Marco (27) and Jason (48) got married this August in Wagner Cove. They met on Tinder and had been together a little over a year when they got married. They’re from Queens, New York.
The couple were away for a romantic weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia when they got engaged. Jason popped the question and of course Marco say yes. “I was the happiest man alive,” he told me. “Getting married was important to us because it is an outward symbol of our eternal love for each other,” Marco explained.
After they got engaged they considered some elopement options, including Las Vegas, but in the end they decided they wanted to be close to home so that they could include family and friends. They chose Wagner Cove in Central Park for their wedding ceremony location.
Like everyone getting married outdoors, they worried a little about the weather, “but thankfully, it was a beautiful day,” said Marco. If there had been rain the couple and the officiant would have been sheltered under the wooden structure but everyone else would have needed an umbrella!
Marco and Jason had around forty guests for the ceremony, which is quite a big group for Wagner Cove, but we made it work. They were so enamoured with that location they decided to get everyone in. “Our family and friends loved the location. They thought that it was so memorable,” said Marco.
The ceremony lasted around twenty minutes, so it wasn’t too long for everyone had to fit in to the small space. Our officiant talked about their relationship up to now and their plans for the future, and they had guests read from Corinthians and also Love Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda, which I will put at the end of this post. The grooms said the traditional vows to each other and also said some personal vows before they exchanged rings.
We had a violinist play at the ceremony. She played for the guests while they waited for the grooms to arrive, and they walked down the steps together to Perfect by Ed Sheeran. She played You Are The Reason by Calum Scott once they were pronounced married, and then played background music while they signed the paperwork and took group photos at Wagner Cove.
Both grooms wore a full piece rose shawl tuxedo with matching bow tie and suede black shoes. Marco carried red rose bouquet. They rented their tuxedos from The Black Tux in New York.
After the ceremony, they took some group photos with their guests and then they left for the reception dinner at Cafe Arte. The couple stayed a little longer for photos with their photographer Julieanne around Central Park. The reception after party was held at 230 Fifth rooftop bar. Although Marco and Jason are New Yorkers, they did stay over in a hotel in Manhattan close to Central Park for the wedding weekend.
I asked them how we did, “we thought that the service we got from Wed in Central Park and Claire were great. Claire was very responsive and informative. She helped us eliminate our wedding planning stress. We would recommend her,” Marco said. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Marco and Jason.
If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, visit our website, or follow us on Pinterest where we pin all things New York or wedding-related, “like” us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram for lovely photos of happy couples.
Love Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda
I do not love you as if you were a salt rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
So I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
