Grace and Paul brought a small group of close family over with them from the home in Ireland this October to get married in Central Park. We held the ceremony on the quietest spot on Bethesda Terrace that we could find on a Monday morning. They were aged 35 and 36 when they got married.
They met in 2013 at a bar in Dublin, and started dating in 2014. They moved in together and made the big commitment of getting their dog shortly after that in 2015. They weren’t in a rush to formalize their relationship, and didn’t get engaged until 2022 in Madrid. Paul proposed in a rowboat in the lake in Retiro Park. So, they had been together for nine years by the time they got married. I asked what made them feel ready to officially tie the knot. “As we got older and after being together for so long, we thought it would be the natural next step for us,” said Grace.
When they first got engaged they did consider getting married in Dublin close to home, but they decided that they wanted to go abroad and have something more intimate with just their nearest and dearest. I asked Grace if she thinks that intimate weddings might be becoming more common. “They are definitely becoming more popular, especially post-covid,” she said. “I think people have realised that smaller weddings and elopements are a more viable option these days, and not as stressful to plan!” she added.
I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home, since they had considered that to begin with. “We have no regrets whatsoever, we had a magical day and so much fun,” she said. Rarely does anyone ever tell me that they regret taking the low-stress option of a smaller wedding. “Everything went smoothly and we didn’t have to worry about a thing,” she added. They had a small party at home after they returned from their epic honeymoon to celebrate with wider family and friends so they really didn’t miss out on any of the experiences of a larger celebration.
Grace and Paul had both been to New York before and loved the city and Central Park. “Central Park has beautiful surroundings that we thought would work well for a ceremony and photos,” Grace told me. Of course I’d agree 100% with this! They told me that when they had last visited in December of 2018, Grace had spotted a bride and groom there and she does wonder if the image perhaps subconsciously stayed with her!
I asked if they had any concerns about getting married in New York. Grace said that they didn’t really have any worries, apart from the main concern about traveling for a destination wedding; they were hoping that no one would become ill or get Covid just before they were due to fly out. I asked Grace if she had any thoughts to share about our service. “We had absolutely nothing to worry about with Claire and Wed in Central Park. Our aim was to have a stress-free wedding and to have fun and enjoy the day, and Claire’s meticulous planning made this possible,” she said.
Their group arrived in New York on the Thursday, the got the license on the Friday, they held the wedding on the Monday and they left New York on the Wednesday morning. They stayed for the first three nights in an old townhouse in Flatbush in Brooklyn. Then for the last three nights they stayed in a hotel in Manhattan. They had wanted to keep to the tradition of staying with their respective families the night before the wedding, and they also spent the day before the wedding apart.
We had discussed the possibility of rain or shine on their wedding day, and we had decided that they would get married under the cover of Bethesda Terrace in case of rain, but they really wanted to get married out in the open if the weather was nice. The sun came out for them, so we chose a spot behind the fountain, close to the Lake in the corner of the terrace area. “Our favorite photos were taken under Bethesda Terrace and throughout Central Park,” Grace told me. “The scenery was beautiful and the sun was shining so the photos turned out great,” she added. After the portrait photos in the park, they wanted to capture some shots on the Subway, so they took a Subway down to Midtown and then took some photos inside Grand Central Terminal. “We also enjoyed taking photos as we were walking through the streets of Manhattan,” Grace said.
We kept the ceremony fairly short. Grace’s dad gave her away and the officiant read the poem A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Then, she talked a little about Grace and Paul’s relationship to date, and passed on the couple’s thanks to their loved ones. Then, Grace read a poem for Paul, and they each read out some vows that they had chosen to be personal to them before exchanging rings.
I asked them what their guests thought about them getting married in Central Park. “My dad said afterwards that they were slightly apprehensive when they first heard we wanted to get married in Central Park,” Grace said. “But they couldn’t believe how well-planned it was and how seamlessly the day went,” she told me. “Both families kept commenting on how much they enjoyed the day and how lovely the ceremony was,” she added.
Grace and her mom and sister had their hair and makeup done in a salon close to their hotel, GS Blow Dry Bar. They were all very happy with the results. Grace wore a classic ivory satin dress from Ghost London which she said was light and comfortable. Her veil, headpiece and shoes were from Asos. She wore matching pearl earrings and necklace from an Irish jewelry brand called Betty and Biddy, and a gold bangle that her mom has owned for almost sixty years. She carried a pearl clutch bag, which she already owned and was from Zara. Paul wore a custom-made suit from a shop in Dublin called Magee, and shoes from Asos.
Grace had been undecided about whether to have flowers, because she didn’t want to have to carry them around for the day. So, they wen fairly low-key with flowers. Her mom and sister picked up a bouquet of orange roses for her the morning of the wedding. Grace has told them that she would quite like orange flowers given the time of year, and her mom is called Rose, so she chose that bloom. “They were simple but added a nice pop of color to the photos,” Grace said. They had some photos taken with them in Central Park and then Grace gave them back to her sister just before they left the park.
Our photographer took Grace and Paul down to Midtown on the Subway and then they walked over to Grand Central for some photos there. After their photo session, they met back up with their guests in a beautiful French restaurant called La Grande Boucherie in Midtown for a three-course meal. After that, they went to an Irish bar, Sean’s for some celebratory drinks.
Since they stayed for a few days in Williamsburg before their wedding day, they have a few restaurants in that part of the city to recommend. “We stayed in Williamsburg on our last visit and found a great brunch spot called Rabbithole which is now closed but the owners have since opened a new restaurant called Monarch – we had dinner here one evening and it was delicious,” Grace told me. They also went to Best Pizza in Williamsburg which they also recommend. The day before the wedding, Grace and her mom and sister and had afternoon tea in Bergdorf Goodman and cocktails in The Plaza hotel, “both places had wonderful atmospheres and lovely food and drinks,” she said. I was in the Plaza myself a couple of days later, but more about that in my next blog post…
I asked Grace how we did. “We thoroughly enjoyed our day and everything went as planned. I cannot recommend Claire enough,” she said. “Claire made everything so easy for us and I knew as soon as I received the first email from her that this was the right choice for us. She was in constant communication with us and mindful of any changes we might have decided to make,” she added. “Our officiant was lovely, and our photographer was fantastic. Neither of us like our photograph being taken but we had so much fun and the three hours we had with him flew in!” she said.
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Grace and Paul, and for allowing me to attend your wedding, which I don’t often do. I wish you both the best of luck for your future together, and I hope you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon visiting a couple of other US cities. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, whether you’re from near or far, 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.
A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton
The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, HIS cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this Dinosaur, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny. He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice. She is also a free spirit, which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of Things. Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of Things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly, thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on Shopping. Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thought and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old. Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love. Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm. And the world is a beautiful place…
