Laura and Arran got married in the Ladies’ Pavilion at the end of November last year. They were both thirty years old when they got married and both from Wicklow, Ireland. Though they grew up in the same town, they didn’t meet until their twenties.
They had been together for seven years when they got married. They got engaged in September 2022 at Lough Ouler in Wicklow. Arran tells me that this is a heart-shaped lake not far from where they live. He proposed there overlooking the lake, while we were out on a hike with their dog Kevin and had stopped for a picnic. Laura is now fifteen weeks pregnant with their first child.
There were never really any other options for Laura and Arran wen they were discussing where to get married. “Once the idea of getting married in Central Park came about we did not consider any other options, as we loved the idea from the start,” Arran told me. They had visited New York back in 2019 and really enjoyed their visit to Central Park then. “We loved cycling and walking around the park and its abundance of beautiful sights on our last visit, Arran said. They were confident that they would get some amazing wedding photos around Central Park, which they did, “and now we have the photos to help us to remember a perfect day forever,” he said.
Arran had purchased the trip to New York as a birthday gift for Laura. In the end the trip also became their wedding and their honeymoon too! They stayed downtown at Mint House at 70 Pine, close to Wall St and were there for five nights. They got married in the last week of November, which is a bit risky when it comes to the weather in New York. They said that they had been a bit concerned about what to expect. “While it was a cold day, as to be expected at that time of year, there was no rain which was our biggest fear, so we managed to avoid disaster there!” Arran said.
They had been unsure about how much photography time they would like, given the time of year they were getting married. If it rained, they knew they wouldn’t want to be out for too long, but if it was dry, they thought they might want to fit some more photos in. We were able to leave things fairly open with the photographer and confirm the photo time around a week before the wedding once we could see the weather forecast. We can’t always do this, especially in the warmer months when there are a lot more weddings. Photographers may well have another job booked in on the same day – either a photography job or something else, but we were glad to be able to remain flexible this time.
I asked if they have any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “We have no regrets about not having a traditional wedding as the elopement in Central Park suited our needs perfectly,” Arran said. “We were still able to mark the occasion of our wedding with a meal for immediate family on our return from New York, so we were able to get the best of both worlds and keep everyone happy!” he said.
We held the ceremony in the morning at the Ladies’ Pavilion. We had a little introduction from the officiant about their relationship to date, and she read the poem Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney, which I’ll put at the end of this post. They exchanged the traditional vows, then they read out some more personal vows that they had written themselves and brought along to read out before exchanging rings.
They said that their favorite photos were taken around the Ladies’ Pavilion and also on Bow Bridge. Arran said that he especially liked shots which captured the color of the leaves on the trees. “They were a bright orange color and look amazing in the pictures,” he said. Arran wore a suit that he had brought over with him from Ireland. Laura wore a dress that she purchased on 5th Avenue a few days before, while they were shopping on Black Friday. Laura did her hair and makeup herself.
After the ceremony they spent some time taking photos around Central Park. After that, they went to the Carlyle Hotel where they had a celebratory lunch. After lunch they went back to their hotel, changed in to comfier and warmer clothes and went to the Bryant Park Christmas market for the evening to soak up the festive atmosphere.
Arran said that he does think that elopements and destination wedding are becoming more popular amongst the people he knows. “Eloping gives people the opportunity to save significant amounts of money associated with a traditional wedding,” he said. “Given the cost of living at the moment, we simply prioritised purchasing our first home together and starting a family over the expense of a large traditional wedding back home,” he told me. I asked Arran if he would have any advice to anyone else considering getting married in Central Park. “We would recommend getting married in Central Park to anyone who likes the idea of a small and simple wedding, we loved the experience,” he said.
I asked Arran how we did. “We would recommend Wed in Central Park to anyone looking to get married here,” he said. “The whole process was very easy from start to finish thanks to Claire, who took care of the majority of the organisation for us and guided us through any of the tasks we needed to do ourselves such as getting the marriage license.” It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you, Arran, and I wish you both lots of luck for your future together, and for the birth of your first child this year. 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.
Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney.
Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.