I have been helping couples to plan weddings in Central Park, New York since 2012. Most of my couples are from outside of New York, and often from outside of the USA. Often, when couples first contact me, they say they have decided they want to elope to New York, or bring a group of family and friends with them for microwedding or destination wedding in New York. But, so many people say in their first contact with me; they just don’t know where to begin. This blog post is for them.
Sometimes, when a couple contacts me, they have already made their travel plans – booked the flights and hotel – and sometimes they want to check in with a wedding planner before they do that. I think either works fine. Sometimes couples decide to get married while they’re in town some time after having booked the trip, and some come to New York specifically to get married. It’s a good idea to get in touch with me at Wed in Central Park before you book your flights and accommodation, just to start to think about how you want the trip to go, and where to wedding day fits into the whole trip.
It is my job to take care of the majority of things a couple needs to get married in Central Park. I get the event permit for the chosen wedding ceremony location in Central Park. I arrange for the officiant and photographer to be there, and also a musician and a videographer if that’s what you want. I can help with flowers, hair and makeup and transport. I also write the ceremony wording with the couple. Perhaps most importantly, I help the couple to decide from this list of possibilities, what suits them for their wedding day, and to gently guide them through the decision-making process.
The two people who are getting married are legally responsible for is to picking up their own marriage license from City Hall, together in person. I can tell you all that you need to do to get this, and I cover the basics of how to get your marriage license from City Hall in these instructions, but I can also answer any questions. You need to bring your passports and $35 in payment, and then you can get married 24 hours later. Then City Hall will register your marriage and mail you your marriage certificate to the home address you give them when you pick up the license.
So, the wedding part is fairly easy if you have the right people involved – of course that would be Wed in Central Park! The complicated part is getting there! So, if you are an out-of-town couple starting to think about getting married in New York, or a couple coming from abroad, as most of my clients are; then I would suggest the travel and accommodation part would be the first area to really think about. Here’s where to really begin. You should sit down together and discuss the bigger questions;
- How long will we stay in New York?
- Who will we invite to come with us? (or will we elope?)
- When will we go to New York? (and what will the flights cost?)
- Where will we sleep? (and what will it cost us?)
The answers to those four questions will help a you to arrive at an estimate of what this whole thing is going to cost. Our prices and packages are on the website, so that’s all clear on what the wedding itself will cost. So, with flights, accommodation, an estimate of day-to-day expenses (including food, with a focus on the celebratory dinner on the wedding day itself), and our fees for the ceremony and photography, you will have a good idea of your budget.
If you’re looking for something to compare to the options you have if you stay at home to get married then these decisions will help you to get there. Of course what you wear on the day will also be a decision to make – but that’s the case for all weddings everywhere! It is possible to get married in Central Park on a fairly frugal budget, and of course it is very easy to have a big, lavish and expensive wedding; New York offers endless choices to all types of couples.
Couples tend to have two main reasons for considering a destination wedding. One is that they have decided that they do not want the big, traditional wedding at home and they are looking for other options, usually to avoid stress or to have a unique wedding that it different from all the rest and that feels special and fitting for them as a couple. The other common reason might be that they know that they want to get married in New York – either they’ve been before and they love the city, or they have never been and they want to get married here and make some really special memories on their first trip to NYC. Whether you intend to invite guests to come with you, or if you want to go it alone and elope, I would recommend discussing plans with close family at this early stage. If you want them to come with you, then they need to know what to expect, and if you don’t want them to come with you, then you may need to manage feelings and expectations of your loved ones.
Once a couple has got the basic travel plans (and guest list) thought out, then I would suggest getting a wedding planner like me involved. I can sort out everything a couple needs to get married in Central Park, except for the marriage license, which a couple is legally required to get themselves from City Hall. After many years of guiding couples through planning a wedding in Central Park I’m confident that my couples are the most confident that all will go just how they want it to on the day. You can of course do all of this planning without the help of a professional, but the time and effort it would take to get to the knowledge that I have about how all of this works would be immense. And, there are so many things that new brides and grooms won’t even have thought of that an experienced wedding planner can guide them through with ease.
I always ask our clients for feedback and there are never any regrets about choosing Central Park for their wedding. It’s a beautiful place and offers some peaceful and private places to focus on your new spouse as you say “I do.” And then New York City will offer so many choices for incredible places to celebrate. You get the best of both worlds, with lovely greenery and stunning scenery for photos for your ceremony, and the city to sightsee and celebrate, it never fails to impress! If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest.
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