Paige and Paolo got married early in the morning back in October. They held the ceremony at Wagner Cove, and they wanted to do it early so that Paolo’s family back in the Philippines could watch it on a live stream a time that was reasonable for them. Paige is from Nashville, Tennessee in the US and is 32 years old; Paolo is from Manila, Philippines and is 35 years old. They had been together for two years before getting married.
The couple met while they were both working on a cruise ship. This is a love story with chapters that take place all over the world. Paige is a professional dancer and Paolo a professional musician, he plays guitar. They met while making a show called “What the World Needs Now”, which is a tribute to the music of Burt Bacharach. At the time that they first met, they were docked in Kotor, Montenegro.
Paige and Paolo got engaged in Puerto Princesa in the Philippines in February of 2024. Paige was performing on the same ship where the two met, and Paolo came to visit Paige on the ship as a guest. “Paolo had been bringing the ring with him everywhere, waiting for the perfect moment, and decided the beaches of Puerto Princesa would be perfect!” Paige told me. He kept insisting that they go to a beautiful, quiet beach for the day, but it was a bit further out, and Paige had suggested to just go somewhere nearby and didn’t mind if it was busier or not as nice, since she didn’t realize what he had planned. “We had a beautiful day on the near empty beach together, and as we were packing up, Paolo pretend to want to get some video footage by the water, set up a camera and proposed, “it was so unexpected, intimate, and so beautiful,” said Paige.
They wanted to be married because it is a clear way to express their commitment to each other. “For us, the honor of making such a commitment to each other and before God is extremely important,” said Paige. Also with them being born in different countries, it is a way for them to remain together no matter what. “Having made the commitment helps us see this next chapter in our life and way of moving forward together as one team,” Paige added.
I asked if they had considered getting married anywhere else, besides the option of getting married in Central Park. “We didn’t really consider any other wedding locations,” said Paige. They had toyed with the idea of getting married in the Philippines to be closer to Paolo’s family, but ultimately decided that they wanted to marry in the US. They took a trip to New York and shortly after that they decided it would be the perfect place for them. “We went to the iconic Central Park and both fell in love with it immediately. “When we got home, Paolo mentioned getting married in Central Park, and we both immediately fell in love with the idea,” Paige said. Good idea, Paolo!
So, they were engaged in the February, and gave themselves a few months to think it through, and they first contacted me in August. “After finding Claire, we realized Wed in Central Park was the perfect fit for us and for what we were looking for,” Paige said.
Paige and Paolo had considered having a bigger wedding, but they’re glad that in the end it was just the two of them there in person. “We absolutely loved our small, intimate elopement,” said Paige. She feels that a larger wedding for them would have been just too costly and stressful. “The cost of weddings just keeps going up, and it’s honestly so overwhelming. You’re just starting your life together, and the idea of starting it out with the stress of either putting yourselves in debt immediately or using a very large chunk of your is terrifying,” she explained. “What is supposed to be a beautiful day and one of your most memorable can easily be associated with outrageous costs and unrealistic financial expectations. When we decided to get married in Central Park and found how affordable Claire’s different options were, we immediately knew it was perfect for us,” she added. I do work hard to keep costs down. I know there are other options where you can pay a lot more for a similar service but I feel that I’ve found some awesome and talented people and offer weddings for the best prices I possibly can.
The couple plan to live in New York from now on, so their wedding is the perfectly fitting start of a new chapter here in the city. They did a livestream of their wedding so friends and family from all over the world could tune in and enjoy our special day with them, so in the end they had the best of both worlds. “It was absolutely perfect for us and our circumstances,” Paige told me.
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.
They chose to hold the ceremony at Wagner Cove. “It was the most perfect, intimate spot for the two of us. We felt like we were in a fairytale,” Paige said. It is certainly one of the more private spots for a ceremony in Central Park, whilst being so close to the main iconic photo locations. They had been considering Bow Bridge or Cherry Hill because they have such lovely views, but I advised that they go with Wagner Cove for a peaceful ceremony and then take photos in these lovely spots afterwards. Since we had a photographer, videographer and livestream set up, and a violinist playing for them, I think a more tucked-away location suited them better. Paige is glad that we made that decision. “Wagner Cove was perfect for our ceremony for the intimacy of the location, and getting photos everywhere else we liked but were bit more open was the perfect decision for us,” she said.
Paige wore a floor-length traditional style gown purchased from David’s Bridal with beautiful lace detail. She said that her ultimate goal was to feel like a princess, and it was absolutely perfect for her. Paolo wore a navy jacket and black pants from JCPenney. “We wanted to keep it affordable, while also still giving us the elevated feel for our special day, and both places were great matches for us,” Paige said. We had flowers delivered to them the night before since they had such an early start. “We stuck to white flowers mostly, but had some pops of blue and greenery. We decided to do blue with touches of green for our wedding, and the flowers really tied everything together,” Paige said. Paige did her own hair and makeup. She has worked as a professional dancer for over a decade, so has had plenty of practice in doing her own hair and makeup.
We kept the ceremony traditional, and had the officiant read a passage from Corinthians to begin. Then she talked a little about their relationship to date and mentioned some of their family members who were there not in person, but were watching at home. “We took the time to say hi to our friends and family on the livestream and also took time to honor both of our dads, who both unfortunately passed from their battles with cancer within the same year of each other,” said Paige. Then they exchanged traditional vows before exchanging rings. “It was a beautiful way to honor and recognize the important people in our lives, while also having a beautiful ceremony that felt catered to and authentic to us,” Paige told me.
After the ceremony, they took pictures at Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, Cherry Hill, and on the street. They held the ceremony early in the morning so it would be evening for the people in the Philippines watching the livestream, but that early start meant that there were very few people in the park so the photos turned out beautifully. “The sun was hitting in beautiful spots, the park wasn’t too busy, and it was perfect,” Paige said.
One benefit of getting married early in the morning is that you have whole day to celebrate afterwards. The newlyweds went for brunch at The Smith across from their hotel, and then they went over to visit the Statue of Liberty for the first time. That evening, they ate at their hotel’s (The Empire Hotel) rooftop restaurant and bar for dinner and they said it was absolutely wonderful. I asked how we did. “Claire and her entire team have been absolutely incredible and wonderful!” Paige said. “They all really made our day so effortless and seamless, and I’m so glad we came across Claire at Wed in Central Park when searching for our perfect wedding! We would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” she said.
Paige said that it being just the two of them made their ceremony feel so incredibly intimate and just for them, she said it was a true declaration towards each other, instead of feeling more like a “show” and for everyone there. “It was the most perfect, beautiful day. I highly recommend it,” she said. She suggested that you can always throw a party or reception later to celebrate with more people at a later date, but taking this route for the wedding itself has felt so special to them.
I asked if they had any regrets about not having a traditional wedding close to home. “Absolutely not!” Paige said. “My family, though most are still around the Nashville area, are all scattered throughout the US and my friends are all over the world from so many years of traveling for a living, and Paolo’s friends and family are on the other side of the world in the Philippines,” she explained. So, no location would have been right for everyone. In these cases, where you can’t please all of the people in your life, I think it makes perfect sense to make the right choice for the two of you.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story with us, Paige and Paolo, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you! I wish you both the very best of luck for your future together! If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, whether you or are planning on traveling to New York to get married with a group as this couple did, or eloping, 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.