Kerry and Dave brought their two kids with them to New York from their home in England. They got married in Wagner Cove in peak cherry blossom season, which usually occurs in April.
They got married on the anniversary of the date they met. They had met twenty-three years ago when they got married. Kerry’s brother was work friends with Dave and Kerry had joined them to watch a football match together in a pub. I’m told the game itself was very nerve-wracking! They went out on a date soon after that.
Kerry and Dave had plans to marry for quite some time, but as with many couples, life got in the way. They told me that neither of them would have enjoyed the attention and fuss of a big traditional wedding, although they had started to save money for one. It had always been a dream of Dave’s to visit New York, so they decided to use the money that they had saved for the wedding to bring their family to New York instead of having a big, traditional wedding. It was more important to them to make special memories that they could always look back on fondly as a family.
The four of them stayed at the Westin at Times Square. After booking their trip to New York, Kerry and Dave realised that they would be spending the anniversary of date they had first met here in New York. So, they decided that they could have the wedding that suited them as a couple and as family, with the two people who are most important to them as their witnesses.
Their son gave Kerry away and their daughter was her maid of honor. They held the ceremony in Wagner Cove, which is a lovely private spot and very popular for small events such as theirs. Kerry and Dave exchanged traditional vows and then they each read out something that they had prepared in advance before exchanging rings.
After the ceremony, they took lots of photos with the lovely cherry blossom, and at Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace before walking down the Mall. They took photos at Gapstow Bridge and then walked out of the park on the East side. There they were picked up by our vintage yellow cab. The photographer took a few photos of the family with the vintage cab before leaving them there to enjoy a ride around the city in style.
I’m often asked when the best time to go to Central Park to see the cherry blossoms but it’s a tricky one to answer because it depends on when the temperatures start to warm up, and that can be at a different time of year each year. Once a tree starts blooming, it will hold its blossoms for around ten days. But when each tree begins to flower depends on a mix of daylight and temperature.
The flowering trees in Central Park are the Yoshino cherry trees and Magnolia trees, which also have beautiful blooms. They tend to start blooming Early to mid-April. And the Kwanzan cherry trees bloom in early May. Most of New York’s cherry trees are in bloom by mid-April, though certain types bud a bit earlier or later. Some years we’ve had an unseasonably cold March or a slow start to the Spring so they bloom later, some years it has been warmer and they bloom earlier. But mid-April should be your best bet to see lots of pink blossoms in Central Park.
I asked Kerry how we did. “It was perfect,” she said. “The weather was perfect and the photographer was a dream. Thank you for everything,” she added. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, whether you live locally or are planning on traveling to New York to get married, 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.