Laura and Jordan brought over a small group of close family members from their home in England this May to get married in Central Park. They held the ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Laura was 34 and Jordan 35 when they got married.
It’s not uncommon for couples to meet through work, as Laura and Jordan did. But it is unusual for a couple to have gotten to know each other almost entirely over the phone, which is what happened with Laura and Jordan. When they met, they lived about an hour away from each other. Eventually, they got together in person and had been together for around ten years before they got married.
Laura and Jordan got engaged around four years before they got married. Jordan popped the question in Central Park. They were close to Bethesda Fountain when he asked, and Laura said yes. They had been to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Washington and New York on that trip but Jordan had wanted to wait till they were in Central Park before he proposed.
Once they were engaged, they considered where it was that they wanted to get married. They knew they wanted to get married abroad, and originally were thinking of getting married on a beach. You can read my ever-so-slightly biased thoughts on having a beach wedding versus a wedding in Central Park here! They had started down the route of booking a hotel in Jamaica before Covid ruined their plans, and then their son Leo came along. So, things had to change a little. “Since having Leo we decided we just wanted a small intimate wedding, and thought it would be perfect to go back to Central Park for the wedding,” Laura told me.
I asked Laura if they had any regrets about not having a traditional wedding at home. “Nope,” she said. Whilst they knew quite early on that a destination wedding was for them, Laura does think that destination weddings and smaller weddings are becoming more popular, “especially with the prices of everything in the UK rising so dramatically recently,” she said. So, Laura and Jordan decided to get married in Central Park. Their engagement began here and ended here, as they took the next step in their relationship and became married. They also felt comfortable bringing a small group to New York, as they have visited themselves several times before so it felt quite familiar.
They stayed in New York for five nights. They stayed at the Hilton Midtown, “which was the perfect location,” said Laura. “Previously we always stayed in Times Square, but we were definitely best suited with Midtown this time,” she said.
The group met for the ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion. “It was beautiful! Very private and peaceful, undercover in case of rain or too much sun, seating for guests, and an ‘aisle’ to walk down. It was perfect,” said Laura. We had a guitarist play for the guests while they waited for the bridal party to arrive. Their guests were Laura’s parents, brother, sister and her family, and Laura and Jordan’s fifteen month old son. It was eleven people in total. “They all thought it was beautiful and very intimate,” said Laura.
We kept the ceremony fairly short. “The ceremony was perfect and the officiant was really great,” said Laura. We had the officiant thank everyone for being there – in person and people watching the live stream from home – and then talk a little about their relationship to date. Then a guest read the poem ‘The Art Of Marriage’ by Wilferd Arlan, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Laura and Jordan said the traditional vows and then exchanged rings. Once they were pronounced married, the guitarist played ‘How Long Will I Love You’ by Ellie Goulding for the newlywed couple to have their first dance to.
They purchased the bridal gown and bridesmaid’s dresses from a store in the UK, and hired the suits for the groom, father of the bride and the very young but important best man – their son Leo. The men all had white rose buttonholes, the bridesmaids and flower girls carried silk flowers, and Laura carried a bouquet of fresh flowers that we had delivered to her hotel room beforehand. After taking some photos around Central Park, they all went back to the hotel to enjoy a drink in the bar together, and then they all went out to eat. Their wedding meal was at Keens Steakhouse, which they highly recommend!
I asked Laura how we did. “The whole wedding planning process was great, with great communication from the start to finish,” Laura said. We had great communication on both sides, with Laura asking lots of really good questions, which I find very helpful, because it showed that she was really hearing what I was explaining and thinking about all aspects of the day. That really helps in making sure that a couple have a clear idea of what to expect from their wedding day. “We also think it was well worth the cost, Claire was very helpful, with great ideas to help us make decisions,” she said.
It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you, Laura, and I wish you, Jordan and Leo lots of luck for your future together. 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.
‘The Art Of Marriage’ by Wilferd Arlan Peterson
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created. In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner.