There are so many decisions to make when planning a wedding! Choosing the dress and/or the suit can often be an important choice for a bride and groom. Everything else you wear (or carry!) on the day can also have quite an impact, too. The shoes you wear will matter to your comfort, and this is even more true for a wedding in a big park such as Central Park than it would when getting married indoors. A coat or jacket might be an important consideration depending on the time of year. And the size, weight and variety of your flowers need to be given some thought too!
We all have an individual style and that will affect the dress, or suit, or outfit that you choose. I’m not going to discuss that too much because that’s so down to individual taste. There’s an element to the choice of what to wear that is to your personal taste, just as it would be if you were marrying in a more traditional location. Just because you are marrying outdoors doesn’t mean that you can’t have a striking gown with a huge skirt or long train and a large veil – of course you can. When thinking about all of this, consider the time of year you’ll be getting married. If you’re coming to New York during the winter or early spring, late autumn, then it might be windier and any loose fabrics will blow around, or it might be wetter, and a very long skirt will pick up moisture and dirt from the street. You may want to choose a classic knee-length dress with flats, or a trouser suit, or the ever-popular and practical tea dress if you want to move around the city with ease.
Anyone choosing a dress to wear when getting married in Central Park will have to weight up how much they value comfort over appearance. This is especially true in the very cold months and the very hot months. If it’s cold, you may want to wear some thermal socks and boots under a gown, for example, or if it’s high summer, a very heavy long skirt will hold the heat in. Many of our brides look truly amazing, and I am a little bit in awe of them. I wore a plain linen white dress when I got married in Central Park because I wanted to be comfortable in the July humidity. That’s who I am. We’ve had brides get married in jeans, because that’s who they are. I think that some couples have chosen to get married far from home because they want to avoid some of the traditions that often come with weddings and it’s wonderful that they have the option.
Many of our couples are visitors to New York. So, whatever you buy to wear during your wedding you will likely be bringing with you, with the exception of fresh flowers. Think about how to pack all that you have chosen and how it will look after it has traveled.
Shoes are an important choice for anyone planning to get married, because you’ll be standing for the ceremony and for the photos. A wedding generally involves plenty of standing. If that’s not practical for you due to mobility issues, then we have options in terms of seating, plans that involve reduced walking, pedicabs, and so on. If you’re able to walk through the park then you need to think about what shoes work best for you.
When you have chosen which location in Central Park you want to holdyour ceremony, and where you want photos to be taken, then you’ll know how much walking you will be doing. I will make a detailed plan of timings and photo locations with all of our couples and I can also send you a route map to show the distance you’ll walk and an estimate of how much of this time you’ll be on your feet. This may well influence what shoes you choose to wear. I wore flats for my wedding, I’m just not a person who can walk in heels. I’ve seen brides walk miles in heels with no issues, and I’ve seen other brides desperately uncomfortable in their shoes. Each individual should give plenty of thought to their own personal comfort in heels since we’re all different and a lot of it comes down to what you’re sued to! Many brides have a pair of shoes for photos and a spare pair of comfy ones for doing the walking in.
I often order the bouquets and boutonnieres for our couples getting married in Central Park. We can have the flowers delivered to your address or hotel room on the morning of your wedding. A couple can send me photos of the florals they would like and if it’s all in season and available when they’re getting married, then we can usually arrange anything you want. Some brides have asked for some amazing and elaborate bouquets. If you have a long photo session then you may not want to be carrying a very heavy bouquet for the whole time. If you’re a smaller person, then a smaller bouquet might look better anyway. If you just have a short photo session then holding the bouquet for the whole time won’t be a big deal, or if you can ask a guest to look after it after an hour or so then that will work too. We’ve had brides with big bouquets of fresh flowers and a long photos session tell me that they wish they had chosen a smaller bouquet. Silk flowers and dried flowers can look stunning on photos, and they are lighter than fresh flowers.
Winter weddings in New York are very popular. We’re always very busy in December. We’ve seen some strangely warm weather some years towards the end of the year, but we also see snow, rain and if it’s sunny in December then that quite often comes with low temperatures. So, let’s think about coats and jackets. Anyone wearing a suit with trousers gets to wear socks and shoes, and a shirt with jacket will likely be warmer than a gown. Some of our brides buy a coat or jacket or wrap in white just for the wedding. Some brides just bring along their best coat, wear it when they walk to the wedding and then take it off for the ceremony and photos and put it on in between photos. This is another one that depends on personal choice and how much you feel the cold, but it should be considered for a winter wedding!
If it turns out that rain is forecast for your wedding day, then bring an umbrella! A clear plastic one will look better for photos.
Something to think about when deciding on what to wear and all of the accessories that go along with a wedding outfit is what else you will be doing on your wedding day. The ceremony itself is just a short part of the day in terms of time. You will probably be having some sort of reception, or a meal as a celebration, but what else? Some of our couples travel all over the city taking photos, and some have been to a Broadway show, and many go on to bars in the evenings until late at night. If you intend to wear your wedding gear for the entire day then it’s worth thinking about all the other things you will be doing. Think about transport – will your dress be comfortable in a cab, or on the subway, or while walking? How much sitting and standing will your plans for the day involve?
If you have a long day of photos and a long night of celebrating ahead of you, perhaps just one outfit won’t do! It’s not uncommon for our couples to change their clothes and their shoes part way through the day. Our eloping couples sometimes see a show in the evening, and our couples with guests may go on for drinking and dancing in the city, so may want to wear one outfit to say “I do” and another to celebrate in.
Deciding what to wear to get married in Central Park does have similarities with deciding what to wear no matter where you are getting married. But, because of all the uniqueness of the location there are a few other factors to consider. Getting married outdoors presents its own challenges, and so does the need to walk a little further from the street to get to a ceremony location than you would when getting married indoors. If you’re a visitor to New York then you will likely want plenty of photos of this memorable trip, so quite a bit of walking is usually unavoidable, so the decision on shoes can make a huge difference to your comfort on the day.
Good luck with your choice and enjoy the shopping! If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, visit our website. You can contact me via email if you have any specific questions around flowers, shoes, jackets or other accessories you’re considering the pros and cons of. 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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