Paul and Emma came from their home town of Leeds in England to get married in Central Park this May. It was just the two of them. They have been together for nine years and they felt that it was the natural next step for their relationship.
Paul proposed two days before Emma’s twenty-ninth birthday. They had gone out for a meal with their families, and he gave her her presents which were all clues that he would be taking her to New York for her thirtieth the following year. Then he decided to propose right there and then, which had not been his original plan, but he said that it felt right. So, here they were with plans to visit New York in one year’s time, and an engagement to celebrate!
They only ever considered an elopement to New York for their wedding. They had been before in 2012 and knew that they loved the city. They considered some other locations for their ceremony in New York, but Central Park stood out as the location that suited them best. They had the same concerns as everyone else; the weather, but they thought that it should be safe enough in May.
Their first choice of wedding location was Wagner Cove Central Park, but it had been vandalized the previous year and it is still out for repairs. The area is completely fenced off. Cop Cot Central Park was their second choice and they were pleased with it, “it was absolutely beautiful and a great location on the edge of Central Park. They are having an American-themed BBQ party with their friends and family when they get home.
We arranged for their photographer, Andy Mars, to meet them at their hotel, then they went to Times Square and the Love sculpture to take photographs on the way to Central Park. On the way from the sculpture they spotted a fire truck, and they just had to take the opportunity for some photographs with the truck and some firefighters. This sort of thing is easy to do when we have an elopement, the couple can spend as long as they want on going around the city taking whatever photos they like.
“One of my favorite things about getting married in such a public place was the amount of people that wished us well and made comments and compliments – not just in Central Park, all day and night as we traveled around the city,” said Emma. “We even got a round of applause in the Park!”
Paul wore a blue suit, red tie and Converse trainers. Emma wore a red 50s cut dress from Lindybop in the UK with white polka dots and a massive petticoat. “I didn’t want any flowers as I wanted to hold Paul’s hand as much as possible,” said Emma.
At midnight on the day of their wedding they went to the top of the Empire State building. They had all those photos taken around town before their ceremony, then they came to Cop Cot, we had the ceremony, then a walk through Central Park for some more photos. It was a warm day so after all that they were ready to pop back to the hotel, where they opened their cards that they had brought with them from home. They are cat lovers, and owners of four cats, so they went to the Meow Parlour, a cat-themed cafe in the Chinatown area. After two hours with the cats they went to the Top of the Rock for a sunset view of New York, and then finally on to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. “After such a hectic day it was nice to relax with a big burger, fries and a cocktail,” said Emma.
“It was the perfect day,” said Emma. “We couldn’t ask for anything more. Claire was so helpful with any emails we sent and it was lovely to finally meet her. Our photographer Andy was a pleasure to work with and she totally got exactly what we were like as a couple. Our officiant Hope was also lovely and made us feel a bit more relaxed when we were reading our vows. Thank you so much, can we do it all again please?!” No, unfortunately you only get to do it once.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Emma and Paul, I wish you the best of luck for your future together. It was great to meet you and share in your special day. For more information on planning your own Central Park wedding, visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook for photos and more inspiring stories.
