Toni and Mike brought their son over to New York with them from their home in Leeds in England in late December for their wedding in Central Park. Toni was 41 and Mike 43 when they got married.
They had been together for fourteen years when they got married, and had known each other as friends for a while before they were a couple. They had gotten engaged in November of 2019 while on vacation at a seaside town called Whitby with their son. Toni said that one reason why they wanted to be married was to share the same family name.
Toni and Mike had planned a wedding close to home in Leeds for the end of December 2020, but like so many other weddings in 2020, Covid ruined their plans. In the end, they decided to move house, and renovate it. After doing all of that, they changed their minds and decided a small elopement wedding with just their son as witness would suit them better.
Toni first contacted me in February and they got married in December of the same year. They knew from the start that they really like the South end of Central Park, and they wanted to get married by the Pond overlooking Gapstow Bridge. They didn’t want to spend too long taking photos, since they knew it would be cold at that time of year, so they just wanted their photos taking in that South end of the park. This is perhaps where the skyline is the most striking, with the very tall buildings being the closest, so they look very big, behind the trees in all of the photos.
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. I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “Absolutely not,” Toni said. Given that their original wedding was planned for the same time of year, they must like the winter! Toni told me that they weather added to the ambience and made the photos look especially magical.
I asked if they had any concerns in the run-up to the wedding. “No not at all, Claire was amazing,” Toni said. They hadn’t told their son that they were going to get married while they were in New York until they were at the airport waiting to leave for the US. Toni told me that he cried happy tears when they told him.
We had their son give Toni away and we also planned for him to read the poem On Your Wedding Day by an anonymous poet. He is eleven so we said that if he didn’t feel like reading it then the officiant would, but he was brave enough to read the poem in the end. I’ll put the poem at the end of this post. Toni and Mike exchanged traditional vows before exchanging rings. “The ceremony was lovely,” Toni said. “We were both very excited and also relaxed,” she told me. Their officiant told me that it was a lovely and emotional ceremony, which we often find with a small family like theirs.
Our bride chose not to carry any flowers and she bought her dress for only £35! She did her hair and makeup herself, too. Our groom and their guest of honor wore matching dark jeans and navy role neck jumpers with gray jackets and navy flat caps.
They got married in the morning and then had a short photo session in the park. After that, the three of them went to a bakery close b for cake and then went to get changed. “Then, we all went shopping then on to a fancy steak restaurant and to see Six on Broadway that night, it was perfect,” Toni told me. I do love that about a morning elopement – the couple then have the afternoon and evening to enjoy New York and make a really memorable day.
I asked Toni how we did. “The whole thing was just amazing. Claire was very helpful and clear with all that we needed,” she said. “Our officiant was such a lovely lady and made us feel really relaxed and welcome and our photographer was also lovely, we chatted as we walked around the park,” she added.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story with us, Toni and Mike. It was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you! I wish you and your son lots of happiness for your future! If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, whether you or are eloping to New York as this couple did, or bringing a big group with you, 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.
On Your Wedding Day
Today is a day you will always remember
The greatest in anyone’s life
You’ll start off the day just two people in love
And end it as husband and wife
It’s a brand new beginning, the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there’ll be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken
So live happy forever as lovers and friends
It’s the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper ‘I do’
And with luck all your hopes and your dreams can be real
May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.On Your Wedding Day
