Esther and Aaron got married underneath Bethesda Terrace in April. They are both from the Midlands in England, and they had been together for twenty-three years when they got married. Esther was 48 and Aaron 43 when they got married.
They met whilst working at a supermarket back when they were students, Aaron was just about to go off to university in Leeds and Esther was attending college as a mature student. At the time, they weren’t sure if their relationship would endure the long distance. After Aaron’s three years away at university, they were still going strong, with him periodically coming home for visits. Once Aaron had attained his degree he returned home to Birmingham and the couple moved in together. Not long after that, they bought their house together.
Esther told me that she and Aaron had half joked at the beginning of their relationship that they would get married, but then it never really became a priority for them. Then, it became on of those things that their friends and family just kept asking about, “the more they discussed it the more we rebelled,” said Esther. “However, after a couple of decades together we felt that being married was probably something that we both did want,” Esther told me. But, what they didn’t want was all the attention and fuss of a traditional wedding, “which is definitely not our style,” she said.
In January of 2023, they booked a trip to New York for April of that year. In February of 2023 it occurred to them to see if it would be possible to get married while they were there. “When we started looking at how to get married in New York, Wed in Central Park came up on a Google search,” said Esther. Firstly, they read our reviews and decided to send me an enquiry. “The rest was so straight forward, easily explained and stress free,” said Esther.
Esther and Aaron emailed me on Valentine’s Day, and we quickly started planning their laid-back, no-stress elopement. Initially, they didn’t think they wanted to have a photographer, but in the end, they changed their minds and decided to have one for just an hour. I think they were glad they did. “We are practically smiling or laughing in every picture. We truly had the best day,” said Esther. “He captured the day just perfectly,” she said. So, Esther and Aaron got married just the two of them; quietly, and in their own style. They said that they really enjoyed surprising people by telling them that they were married after the event. “At first no one believed us, that we were married at last,” said Esther. “Everyone was hugely pleased to find out we had actually got married and they all said that eloping was the perfect way for us to do it,” she said. “We would not change a single thing about the day,” she added.
They had already booked their six day vacation in New York, staying at the RIU Plaza. “It is centrally located and was easy to get around New York from there,” said Esther. They said that they booked an Uber about fifteen minutes before they wanted to leave the hotel for the wedding ceremony and they arrived in perfect time after a very short stroll to Bethesda Terrace from the street.
We kept the ceremony fairly short and straightforward, since it was just the two of them. We had a brief introduction about their relationship, and the officiant read the poem I Wanna Be Yours, by John Cooper Clarke, which I’ll put at the end of this post. “The ceremony was just perfect; relaxed and fun. Truly magical,” said Esther. “The officiant and the photographer put us at ease and made it most enjoyable, we cannot thank them both enough,” she said.
Bethesda Terrace is a busy part of Central Park. I had discussed this with Esther and Aaron beforehand, but they wanted to get married there, because it’s so beautiful. “We both don’t like the lime light so choose to get married under the arches as that is a little bit more concealed,” said Esther. She did say that there were lots of passers-by, since weather was glorious for April. She also said that regardless of the people present, the wedding ceremony still felt intimate. I do hear from many couples who get married in the more public parts of Central Park – once a ceremony is underway, couples do tend to focus on each other and the officiant. “With the guidance of the photographer, who really helped to make us feel relaxed, we ventured out to the fountain and further afield to the lake and underneath the cherry blossom for more photos,” Esther told me.
Once their time with the photographer had ended, Esther and Aaron found a quiet place to sit in the sunshine in Central Park. “We rang home to tell them the good news, we had a great time trying to convince them all we had actually got married and it was real!” Esther said. After their time in Central Park, they went to eat at the Modern which is a Michelin-starred restaurant attached to the MoMA. “We had told them in the booking request that it was our wedding day, all I can say it JUST WOW, it was an amazing experience,” said Esther. “The food and service was on another level,” she told me. To finish their wedding day off nicely they went to the top of the Empire State Building at sunset.
I always ask couple of they had any concerns about getting married in New York, so far from home. Esther told me that they had none (although they do seem to be a rather relaxed couple!) “Everything went like clockwork; such a smooth process,” she said. “It was truly was the best day of our lives,” Esther told me. I’m so pleased to hear it! It was an absolute pleasure to work with you Esther, 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, even if up to now you really didn’t think getting married was for you, visit our website, we love a low-key, relaxed elopement like this as much as we love the big affairs. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and follow us on Pinterest.
I Wanna Be Yours, by John Cooper Clarke
I wanna be your vacuum cleaner
breathing in your dust
I wanna be your Ford Cortina
I will never rust
If you like your coffee hot
let me be your coffee pot
You call the shots
I wanna be yours
I wanna be your raincoat
for those frequent rainy days
I wanna be your dreamboat
when you want to sail away
Let me be your teddy bear
take me with you anywhere
I don’t care
I wanna be yours
I wanna be your electric meter
I will not run out
I wanna be the electric heater
you’ll get cold without
I wanna be your setting lotion
hold your hair in deep devotion
Deep as the deep Atlantic ocean
that’s how deep is my devotion
