Gina and Kyle came over to Manhattan from their home in Hamilton Township, New Jersey to get married in Central Park in October of last year. In fact, they deliberately chose the date because it was Friday the 13th!
Kyle had originally planned a big night out in Philadelphia to propose. They went to a flower show, a museum and then to a fancy dinner, but the city was too busy and it never felt right to pop the question, so in the end he proposed later that week in their living room.
They looked at hotel venues to consider them for their wedding, but they didn’t like the aesthetics of any of them, and they certainly didn’t like the prices! So, they started to research some more creative options. I asked how they felt about not having a traditional wedding at home almost a year after their wedding in Central Park and Kyle said “we have no regrets whatsoever.”
So, Gina and Kyle chose Central Park for their wedding location. “Central Park is absolutely gorgeous,” said Kyle. I can’t argue with that! “It’s incredibly iconic and shows up in some of our favorite movies and television shows. That way, we see where we got married all the time,” he said. That’s an excellent point – I love it when I see Central Park on the screen because it means so much to me. “New York City is also one of our favorite places to go for a mini vacation, so now we have an extra excuse to go and celebrate,” Kyle added.
Even though Gina and Kyle didn’t travel as far as some of our couples do to get married in Central Park, they still had transportation worries. This is a totally justified worry if you know Manhattan well, though! “We didn’t know what we would do if the driver didn’t show up or if we got stuck in traffic,” said Kyle, although everything went smoothly on the day.
Their wedding ceremony took place on Gapstow Bridge. The ceremony was short and sweet, just how they wanted it. The couple had a small group in attendance – their parents, Gina’s daughter and some close friends. Their photographs were taken by Kyle’s cousin. “Our favorite pictures were taken just in front of the bridge where we got married, on the Plaza side,” Kyle told me.
Kyle wore a black tux and ivory bow tie. Gina’s dress, purchased from David’s Bridal, was a traditional ivory ball gown coupled with black Doc Martens. Her flowers were a brightly colored seasonal mix. Kyle’s cousin and Gina’s maid of honor is a hairdresser, so she did Gina’s hair for her.
They went back to Jersey after their wedding ceremony and photos in Central Park and had a big dinner celebration with their friends and family. I asked Kyle what he would say to anyone considering a no-nonsense wedding in Central Park like theirs and he said “it was a great experience and we are both very happy we did it.”
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Gina and Kyle, we wish you lots of luck for your future together. For more information to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, with photos just about anywhere in New York, visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest where you will find lots of lovely photos and many more inspiring stories of real weddings.
