Jenny and James brought over eight guests from their home in the UK for their wedding in New York in October. Their wedding ceremony took place in Wagner Cove, overlooking Central Park Lake.
The couple had been together for almost six years when they got married. They met in a car where James was working at the time. Since then, they had bought a house together and they had a dog together, so marriage seemed like the next logical step for them.
The couple were staying at the Park Central Hotel, which is on 7th Ave, not too far from Central Park. We had their photographer meet them at their hotel in the morning to capture some “first look” shots on the street outside of the hotel. They took photos there and on the street and then walked over to Times Square to take photos there. They took lots of fun, candid shots in Times Square, then walked over to the Rockefeller Center, stopping in a Starbucks for coffee and in front of Radio City for a few photos there. Then they met up with their guests and the whole group went up to the Top of the Rock to take portrait photos on this stunning rooftop.
Just in case anyone reading is thinking of doing something similar, this all took around three hours. After their morning taking photos in Midtown, the group got into cars and went up to 72nd Street and walked into Central Park. Jenny’s dad gave her away. Wagner Cove is one of my favorite spots for making an entrance, as it is traditional for a bride to do. If everyone in the party is able to walk down these stone steps then it’s a wonderful, striking way for a bride, a groom, or a couple to make their entrance together to their wedding.
They had set up a live stream for family and friends who were not able to come to New York in person to watch, so in the ceremony introduction, we had the officiant thank all of their loved ones who were there in person, and also acknowledged those who were watching from home. Then he read a piece from The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Jenny and James exchanged traditional vows before exchanging rings.
Jenny and James had already become legally married in the UK beforehand, so this was not a legally binding ceremony, although it’s fairly straightforward for British couples such as them to get married in New York. A couple needs to get a license from City Hall 24 hours beforehand, and here’s a step by step guide on how to get your marriage license from New York City Hall. Then they bring that to the ceremony, sign it with a NY registered officiant, and they send it back to City Hall, who register your marriage and send the marriage certificate in the mail to you UK home address.
After the ceremony there at Wagner Cove, they took some group photos and couple’s portrait photos at Wagner Cove, in the mid-day Autumn sunshine. Then the guests have a rest in Central Park while Jenny and James went off to take photos beside Central Park Lake, at Bow Bridge and at Bethesda Terrace. They made their way over to the East side of Central Park, took a quick cab ride to the ferry landing and took a ferry over to Brooklyn. I love taking the New York City Ferry Service on a sunny day, and I love this idea for an elopement wedding photo shoot. If you don’t mind having your hair blown about a little bit, this is a fast way to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
Jenny and James had portrait photos taken on Washington Street, by the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park and with Jane’s Carousel and the Manhattan skyline in the background. Then their guests met up with them for photos on the DUMBO waterfront. At this point, the sun began to set over Manhattan, which makes for the prettiest photos.
Their photographer left the group here, after a long day of approximately ten hours of taking photos. Check out our prices and packages for details about how to book this for yourself. Jenny and James took their guests off for dinner at the nearby Osprey at 1 Hotel to relax and celebrate.
I asked how we did. “thank your for organising our special day!!! It went perfectly and the officiant and photographer were amazing!! Thank you for all your help. You have been absolutely wonderful,” Jenny said. Jenny and James’s day is the perfect of example of taking the whole day to celebrate your wedding, and have a photographer document the whole thing, to share with loved ones who can’t be there, and also for the two of you to treasure and look back on for the rest of your lives together.
Jenny and James achieved a wonderful balance between taking some alone time for portrait photos with just the two of them, and meeting up with their small group of close friends and family to share some very memorable experiences – the Top of the Rock, the wedding itself and then photos on the Brooklyn waterfront at the end before dinner.
If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, whether you’re eloping to New York, or bringing a small group of guests, visit our website. It’s my job to listen to you to understand what you want to get out of your wedding day in terms of activities, experiences, photos and memories, and then to use my experience and knowledge of New York, and the excellent contacts I have there, to make it all happen. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on TikTok, and follow us on Pinterest.
Excerpt from The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White.
“I didn’t fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we’d choose anyway. And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you”
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