I have been planning weddings in Central Park for eloping couples since 2012, so it’s important to note that my views on this subject will be quite biased! Though I am British, I have lived in New York and also Las Vegas, so I know both cities well. I truly love both New York and Las Vegas, and I couldn’t really choose a favorite. The whole point of eloping is that the wedding is about the two of you, though, so it doesn’t really matter what I think. I hope this blog post will help a couple to decide which is best for them for their elopement – Las Vegas or New York.
Many of our couples tell me that they considered eloping to Las Vegas, so I thought it worth writing a brief comparison of the two options. I have also considered whether getting married in Central Park, or on a beach is better, and I also made what I think is a strong case that weddings in Central Park are much better than those in New York City Hall. The beach, Vegas, and City Hall are my main competitors!
So, why might a couple be considering eloping to Las Vegas or to New York? These are both high-energy, busy, iconic cities with a 24/7 culture. Both cities are world famous. If you’re trying to decide between these two cities then you have decided that you want an elopement in an urban environment with all the benefits a big city brings.
Las Vegas is probably the first place you think of when thinking about eloping in the USA. Consider your reasons for wanting to elope – is it because it’s quick, easy and stress-free? Then Vegas will do the job. Is it because you want an intimate and romantic ceremony, where you can focus only on your partner? I’d argue that New York is a better place to elope if that’s what you want. Many of the chapels in Vegas offer a standard wedding ceremony, with no options to personalize it. It will be quick and impersonal, like those at City Hall. There are officiants in Vegas who will perform a more personal ceremony, but they may not be available in the typical wedding chapels. I write all of our ceremonies for each couple, so every wedding ceremony that we perform is unique.
Are you considering an elopement to keep to a budget? Most of our couples come from the UK or Ireland. A flight to New York is likely to take eight hours, a flight to Vegas will be roughly eleven hours. It’s more costly and more exhausting to get to Vegas than to New York. Lots of our eloping couples stay in town for around five nights. The cost of hotels in likely to be similar in both cities – you can go really fancy and spend a lot, but there are lower budget options in both places.
Lots of our couples tell me that they chose to get married in Central Park because they wanted their wedding to be unique. Vegas really is the classic US elopement city, but does that make a wedding there unique?
Consider the photos you want to take on your wedding day. The typical elopement photos taken for a Vegas wedding might be in the chapel, in a casino, on the strip, with the Vegas sign of course – so if you like bright neon lights then Vegas will suit you. Vegas is in the heart of some stunningly beautiful desert, but keep in mind that’s a drive away (sometimes a long drive) and will require sensible shoes and very likely some or a lot of walking. Our weddings take place in Central Park, although we do sometimes plan weddings in other places in New York City. So, the majority of our wedding photos are taken in Central Park. There’s greenery, flowers, trees, lakes and bridges, all with the backdrop of the iconic tall buildings of Manhattan in the distance. If our couples want to take wedding photos in other locations in New York then they usually want to capture that skyline, maybe from the Top of the Rock or another viewing platform, or from the Brooklyn waterfront with the river and Brooklyn Bridge in the short with those downtown Manhattan buildings.
Both Las Vegas and New York offer some amazing options to celebrate, whether it’s just the two of you, or if you bring some close family and friends. You can see a show, and the restaurants in both cities are some of the best in the world. At the time of writing you cannot go to a casino in New York, and I believe Las Vegas does have a few of those!
Let’s think about the weather. Everyone knows that Vegas is in the desert, so if you don’t like the heat, don’t get married there in the summertime. Note that Vegas has a rainy season and a very windy season (and sand is in that wind!) and in the winter it gets below freezing at night time. New York gets cold in the winter, and you may see some snow. The spring is lovely, and brings cherry blossoms to Central Park. Summer is hot and humid in New York, but Central Park is always the coolest place in Manhattan because of all the grass and trees. Central Park in the Fall is stunning, as the leaves change color on the trees.
Obviously, I’m totally biased on this one because I make my living planning elopements and weddings in Central Park. We planned one wedding for a British couple who had been to Vegas beforehand with their friends and had a joint stag/hen do (bachelor and bachelorette parties) then flew back towards home and got married in New York. I have planned a few weddings where the couple get married with us in New York and then go on to other parts of the US for their honeymoon, and sometimes this includes Vegas. So, if you have the budget for it, then maybe you don’t have to choose after all.
I truly believe that your wedding should be about what you want and I hope this blog post has raised some points to consider that will be helpful in making a decision if you’re trying to choose between Vegas and New York for your elopement. If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest.
Discover more from Elopements and Weddings in Central Park, New York
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Type your email…
