Tyron and Andy got married in Wagner Cove in December. They’re British, from the West Midlands and Tyron is 27, Andy is 39. They contacted me in September, just as we all got the news that the US would relax its travel restrictions between the US and the UK, so they would be able to make the trip to New York in December.
So, Tyron and Andy choose to have their wedding in Central Park. “It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit as it’s always seemed to be so magical,” said Tyron. “Andy had previously visited the park and he loved it. The pictures we saw of weddings that took place in the park looked amazing and we loved the fact that there was so many places to have the most amazing pictures,” he said. They spent three hours with our photographer Jakub Redziniak, taking photos around Central Park and then a little while at the end of the session in Times Square.
Tyron and Andy did have some concerns about getting married in a public park in such a busy city. They are of course somewhat reserved, being British, so they admitted to “not being the biggest fans of public display of affection in general” and added to that being a gay couple, they did have some reservations about how passers-by might react. So, they chose Wagner Cove as their wedding ceremony location. It’s right in the middle of the park, but it’s tucked away down some stone steps right next to the water. Passers-by just don’t tend to pass by this spot! Because of the seclusion, Tyron said that “on the day it felt so comfortable as if it was just the two of us.” And they didn’t experience any negativity from passers-by on the streets – “it was the total opposite as many people were congratulating us along the way which added to the day,” he said.
The wedding ceremony took place in the morning on a weekday in December, so the park was pretty quiet, and that really suited Tyron and Andy. They met their photographer Jakub at the entrance to the park and then walked over to Chambers Boat Landing to take their first photos, then he walked them over to Wagner Cove for the ceremony. I asked Tyron what he thought about the photos and what he said was such a perfect run-down that I’m going to put a very long direct quote here. “We love all our pictures but our favorite pictures were taken in the Cove (peaceful and really rustic looking), Bow Bridge (iconic bridge, which looks quite traditional and beautiful landscape in the background – was really quiet when we were there so we got it to ourselves), Bethesda Terrace – a different feel to the other pictures (there’s a lot of light and shade which were effective in the pictures), Gapstow Bridge (lovely backdrop and being a massive home alone fan as a kid this is where the pigeon woman scene was), Cat Rock (spectacle views in the background) and Times Square (what’s more New York than Times Square with a taxi in the background on your pictures).” Brilliant list, thanks Tyron!
Tyron and Andy had originally planned to elope just the two of them, but they had a friend, Kerry, who lives in Brooklyn who came along and she was able to live stream the ceremony for loved ones back home. She said it was a beautiful place to get married, and she said how much of a special day it was. She thinks Central Park is one of the nicest places in the city and she totally understood why anyone would want to get married there. Obviously, I am fully in agreement with all of this!
They both wore the same gray tweed suits with dark red ties. They had hired them from a shop in Birmingham, near their home, called Peter Posh. “We wore tweed thinking it was going to be a lot colder than it was,” said Tyron. “It ended up being a beautiful day to the point our photographer had just a t shirt on!” he said. It could have gone either way in New York – I’ve seen some lovely days in December and some very cold days!
The couple stayed in New York for five nights. They stayed in the Riu Plaza which is located on 46th Street and 8th Avenue. “It was a perfect base to explore the city and get to the park on the day,” said Tyron. He said it was just a twenty minute walk. I asked why getting married had been important to them. “We wanted to show our love for each other and commitment for the rest of our lives and unite us as one and bring our families together,” said Tyron. I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home. “Not having our closest friends and family witness the wedding, but they understand and it was perfect for us and we wouldn’t have changed a thing about the day itself or the build up to the actual day,” said Tyron. So, there are always trade-offs – having loved ones nearby is kinda nice but also kinda adds extra stress. I think we can all agree on that to some extent.
After finishing up their photo session in Times Square, they went to Chipotle – Andy’s favorite meal – then headed down to lower Manhattan and took a helicopter ride taking in the views. They said they would definitely recommend doing this, especially to mark such a special day. That evening, they went to a little Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village called Cotenna before going over to the Stonewall Inn, and then the 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar where they enjoyed amazing views of the Empire State Building in the background.
I asked them if they’d have any advice for other couples who might be considering getting married in Central Park. “Definitely do your research on areas where you can get married as some locations are really busy, which we wanted to stay away from for the ceremony,” said Tyron. “Leave yourself plenty of time and try not to pack in too many locations for your pictures as you want a good 10-15 minutes in each area. We got married quite early which proved to be a quieter time,” he added. “We had the most amazing day, the pictures are brilliant which is a guarantee I suppose for somewhere so beautiful. We couldn’t recommend getting married in Central Park enough, it was such a magical experience and so peaceful although it’s in the middle of a city. So much wildlife to be seen.” Well said, Tyron.
I asked them how we did. “Claire was absolutely fantastic from start to finish, kept us updated throughout and replies were either the same day or the next day. Very knowledgable on the park and suggested areas from what we explained to her. The plan of action she sent over was spot on and was good to know where we were going next and also was nice touch to send to our family and friends so they could follow our day.”
How lovely of him to say all of that. But he had more to say. “Our officiant Kevin was amazing, we couldn’t recommend him enough and he really added to our magical day. Jakub the photographer was such a lovely guy who directed us brilliantly whilst putting us at ease. We recently got our photos back much quicker than we anticipated and they were out of this world. We honestly couldn’t have had a better day, although it sounds cliche it was the best day of our lives so thank you so much for being a part.”
Thank you Tyron for your kind words, and it was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you. Not just because you’re such a very lovely couple, but also because you were the first British couple to get in touch about getting married once the travel restrictions lifted. For more information to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, visit our website, or “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest where you will find lots of lovely photos and many more inspiring stories of real weddings.