Verity and Richard came over to New York from their home in England with four guests to get married in Central Park. They had their small ceremony at the end of August in the Ladies’ Pavilion. Their guests were Richard’s brother Simon and his wife Fiona and Verity’s sister Katie and her husband Patrick. Verity said that they were all very excited to join them for the wedding and also to see New York City too.
Verity is 49 and Richard is 51. They met in 2012 when they both worked for the airline Flybe. Richard was the pilot and Verity was cabin crew when their ‘flight’ paths first crossed! They had been together for six years when they got married. They didn’t get engaged with a grand gesture proposal. They were walking their chocolate spaniel Maddie and talking about the future and agreed that it was time to get married. “We had the house and the dog and it was the final piece of the puzzle, the ultimate commitment,” said Verity.
They briefly considered getting married in their hometown, but preferred the idea of eloping. They had both been married before so this option felt right for them. They knew they wanted to get married in the US, and they considered Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. “But having been to New York earlier this year we decided Central Park was the perfect location,” Verity told me. I asked Verity if she had any regrets about not have a traditional wedding closer to home. “Absolutely not,” she said, “we would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Verity and Richard chose Central Park because they felt like it would be very intimate. “We chose the Ladies’ Pavilion because it was under cover, handy for a hot or wet day. It also had a beautiful back drop and was tucked away so there would be less passers-by,” Verity said. They got married in the morning on a weekday, which was also chosen with the intention of doing it when the park was quieter. “I think more people should choose an elopement or destination wedding,” said Verity. “We thoroughly enjoyed every single second as we had only four guests so it made it more intimate. We were totally in the moment with each other instead of having lots of guests to have to chat to and feel responsible for,” she explained.
They had the ceremony there in the Ladies’ Pavilion and then the group walked down past the Lake to take some photos at Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. They said that their favorite photos were taken at the Ladies’ Pavilion because it was quieter. It was by no means particularly busy at Bethesda Terrace but by late morning there were plenty of people in the area. “It made for a great atmosphere and lots of people congratulated us as we walked around,” said Verity. “Our photographer Florencia was awesome,” Verity told me. “We felt so at ease with her and she got the best from Richie which isn’t easy as he doesn’t like his photo being taken,” she said. Looking through all of their photos, they are laughing in so many of them, they certainly do look at ease!
Verity tells me that the ceremony was twelve minutes long! She knows because they made a video of it. The brought along a tripod that they attached to the structure of the pavilion itself. We wrote a little intro to the ceremony, acknowledging their relationship to date, and mentioning their loved ones who were at the ceremony and those who were not. They had the officiant read an Apache blessing in the intro, which I’ll put at the end of this post. Verity and Richard exchanged traditional vows and had also written their own vows to read out before they exchanged rings.
Verity wore a dress purchased from Mint Velvet back home in England. She had bought a bouquet of foam roses from Etsy. “I wrapped them in tissue paper and placed them in the top of my large handbag for the flight,” she said. Verity decided not to have her hair and makeup done professionally. “I was conscious that I wanted to look like ‘me’ on the day,” she said, and also she said that it partly to keep costs down. She watched some makeup and hair tutorials in advance and said that she was very pleased with the outcome on the day. She did look gorgeous, so she did a great job.
After the ceremony and takin some photographs around Central Park, the group went over to the Carousel in the South end of the park and had a ride. After that, they kept going South and had lunch at Sarabeth’s, on Central Park South. “It was the perfect place to eat afterwards, good food and a lovely atmosphere,” said Verity. After that, their guests took some more photos of them both in wedding gear in Times Square.
The party stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi for four nights. “It was absolutely fantastic,” said Verity. She told me that their room had a view of the Empire State Building, it was a good size and had a boutique feel to it. She said that the staff were so accommodating and genuinely friendly. “We would definitely stay there again,” she said. They have a few restaurant recommendations to share. “We ate at Grimaldi’s over the Brooklyn Bridge, Black Iron Burger and Zoob Zib Thai, I would recommend them all,” said Verity. She said they would not recommend the Bryant Park Grill, even though it was in a great location, she said the food was good but the service was not a patch on anywhere else they ate.
I asked Verity how we did. “Claire sorted absolutely everything and all we had to do was answer some questions and we got the perfect wedding without any stress,” said Verity. “Nothing was left to chance on the day, we knew where we needed to be, at what time and who would be meeting us there, we even had pictures of them as they did us,” she said. That’s absolutely true, everyone involved gets a detailed plan and my assurance that all will go fins if they keep to the plan! “It was truly the best day of our lives. Thank you Claire,” Verity said. Thanks so much for your kind words, it was a pleasure to plan your wedding with you, and thank you for sharing your story with us!
If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, whether you’re from near or far, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest.
An Apache blessing;
Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
