Jade and Sunil got married last August in the Conservatory Gardens. They brought their five year old daughter Ava and twenty of their family and friends with them to New York from their home in London.
The couple had been together for ten years before they got married, and like many couples who have been together for a long time, their relationship grew steadily over the years. So, they did not have a traditional engagement, although they had always talked about getting married, and they had shared the special bond that parenthood brings. They were happily settled in their family life of making a home for their daughter Ava, and when the time felt right for them, they just set about planning their wedding. It had always been in their plans, and once they started to organize things they both started to get excited about formalising their commitment and all having the same name.
They started looking at wedding venues in London, and found lots of lovely places. “Organising a huge wedding in London started to feel like it would involve a lot of fuss,” Jade told me, “we wanted our wedding day to be just about is, and the love we have for each other.” So, they started looking at other options, and found Central Park. “Central Park is iconic,” said Jade, “we choose the Conservatory Gardens for its serenity; it is in the quieter end of Central Park, so it would be more private and intimate.”
Jade and Sunil had the same concern that almost every British couple has; the weather. But they were not worried about the rain, as many couples are. “Our only concern was that it might be too hot. But in fact it was absolutely perfect despite being the end of August,” Jade said. Jade wore a Jenny Packham dress, shoes and veil all from David’s Bridal, her flowers were created by Designs by Ahn and her hair and make up were done by Emily and Sofia from Once Upon A Bride. During the ceremony, the officiant read the poem Here’s To Right Now.
They stayed for one week at Le Parker Meridien, which is on 56th Street, so quite close to the South end of Central Park. “The hotel had a pool which was perfect for the hot summer days and our daughter really enjoyed splashing about after a long day of sightseeing,” Jade told me. They had twenty guests, a mix of family and friends. “We will be eternally grateful to them all for coming with us to New York to support us on or special day,” said Jade. “Everyone was so excited to be in New York and we spent lots of time together exploring the city,” she added. I love it when couples use the destination wedding as an opportunity for two families to bond. In Jade and Sunil’s case, after ten years and a child together, their families are likely to already know each other quite well, which would certainly add to a fun atmosphere for the week.
Jade and Sunil’s ceremony was in the Conservatory Gardens, underneath the Wisteria Pergola, which is covered with foliage at that time of year, so it provided some good shade for everyone on the hot day. They had photographs taken all over Central Park, and then in different places in New York City with their photographer Samm Blake, while their guests enjoyed some drinks and snacks back at the hotel. Jade said that he favorite photos were the ones taken on Bow Bridge in Central Park, and in the East Village. After the photos and when the sun began to set, they met everyone at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park for dinner.
I asked Jade if she had any final thoughts that she would pass on to anyone considering getting married in Central Park. She said “Claire was faultless in her communication. We felt prepared and organised for every part of our wedding even down to the little details like making sure we arrived at City Hall before it opened to collect our marriage licence!” Back in last September, when she answered these questions for me, she added “we are still floating on a cloud after our dream wedding. We would do it all over again in a heartbeat!”
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