Laura and Ryan came over to New York from their home in County Laois, Ireland back in January. They got married in Wagner Cove, just the two of them.
Laura was 37 and Ryan 34 when they got married. They had met at Laura’s neighbour’s birthday party. Ryan was giving his friend a hand working the bar. “The chances of us ever meeting were pretty slim, we lived over two hours apart and the party was in the middle of nowhere! I only went to the party at the last minute and Ryan wasn’t meant to be working that night either!” Laura told me. And so, the stars aligned for them and they did meet. They hit it off, and they had been together for 14 months when they got married.
Laura and Ryan didn’t officially get engaged. “We had booked flights to New York for a holiday and then one night were just chatting about what kind of wedding we’d like ,” Laura said. They both agreed that they wanted it to be as stress free as possible and sooner rather than later. And so, they had the idea to get married in New York while they were there. They contacted me at Wed in Central Park in early December and we got going straight away!
Laura said that once they had the idea to get married in New York, they started Googling about getting married in New York in general and my website popped up eventually. “I’m so glad we did end up getting married in Central Park, our pics are fabulous and the setting of Wagner Cove was just so lovely,” she told me.
“We’re both very laid-back people and everything was organised and decided upon with no fuss or stress,” said Laura. They bought their wedding bands the day before we flew to New York, so they’re not the type to plan everything way in advance. The day before their wedding, they took a walk around Central Park and Ryan got down on one knee to propose officially. So, we can say that this was the first time that we married a couple who got engaged less than 24 hours before their wedding! Laura and Ryan arrived in New York on the Monday afternoon, got married on the Wednesday and flew home on Friday night. They stayed in the M Social hotel in Times Square. “Their rooftop bar provided a lovely backdrop for some day after wedding pics,” said Laura.
Laura told me that neither of them had any interest in a traditional wedding close to home. “I work as a bridal makeup artist and I see first-hand the stress a lot of brides can be under and the amount of work, time and money that goes into organising a big Irish wedding,” Laura told me. Whilst this option of eloping was absolutely the right thing for Laura and Ryan, Laura did say that she can see why an elopement wouldn’t be for everyone. “You do have some small worries leading up to it that you’re not disappointing anyone,” she said. “But when you know it’s what you really want and a traditional wedding isn’t for you then I think it’s the best option. Our ceremony was so special and intimate, just the two of us,” she said.
I always ask couples why they wanted to get married. “We were both very content and secure in our relationship before getting married but it’s another layer of commitment,” said Laura. Some months after the wedding, I asked if they had any regrets about not having a traditional wedding closer to home. “Absolutely not,” Laura said. “We are so, so happy with our decision to elope. It was so stress free, fun and romantic. We also had a big party when we got home and everyone we wanted was there to celebrate,” she said. So, the best of both worlds for Laura and Ryan; the stress-free, intimate elopement, and the big party.
The ceremony took place in Wagner Cove. We organized the wedding quite quickly, and Laura and Ryan didn’t really have a location in mind when we first started talking, so Wagner Cove was my suggestion. It’s quick and easy to get to from the street, it’s nice and tucked away and private, and it’s very close to the popular photo locations of Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace, so a wedding there doesn’t involve too much walking. “Our favorite pictures were taken at Bethesda Terrace,” said Laura. “We were lucky because given the time of year, and the bad weather forecast for our date, so it was very quiet in the park, so we got to capture some beautiful pictures there,” she said. It really does feel very special when couples are lucky enough to be in Central Park when it’s nice and quiet, and that just doesn’t happen on weekends in the summer, only in the colder months!
I asked Laura some questions in advance about the two of them, so that I could write their ceremony just for them. She told me that in their fairly short time together, they have shared a lot, so we talked a little about that in the ceremony, and we had the officiant read a poem of their choosing. They loved their ceremony, and they said that their officiant put them at ease before they began with his gentle nature. “Our ceremony was absolutely beautiful. It surpassed our expectations,” Laura told me. “It was just so lovely and intimate, it was completely centered around the two of us and our love for each other. It was really so special for both of us,” she said.
Laura had brought a beautiful bouquet of dried flowers with her to New York, which were made by a florist local to her home. “They were stunning,” she said. Laura is a professional bridal makeup artist so she did her own makeup that morning. She had her hair blow dried in one of the dry bars close to their hotel in Times Square. Their photographer Jakub Redziniak met them on Central Park West before the ceremony and took some photos of the two of them there on the street before going into the park with them.
Laura wore a white Nadine Merabi suit, “I absolutely adored it!” she said. She wore a blue wool coat over it but took it off for some of the pictures. Ryan wore a black tux from ASOS with a green velvet coat over the top, purchased in New York’s very own Macys the day before as he forgot his own coat! We had seen rain in the forecast for Laura and Ryan’s wedding day, but the rain held off just until their photography session ended. They had planned to walk around the city a little taking photos in some of the iconic spots, but because of the rain they decided to go to an Irish bar instead! “We had quite a few hot whiskeys, and some nachos and chicken wings,” said Laura. They facetimed their families to tell them about their wedding, and just had a lovely afternoon in the pub. “The joys of it just being the two of you and doing whatever you want!!” said Laura.
That evening they went over to DUMBO in Brooklyn to eat at the River Café. “It was absolutely spectacular and even the heavy rain could not take from our view of the stunning Manhattan skyline,” said Laura. “It was a fantastic meal in a beautiful setting with excellent service and we will never forget our wedding meal!” she added.
I asked Laura if she had any thoughts to share for anyone considering doing what she and Ryan have done and eloping to get married in Central Park too. “I would just like to say for anyone thinking of doing it and may feel a little apprehensive; just do it,” she advises. “It’s so stress-free and straight forward. It was the most magical day of our lives and we are so happy with our decision to elope,” she said.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Laura and Ryan, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you, even though it was done over such a short period! Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest.
