I have been planning weddings in Central Park since 2012. Many of our couples are visitors to New York City and so have to make the difficult choice of deciding which hotel to stay in. There are so many to choose from in Manhattan, each with their pros and cons. I am often asked for advice about where to stay when couples come to get married in Central Park. So, I thought the best people to answer that might be couples who had recently made the hotel decision themselves.
Here is a round-up of couples who have featured on the blog over the past few months and where they stayed. There’s a clear trend that Midtown is popular, with a concentration of hotels in and around Times Square, and also the streets in between that area and 59th Street, where Central Park begins. Also, the Upper West Side is a popular neighborhood to stay in. It’s a really nice part of Manhattan, with good subway links to the rest of the city, lots of nice bars and restaurants, and you can likely walk from a hotel there to Central Park. I wrote a blog post with own suggestions of New York neighborhood recommendations, so you can read that if you want to know what I think personally.
Paige and Paolo moved to New York a few weeks before they got married; they live in Hell’s Kitchen area. But they did stay in a hotel for the night before, day of, and checked out the day after their wedding. They wanted to be closer to Central Park and to make it all feel extra special. They stayed at the Empire Hotel. “It was absolutely lovely to not be stressed about traveling on our wedding day,” Paige said. They were still just far enough that Paige could take a taxi to the entrance to Central Park. So, our photographer could take some photos of her getting out of the taxi in her wedding dress. “The Empire Hotel took great care of us and even upgraded our room for us when they were told we were staying there for our wedding,” Paige said. “They truly made it such a special stay for us and I highly recommend staying with them for an elevated yet affordable wedding stay,” she added.
Kerrie and Zach brought a small group of their close family with them to New York from their home in Newcastle in England. They stayed in the Sanctuary Hotel close to Times Square. We had our photographer start the day with the party at the hotel, firstly taking photos of Zach getting ready with his family. Then when he left the hotel to greet his guests in Central Park, the photographer went to Kerrie to take getting ready photos of her and her family and a first look photo with her dad.
Clionadh and Sam came over to New York from their home in Ireland with both sets of their parents as guests for their wedding The whole group stayed for a total of three days in New York. They stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel, which is just off Times Square. Ross and Chris, visiting from Scotland, also stayed in the city for five nights at the Hard Rock Hotel in Midtown.
Sophie and Simon eloped to New York from their home in Cumbria in England. They also stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel just off Times Square. They were in town for five nights.
Amanda and Danny brought their children over to New York from their home in Lancashire, England to renew their vows in Central Park. They had gotten married at the Hard Rock Café in Manchester, so the obvious choice for their vow renewal celebration was the Hard Rock Hotel in New York. The couple and their kids stayed at the Hilton Embassy Suites Times Square for five nights. Their party all had dinner at the Hard Rock Café after the vow renewal, and Amanda and Danny were also able to arrange a quick photoshoot there in the morning ahead of their ceremony and photo session in Central Park. “Hard Rock were great because we had been in touch and met them early and let them know our story so they gave us access all areas and we had such fun getting those photos,” Amanda said.
Toni and Mike brought their son over to New York with them as guest of honor to their wedding from their home in Leeds in England. The family stayed in New York for one week. “We stayed in the Westin Grand Central, it was a great hotel and great location,” Toni told me.
Amanda and Luke renewed their marriage vows with us with their eight-year-old daughter in attendance. The family were staying in the city for seven nights, they stayed at the Hilton Midtown, which is about four blocks from Central Park. “This was the perfect location for us to do everything that we wanted during our stay,” Luke said.
Rachael and Glen are both from Australia. When they got to New York they stayed for two nights at Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side. “This hotel is in a lovely old building in a great location. The room was clean and beautifully decorated but absolutely tiny,” said Rachael – a common complaint about New York hotel rooms! They were given $20 vouchers to use each day in the French patisserie next door or the hotel restaurant downstairs, which they said was great and that they would definitely stay at this hotel again. They stepped things up a little the night before the wedding and checked in to The Plaza for the nights before and after their wedding. “It was extremely expensive but it was worth it for the special memories and the room service banana splits,” Rachael said. Then they moved on to a third hotel for their remaining four nights in New York – the Moxy NYC Downtown. This hotel is in the financial district, at the other end of Manhattan to where they had been staying up to the wedding, so they said it was nice to see a different part of town. “Again, the room was very small but the hotel was new and clean,” Rachael said.
Leila and Rob brought their close family over from their home in the North of England. They stayed at the Hotel Belleclaire on Broadway on the Upper West Side, my favorite NYC neighborhood! “The hotel was stunning and our room in particular was perfect, being able to see up and down Broadway from the bed,” Leila said. They stayed in the King Bed (Broadway view) room and Leila’s parents also stayed in the same hotel.
Angie and Michael brought a group of close immediate family with them to New York from their home in Michigan. They all stayed together as a family in a large apartment in the Upper West Side. Then for a couple nights after the wedding the newlyweds stayed on their own at the Empire Hotel, also on the Upper West Side. They were in New York for a total of five days.
Cheryn and Kyle eloped from their home in Austin, Texas. They stayed in the city for six days. They stayed at the Beacon Hotel, on the Upper West Side. “The hotel was in a convenient location for the wedding,” Cheryn said. There was a grocery store right across the street which they went to several times. Their room had a kitchenette which they told me was handy. It’s very near to Central Park, so they could walk to the park for their ceremony, which is quite a relaxed way to get there – there are no traffic worries when you’re on foot!
Denise and Mike eloped from their home in Indiana. They stayed for three days at the Sanctuary Hotel. “It was AMAZING!” Denise said. “The room was much smaller than anticipated,” she added. This is a common issue with New York hotel rooms! “Everyone at the hotel was so helpful, kind, and polite,” she added.
Danielle and Ciaran brought a group of their close friends and family over from their home in Belfast for their wedding. They stayed in New York for five nights at the Thompson Hotel Central Park. “We booked a suite and they gave us a free room upgrade, which was amazing – the nicest room I’ve ever stayed in New York, I wish we could have stayed longer,” Danielle said. Usually, couples tell me that the hotel rooms in New York are very small so this is one to note for anyone who would like more space!
Keira and Nick eloped to New York from their home in the North East of England. They stayed in New York for seven days at the Park Central Hotel, and said it was absolutely incredible location wise, not only for Central Park but for Times Square too. It’s a huge hotel on 7th Avenue, between West 55th and 56th Streets, so it is within walking distance of the south end of Central Park.
Ashleigh and Joe came over to New York from their home in Yorkshire, England with a group of friends and family. They chose to stay for a week in Romer Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen. “We had the most pleasant stay and will definitely return to Romer,” Ashleigh said.
Each year I write a round-up of restaurant recommendations from previous couples, so if this post proves popular and useful to people then I might write a few more round ups of hotel recommendations in future. If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, whether you’re visiting New York with family, or eloping alone, or even if you’re a local couple who doesn’t care about hotel recommendations, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on TikTok, and follow us on Pinterest.
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