Katie and Nick eloped for their wedding, albeit not very far from their home in Syracuse, New York. They got married on Belvedere Castle Terrace in May, just the two of them, although we had a videographer and photographer to document the occasion!
They are originally from Georgia, and are both 31 years old – they are in fact seven days apart in age. They met through a mutual friend and got together a few months later. They were playing Dungeons and Dragons at the time. This is just one of their many shared interests. They were together for two and a half years before getting married. Nick proposed at their local pub, where they play trivia each week. Nick had the trivia host ask, “Katie, will you marry me?” as a special trivia question while Nick was getting down on one knee and proposing.
Once they were engaged, they started to consider what they wanted their wedding to be like. “We wanted an outdoor wedding and were looking at other places in New York such as the Adirondack area, Lake Placid, Thousand Islands, etc. We decided not to go with them because they were out of our price range and didn’t have things included in their packages that we wanted,” Katie told me. It’s nice to hear of people coming in to New York City to save money on something for a change!
As they were researching wedding ideas, Katie and Nick found that they were both reading about how quite a few people noted that they wished that they had a smaller wedding and spent the money on a honeymoon or elsewhere instead. Katie said that they both looked at each other when we saw some of the prices for venues, and said, “In this economy?” they were so surprised at the high prices for traditional wedding venues. “Smaller weddings and elopements are also more intimate in our opinion” said Katie. You’ll always get agreement from me on that one!
Katie and Nick had both been to Central Park in the past and liked it. “It doesn’t even feel like you’re in the middle of one of America’s largest cities when you’re there,” Katie said. “The scenery is beautiful for a wedding and centrally located to other parts of the city if you wanted to get pictures,” she added. Katie said that they don’t have any regrets about not having a large, traditional wedding close to home, which would of course be Georgia, because they plan to have a reception with them sometime in the next year or two where they can all celebrate together. “We wanted our wedding to be more about just us enjoying the moment together,” Katie told me.
Katie and Nick stayed for two nights at The Lucerne, which is a very handsome building on the Upper West Side, and only a fifteen minute walk to Central Park. “For the hotel, the Lucerne was great, the only issue we had was that the A/C cuts off when you leave the room, so in hotter months the rooms would be very hot and stuffy,” said Katie.
We held the ceremony on the terrace of Belvedere Castle, which is about a ten minute walk in to the middle (and the highest point) of Central Park from West 77th Street. “We were lucky to have great weather, but there was shelter just in case it rained, which was nice,” said Katie. Nick wore a gray custom suit made from a shop in Syracuse, and Katie wore a simple but elegant white dress from Calvin Klein. Katie carried silk flowers that were already pre-made at a hobby store, so that she could keep them forever. Nick also got a boutonniere from the same place. Katie had her hair styled by a professional, but did the makeup herself.
On the morning of the wedding, they went around some local shops and generally explored around the city and also got a bite to eat. The ceremony was at 4pm, so they had lots of time beforehand to do whatever the wanted. We kept the ceremony fairly short, with it being just the two of them. We had a short introduction, then the officiant read a poem Katie and Nick had chosen called Maybe, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Then the officiant talked a little about their relationship to date, before exchanging traditional vows, then some vows that had written for each other, then the ring exchange. “The ceremony was wonderful. Our officiant, photographer and videographer were so nice,” said Katie.
Katie and Nick liked Belvedere Castle Terrace, but they warn others that it isn’t too private. “It wasn’t something that we thought too much about initially, but there were quite a few tourists around, so if you want something more private, consider some other options,” she said. “We didn’t mind the people too much though. They even cheered for us after we were pronounced husband and wife. Everyone was respectful and quiet though while the ceremony was happening,” Katie told me.
After the ceremony, they went to the nearby Shakespeare Garden, for some more photos. “All of the pictures were great, but our favorites were taken in the gardens,” Katie told me. “We had our pictures taken between 4pm and 5pm, so the lighting was great and the greenery and spring colors from the flowers were beautiful. We also had a little bit of time left over at the end, so our photographer took us to a busy intersection right outside of the park, which made for some really cool shots in the city,” she added. After their time in the park, they went on to a nice Italian restaurant called Cibo e Vino for dinner, which had been recommended by a friend, and then found a place to get gelato.
I asked Katie and Nick what their friends and family thought about them getting married in Central Park. “They all seemed to love the idea, although a few regretted not being able to be present, but they were still happy for us,” said Katie. I asked how it all went in general. “Overall, we loved it. The officiant, photographer and videographer were all punctual, professional, and prepared. Everything went very smoothly. Claire handled everything perfectly. I also knew that whatever questions I had for Claire would be answered in a timely manner and that she would have an answer, or find one out if she didn’t.”
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Katie and Nick! I wish you both the best of luck for your future together, and I hope you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Ireland (assuming that trip may have happened between getting married and my posting their story here). 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.
Maybe
Maybe we are supposed to meet the wrong people before we meet the right one so when they finally arrive we are truly grateful for the gift we have been given.
Maybe it’s true that we don’t know what we have lost until we lose it but it is also true that we don’t know what we’re missing until it arrives.
Maybe the happiest of people don’t have the best of everything, but make the best of everything that comes their way.
Maybe the best kind of love is the kind where you sit on the sofa together, not saying a word, and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had.
Maybe once in a lifetime, you find someone who not only touches your heart but also your soul, someone who loves you for who you are and not what you could be.
Maybe the art of true love is not about finding the perfect person, but about seeing an imperfect person perfectly.
