Jenny and Paul brought twelve guests over from their home in Britain in August to get married in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Planning this wedding was quite unique for me. I plan the majority of the weddings I’m involved with alongside a bride. Around 10-15% of the time I’m planning alongside a groom. Sometimes I start off the planning with the mother of the bride or groom. This one was very unusual because I planned this wedding with the sister of the groom.
This wedding was especially unusual because this wedding was to be a surprise for the groom! The couple were engaged with a son, so already very much in a committed relationship. Paul had talked about getting married in New York, but he didn’t think it was possible.
Originally Jenny had wanted to get married on Belvedere Castle Terrace, but their visit to New York was during the time when the castle was closed for its big refurbishment for over year. She considered Wagner Cove for a while, and in the end she chose the Ladies’ Pavilion instead. She wanted to take photos there and elsewhere in Central Park, and also in other locations around New York.
This is not the only wedding that I have planned that has been a surprise for one of the people getting married! It is a legal requirement that the couple go together to City Hall to collect their marriage license. This means that it is not possible to surprise your husband or wife to be with a wedding ceremony on the day, you must share the surprise with them before picking up the license. Jenny told Paul that she’d arranged the wedding on the way to New York!
Paul’s sister Debbie was very important in planning this wedding, she did lots of work towards it. She and I would discuss things and she would check in with jenny for the final word. Debbie booked their own musician to play guitar and sing at the ceremony and also their own videographer. I ordered their flowers and booked their officiant and photographer and the permits for Central Park and Grand Central.
They had three poems in the ceremony, all read by guests. The Jenny and Paul’s son Matthew read a poem he had created himself – it was put together from a couple of other poems to be quite personal to them. Debbie’s son read a poem called The Day and Debbie read a poem called I Can’t Promise You, and I’ll post both of those at the end.
After the ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion, the group took photos around Central Park. Then they all got in to a limo which took them to Grand Central and Brooklyn Bridge Park for further photos. After that, our photographer left them and they continued on to Rockefeller Center for their reception. They were staying in the Hyatt Centric for the duration of the trip.
After their time in New York, Jenny and Paul took their son to Disney World in Florida with some other members of the family for a joint honeymoon and family vacation.
I asked Debbie how we did. “Our officiant was absolutely fantastic, everyone loved him,” she said. “So was our photographer, he showed me a few of the photos while we were traveling in the limo, they look amazing,” she added.
If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, with or without the knowledge of your partner, visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest where we pin all things New York or wedding-related.
The Day (anonymous)
May this be the start of a happy new life
That’s full of special moments to share
May this be the first of your dreams come true
And of hope that will always be there…
May this be the start of a lifetime of trust
And of caring that’s just now begun…
May today be a day that you’ll always remember
The day when your hearts become one…
I Can’t Promise You by Tijani Adebowale Destiny
I can’t promise you
that dark clouds
will never hover
over our lives
or that the future
will bring us many rainbows.
I can’t promise you
that tomorrow
will be perfect
or that life will be easy.
I can promise you
my everlasting devotion,
my loyalty,
my respect,
and my unconditional
love for a lifetime.
I can promise that
I’ll always
be there for you,
to listen
and to hold your hand,
and I’ll always do
my best to make you happy,
and make you feel loved.
I can promise that
I’ll see you through
any crisis,
and hope with you,
dream with you,
build with you,
and always cheer you on
and encourage you.
I can promise that
I’ll share my dreams
my world,
and every aspect
of my life with you.
I’ll willingly be
your protector,
your advisor,
your counselor,
your friend,
your family,
your everything.
And I believe that’s
what love is truly
all about.
