Emma and Rob eloped from their home in Dublin, Ireland in April to get married in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Rob is 37 and Emma is 35. They have three kids; Rob’s son Jamie who is 13, and the son and daughter they have together; Alex who is 3 and Jessie who is 1. They didn’t bring the kids to New York, they took some time off for just the two of them.
The couple met on Tinder in November of 2016. Rob proposed to Emma by getting down on one knee on a very rainy August Bank Holiday weekend in Blarney Castle in July of 2022. I’m told that it’s very much his style that nothing was planned he just winged it, “but despite the rain and lack of organisation it was perfect” Emma said.
Once engaged, Emma and Rob started to think about wedding venues. They viewed a few hotels in Ireland that they had stayed in and liked over the years but nothing felt right. Emma had always liked the idea of eloping, “so when Rob suggested New York after many failed attempts of locking something in at home I jumped at the idea!” she said. Emma had spent some time in New York in her early twenties and it always had a special place in her heart. Of course after saying “I do” there, that will be even more true now.
It was almost exactly a year after they got engaged when Emma first contacted me. Emma had been in touch with one of our previous brides and gotten great feedback so that made her confident to have us plan their wedding. Emma and Rob even stayed in the same hotel after hearing this previous couple’s positive review of that too!
Like all of our couples, they did have some worries about the weather, “like anywhere, when you are planning an outdoor wedding weather will always be a concern,” Emma said. “But by the time the wedding day comes you just go with it and what will be will be. We had an overcast day but stunning photographs as a result. The lighting was amazing!” she added. It’s true that if the sun is too bright the light for photos won’t be as good. They had our photographer Jakub Redziniak with them for quite a few hours for photos around Manhattan before getting to Central Park. “It did rain at the end of the day but we didn’t care. We were in such a bubble not even a little rain could spoil our day,” Emma said.
Emma told me that both herself and her best friend had decided than elopement wedding suited them best. “We are both in our mid thirties and have kids, and a big ‘traditional Irish wedding’ did not appeal to either of us,” she said. She told me that she does feel that since Covid, elopements and smaller weddings seem to be becoming more popular in general. Emma said that for her and Rob, keep the cost down was definitely a factor, “but aside from that the main reason is that priorities are definitely different at our stage of life,” she told me.
Emma and Rob had kept their elopement a secret. The only people who knew what they planned to do were Emma’s parents since they were taking care of their kids. I’m seriously impressed that they kept it top secret! I asked if they had any regrets about their decision to elope to New York. “Not one single regret!” she said. “Our wedding in New York was everything we wanted and more. No stress, no fuss, everything was seamless,” she said.
Emma and Rob stayed in the MSocial hotel on Times Square. “The hotel was amazing and the staff were so accommodating,” Emma told me. The hotel has a really cool rooftop so on the morning of the wedding their photographer met them up there for some photos before going out in to the city. They stayed in New York for six days. Rob had never been before so they had lots of sights to see after their wedding day.
They kept their wedding gear fairly traditional with Emma in an ivory gown and Rob in a tuxedo. Emma had her hair done professionally by Metro Look on my recommendation. She did her own makeup. “My hair stylist and was fantastic. She arrived at our hotel room early and had me ready way ahead of schedule. I would highly recommend this!” she said. “I didn’t have to leave the room, there was no fuss, no rushing, I can’t say it enough just how seamless everything was,” she added. Some of our brides choose to go to a salon to save on costs, but getting your hair done in your pajamas on the morning of your wedding is way more relaxing!
During the planning process, we went back and forth a little while deciding on photo locations. So many of our couples want to strike the right balance between capturing lots and lots of beautiful photos of them both looking incredible in this iconic city and also not getting completely exhausted spending the whole day smiling for the camera. In the end we decided they would have photos in their hotel, go on to Times Square, then the Top of the Rock, and then on to Central Park. They held the ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion and then worked their way south from there. They got as far as Bethesda Terrace, and if the weather had held out, they would have carried on to the very south end of the park, but the heavens opened.
For the ceremony, we had the officiant talk a little about their relationship to date, and their loved ones at home, and then he read the poem Maybe by an anonymous poet. I’ll put the poem at the end of this post. “The ceremony was short but sweet, just how we wanted it. Although it was just the two of us there our babies and families were mentioned in the ceremony and that had us both very emotional – but good emotional, happy tears!” Emma said. We had a guitarist play some requests for them during and after the ceremony to add to the atmosphere.
Emma and Rob chose the Ladies’ Pavilion for the ceremony location. “There was no particular reason why we choose it other than it is so pretty,” Emma said. “I loved the views of the buildings from the lake behind the Pavilion plus it’s also covered so if it was to rain you didn’t have that worry,” which is why it is one of the most popular spots for a small wedding – the views, and it being an almost enclosed structure with roof providing a little privacy and protection from sun or rain.
They had wanted to have a chilled evening with some good food and drinks after such a busy wedding day, so they went back to their hotel that evening and did just that. They had chosen their hotel with that in mind. “The restaurant greeted us with champagne on arrival and the food was divine. All topped off with the picturesque views of Times Square,” Emma said. What’s not to like?!
I asked Emma how we did. “For us, it was just perfect from start to finish. And I can wholeheartedly say this was because of the service Claire provided. She made the whole experience so easy. No question went unanswered no request was ever an issue,” she said. Thank you for your kind words, Emma, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you. “Everyone involved on the day are also a true testament to Claire’s service, it was all nothing short of amazing,” she added. I completely agree, everyone I work with is excellent at what they do and also a please to work with! “Thank you all for an unforgettable day!” she added.
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, follow us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest.
Maybe
Maybe we are supposed to meet the wrong people before we meet the right one so when they finally arrive we are truly grateful for the gift we have been given.
Maybe it’s true that we don’t know what we have lost until we lose it but it is also true that we don’t know what we’re missing until it arrives.
Maybe the happiest of people don’t have the best of everything, but make the best of everything that comes their way.
Maybe the best kind of love is the kind where you sit on the sofa together, not saying a word, and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had.
Maybe once in a lifetime, you find someone who not only touches your heart but also your soul, someone who loves you for who you are and not what you could be.
Maybe the art of true love is not about finding the perfect person, but about seeing an imperfect person perfectly.
