020 but Covid put a stop to their travel plans so Geoff had to rethink. They traveled to Edinburgh in Scotland in September of 2020 instead for a short break so he proposed there instead. He got down on knee in the hotel room, so perhaps they didn’t have quite the striking backdrop that the top of the Empire State Building would have provided, but Cheryl still said yes of course!
They were ready to get married to fully commit to each other. They knew they wanted to elope because they wanted the day to be about just the two of them. Cheryl told me that they never considered any other locations for their wedding. They both love New York so much and they find Central Park so beautiful that it was the only place in the running when they discussed where they wanted to say “I do”.
Cheryl told me that their families were very supportive of their decision to elope. We had a videographer make an edited video of the ceremony for them to keep and share, and they also live streamed their ceremony for those at home who wanted to almost be there. Our videographer makes a full movie of the ceremony and also an edited highlight reel set to music. Cheryl and Geoff chose the song Always by Bon Jovi for the highlight reel. So, they had their wedding day all to themselves, and celebrated with friends and family with a big party on their return home, so they got the best of both worlds. “A traditional wedding just wouldn’t be for us,” said Cheryl, “we have no regrets.”
Cheryl and Geoff had both visited New York before, but not in the summer. They risked experiencing the Manhattan humidity we normally see in July and August and got married on August 1st. Although New York does get very hot in high summer, I think than Manhattan stays cooler than the rest of the city with the breezes coming off the rivers either side of the island. And I always think that Central Park is by far the best place to be on a hot day because the lawns and trees keep you as cool as you could be in the hot weather.
In the end, it wasn’t sunny at all on Cheryl and Geoff’s wedding day and they did see a little rain. In my opinion, Belvedere Castle Terrace is a good choice of location to keep cool on a warm summer’s day because it’s the highest spot in Central Park, so it’s nice and breezy. It’s also a good location if you’re concerned about rain, because there are two covered areas. It does get cold up there in the winter, though. The NYC weather station it situated on the top of Belvedere Castle, so that’s where all the weather readings for Manhattan come from.
I always ask couples if they had any concerns. Usually they say they might be a bit worried about the weather. “Claire was so wonderful and every question we had that may have potentially made us worry was answered so swiftly,” Cheryl said when I asked her. After more than ten years of doing this it is difficult to ask me a question that I don’t have an answer ready for!
For their trip this time, they first visited Washington DC and spent a few days exploring there before traveling to New York. They stayed for seven days at the Doubletree by Hilton Time Square West. Cheryl said that they had a terrible stay there and wouldn’t recommend it. After New York they went on to Boston for a couple of days before flying home.
Cheryl’s hair and make up were done by Miss Harlequin. She said she was “absolutely amazing, made me feel beautiful and her coming to my room saved a lot of stress.” We held the ceremony in the morning. “We chose Belvedere Castle as the location for our ceremony as it’s not as busy as some places and the views are spectacular,” Cheryl said. After the ceremony there, they had photos in the Shakespeare Garden, on Bow Bridge and at Bethesda Terrace. It had stayed dry until they got to Bow Bridge and then it started to rain lightly. Cheryl said that she was pleased that it rained because this meant that they were able to get a photo of just the two of them on Bow Bridge, which is very lucky!
Both Cheryl and Geoff wore white sneakers for their wedding. I always approve of sensible shoes for our couples! Cheryl had her new married name “Mrs Robinson” embroidered on her shoes. Their theme color was electric blue. So, Cheryl’s bag and bouquet, the embroidery on her shoes, and Geoff’s tie were all electric blue. Cheryl’s flowers were artificial with little diamond accents, she thought this would be easier than getting fresh (and very likely cheaper!) and this way she gets to keep them too. She had a little keepsake photo of her dad into her bouquet, since they lost him just a year before they got married.
After photos in Central Park their photographer took them down to Times Square for some photos there. They had pictures taken with police officers, and getting a hot dog at a hot dog stand and then just inside the Hard Rock Café. That was where their photographer left them and where they had a few drinks, because it one of Geoff’s favorite places to do wherever they visit. The manager gave them a bottle of champagne and offered them all food and drink free of charge.
After leaving the Hard Rock Café, Cheryl and Geoff walked through the city in their wedding gear, enjoying the attention and congratulations along the way. They ate their celebratory meal at Gallaghers Steakhouse. “The steak there is the best I have ever had,” Cheryl told me. She said they enjoyed the atmosphere, which is an old speak easy vibe. After that they went up to the Top of the Rock, and asked some other tourists to take photos of them up there. Then they went back to their hotel, with a stop or two at some bars along the way back!
I asked Cheryl how we did. “From our very first email with Claire everything just felt so easy, any questions we had were quickly answered and nothing was too much trouble,” she said. “Claire always put our mind at rest if we ever started to worry about anything, which wasn’t a lot as it was all taken care of and everything explained to us what we would need and what we would have to do,” she added. Cheryl told me that “we would recommend Wed in Central Park to anyone thinking of getting married there. Our wedding was so smooth running and cannot thank Claire enough.”
Thank you so much for your kind words, it was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding, Cheryl and Geoff, and I wish you both lots of luck for your future together. I’m so glad that you put a positive spin on the wet weather and you’re right, it did mean that you captured some photos that you wouldn’t have done otherwise; Bow Bridge, as Cheryl said, but also I rarely see photos of the Imagine plaque without lots of other people in them.
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.
