Over the years of planning hundreds of weddings in Central Park I have encountered lots of couples who are eloping to New York. Sometimes couples already have a vacation to the city booked and the decide to get married on a whim. For some; New York holds a special place in their hearts and they have visited many times before and dreamt of getting married here, and it’s not uncommon for couples who got engaged in Central Park want to get married there too! And for some couples, this is their first visit to NYC and they will be making new memories together as they explore this incredible city together for the first time.
The first thing to consider when planning an elopement wedding is to decide on what time you want to get married. There are pros and cons to getting married in the morning, afternoon and evening in Central Park. I discuss some of them in this blog post. The earlier it is, the quieter the park will be, but depending on the time of year, and what else you want to do with your day, afternoon or evening might be best. If you’re having professional hair and makeup, then factor timings for this in to your plan.
I hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you are happy to see your partner before the wedding, then making an event of this can be a nice start to the day. Scope out the options in and close by to your hotel. I do hear of brides and grooms having a massage, going for a run, or doing some yoga in the morning before the wedding. If you’re getting married late in the day, then you’ll have much more time to get out. Some people manage to get in some standard tourist sight-seeing before going back to their hotel, getting changed and going out to get married in the late afternoon.
If you get married earlier in the day and then want to do something afterwards while in wedding gear then there are lots of options in New York. It is very popular to go up to the top of a high building to enjoy the spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline. The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock are the most popular with my couples. Some other popular high buildings with observation decks are Summit One Vanderbilt, the One World Observatory and Edge. Send me an email to discuss the pros and cons of all of these possibilities. I’d also recommend a walk across Brooklyn Bridge for some incredible views. Then chilling out over in DUMBO with some great places to eat and more impressive photo opportunities (especially as the sun goes down over Manhattan).
Some of our eloping couples hire a photographer for a few hours to take some photos in beautiful places. Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO are popular, so is Grand Central terminal and those observation decks. Lots of couples like to take photos on the street, on the subway and in a yellow cab. You can hail a standard yellow cab on the street to take you from A to B, but a very popular option for our eloping couples is to hire a fabulous vintage yellow cab for a few hours at a time to go wherever you want. There are lots of awesome photo opportunities all over New York, with its many iconic sights. You don’t have to have a professional photographer with you all day to capture some memorable shots, you can always ask a passer-by to take a picture of you both with the Statue of Liberty or on a boat on a river or in one of New York City’s other beautiful parks.
Almost all of our couples will have a celebratory dinner somewhere special on their wedding day. I read somewhere that New York City has the most restaurants, coffee shops, and gourmet specialty-food stores per capita among all US cities. So, whatever your choice of cuisine or restaurant you are sure to find somewhere that will give you a memorable dining experience. Lots of couples plan to pick up food to have a picnic to continue their time in Central Park. There are so many incredible bars in New York, with new ones opening all the time, so whatever vibe you’re looking for will be out there – whether it be a sports bar, somewhere with a theme close to your heart or somewhere with beautiful rooftop views.
For lots of people, dinner and some bars is enough, since those to choose from in New York are so amazing. But for some, they want something else too. If you’re eloping to New York to get married and it is just the two of you, then you may well have been eating out most nights, so you might want something else just to make the evening that bit more special. Lots of eloping couples go see a show or a sports game on the evening of their wedding. Some go in their wedding attire and some go back to their hotel to change first. You’ll get more attention in wedding gear, that’s for sure!
When planning what you will do on your wedding day, keep the weather in mind. You are unlikely to want to be outdoors for too long in New York in the Winter because of the cold temperatures and possibly rain. Of course rain is a possibility all year round. In high Summer, New York can be hot and humid, but Central Park or by one of the rivers is usually the freshest place to be in Manhattan in the Summer.
I wrote another post with some suggestions of what to do on your wedding day in New York City a while back, and this is just an update of that in way. 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. I’d love to hear out-of-the-ordinary suggestions from anyone else about what to do if you’re getting married in New York – either for an elopement or for a small group.
