Jenna and Grant eloped to New York to get married last August. They got married with us in Wagner Cove in the mid-afternoon. They are from Cornwall in England and they were both thirty-eight when they got married.
The couple met in June of 2014 when they were both thirty. Grant was serving in the Royal Navy and Jenna said that she was still living life thinking she was 20 at the time! They first met in a pub and went on to a meal at Nando’s afterwards. Soon afterwards, they moved in together and eventually started a family together with two beautiful daughters. When their youngest daughter was three, Grant took Jenna to a fancy restaurant near to their home where he proposed. “He always told me he didn’t want to get married so this was a big surprise, but a good one!” said Jenna.
Jenna and Grant said that they felt like this was “the last piece of the puzzle’ to complete them as a family of four. They knew that they wanted to be married, but they didn’t really want to spend the usual huge mount of money on a large, traditional wedding. They prefer to spend their money on doing things as a family with their kids. So, they decided to elope to New York to get married.
This was Jenna and Grant’s first visit to New York. “New York has always been a place that we have both wanted to visit and explore for years and had not yet had the opportunity,” Jenna told me. She said that most of their knowledge of the city came from watching Home Alone 2 and Ghost a few times!
When deciding where to get married in New York, Central Park stood out to them. “Central Park seemed to us to be the obvious choice for a picturesque wedding ceremony location,” Jenna said. “It is an iconic and beautiful park surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Manhattan,” she added. So, they eventually found the Wed in Central Park website. “Claire was amazing, she went through every tiny detail with us with regards to the ceremony.” She said. I do go through every tiny detail, sometimes more than once, just to be sure! “Claire made everything that we had to do beforehand really easy, she never kept us waiting for a response via email, she let us put our trust in her,” Jenna said.
They stayed at The Hyatt Grand Central, which they highly recommend. “It was absolutely stunning,” said Jenna. They were in New York for five nights, and Jenna said that they walked approximately half a marathon daily. They made sure to make the most of the trip and saw all the major sights.
Jenna asked for hair and makeup recommendations and, as always, I put her in touch with Metrolook. “They did my hair and makeup and made me look beautiful in the comfort of my hotel room,” said Jenna.
We held the wedding ceremony at Wagner Cove. “It is a beautiful quiet spot, ideal for us,” said Jenna. We kept the ceremony fairly short, since it was just the two of them, with them exchanging both traditional vows and them some vows they had each written especially for each other. Then their photographer took them to the main iconic spots for portrait photos, and left them after putting them on a horse and cart for a trip around Central Park.
After their carriage ride, then went to the Boathouse for a few drinks. “It was lovely, they have stunning views across the lake,” Jenna said. Then they walked through Central Park over to the Tavern on the Green. “We had the best meal we had whilst in New York,” said Jenna. She said that it was really nice and relaxing to spend the whole day in Central Park, having spent the rest of their time in New York covering so much ground to get to see everything.
“Claire not only planned our wedding ceremony, she planned our whole wedding day based on her recommendations so thank you,” said Jenna. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Jenna and Grant! I wish you both the best of luck for your future together! 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.
