Katie and Paul brought their family over to New York from their home in Stoke on Trent, England (also my home town!) for their New York wedding last summer. This is not a wedding that I have planned, but their wedding was so lovely that I wanted to share the story here.
The couple met at work in 2006, so they had been together for 13 years when they got married. They got engaged in March 2017. They had considered marrying in 2018, but Katie had surgery on her legs that year and hadn’t wanted to wear flat shoes on her wedding day as she would have had to if they’d got married then! So in the end their wedding took place in 2019. “It was the right time and the children were old enough to be part of it as they were the best men,” said Katie.
When thinking about where they wanted to get married, Katie and Paul considered a few options. “We looked originally at Vegas but we had our first holiday in New York and it’s our favorite place in the world,” Katie told me. They considered some areas in Central Park, they had liked Cop Cot as a possible ceremony location.
They liked the look of 620 Loft and Garden after seeing it in a John Wick movie, so went to see it on while visiting the city and fell in love with it. After they had chosen the venue, “we looked back at photos from previous trips and we realised that every year we have been to New York it has ended up on our pictures somehow,” said Katie. So, it was perfect for them. “There was no other option for us once we saw it,” she said.
Katie thinks that destination weddings are increasingly popular in recent years. “I think more people are doing destination wedding and smaller elopements as it’s easier to make yourselves happy than hundreds of people and it’s a lot less stress,” she said. I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “We had a party when we got back from our honeymoon and had all the family there so we had the best of both worlds,” she told me. “But the wedding day itself was just about us,” she added.
Katie and Paul stayed in New York for six days. “We stayed at the Novotel as we have been there a few times and love the rooftop bar in the winter and even more in the summer,” said Katie. Their guests were Katie’s parents and sister, her husband and daughter as well as their two sons.
Katie planned the whole thing herself, with no help from a wedding planner such as myself. Her make-up and hair was done by Adrienne DeMedici. Their ceremony was led by officiant Mirelle Eid, “she was so lovely and helpful,” said Katie. They chose simple and straight forward vows from a selection from their officiant and kept the ceremony non-religious. They had booked the venue for just one hour for the ceremony.
The bride’s dress was a Madeline Gardener design and she picked up her flowers from George, who is a florist who sells bouquets from outside City Hall. “They were beautiful peonies that he managed to get even though they were out of season,” Katie told me.
After the ceremony at 620 Loft and Garden they went to Central Park with their photographer Vince Middleton. “I love the pictures taken in Central Park, especially the fountain and the arches, “Katie told me. “Again, we saw them in the John Wick movie!!” said added. They had taken some photos on Bow Bridge the year before on Christmas Day so wanted to replicate them. New York is clearly a city that’s very dear to their hearts. After the photos in Central Park, they all went for a meal in the Tavern on the Green and then went back to their hotel for drinks on the outdoor terrace.
I asked Katie what she would say to anyone from out of town, or a Brit such as herself considering getting married in New York. “I would recommend to anyone to get married in New York as it was a really special experience and everyone should visit there once in a lifetime!!” she said. I can’t argue with any of that! She also said “I would recommend booking everything directly rather than using a planner!!” Of course I’m biased but I think there are pros and cons to the argument about whether to hire a wedding planner or not – here’s my blog on why I think you should hire a wedding planner. “It is very hard work but worth it because my day was exactly everything we wanted,” Katie said.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Katie and Paul. If you would like me to help you with planning your own wedding in New York, visit our website, or follow us on Pinterest where we pin all things New York or wedding-related, “like” us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram for lovely photos of happy couples.
