Top 5 tips for planning a destination wedding in New York - by Claire of Wed in Central Park
We are over the moon to have such a specialised planner in the PACT Crew this year, one that has all the absolute intel and skills when it comes to planning a wedding or elopement in New York!
Claire runs Wed in Central Park (but has expertise of how to get hitched in style all over the Big Apple) so she’s given us a fantastic list of tips to get going on this exciting adventure. We are also completely delighted to be tag teaming this post with a Phil Collins / Live Aid dropping in by Satellite style bit of ancillary content FROM NEW YORK! Have a little peep on stories to see founder Becky’s spots in Central Park that Claire has instructed her to document as the best little ceremony zones, as she so happens to be there this weekend - happy to help haha! But for now, over to you Claire!
I have been planning weddings in New York’s beautiful Central Park since my own wedding there in 2011. Many of my clients getting married in Central Park are visitors to New York, mostly Brits. Some of my couples bring a group of family and friends with them, and some elope to New York, just the two of them. For some of our clients, it’s their first time in New York and for others, they have visited before and feel like they know the city and it means something special to them. Each wedding is unique, just as all of our the couples are, but here are my top five tips that might be helpful to anyone considering getting married in New York:
1. Do some research before you go.
When it comes to deciding where to stay, where to hold the wedding ceremony, where to eat and celebrate afterwards; if you’re not sure what somewhere looks like, there are lots of images and reviews online to help you to get a good idea of what somewhere is like in real life. This may apply to where you want to get married, or just spots where you’d like to take photos. If you’re looking for an answer to a tricky question, plenty of reading will usually find you the answer.
Before you even book those flights, think about the weather for the time of year that you plan to come. New York can be very hot and humid and can also be very, very cold. Some don’t mind extremes of temperature, some don’t mind the idea of saying “I do” in the rain, but the weather can be an important factor.
Think about where you want to stay. We have lots of couples who stay in chain hotels close to Times Square. There are of course hotels all over the city, so think about whether you want to be close to Central Park, or other stuff. There are also AirBnBs and other rentals all over the city, so it doesn’t have to be a hotel.
When it comes to the big day, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by just hiring a wedding planner such as myself. I’ve helped hundreds of couples to get married in Central Park (and a few other places in New York!) since then and it’s rare that someone asks me something that I haven’t been asked before. Lots of couples tell me that I’m giving them answers to questions that they haven’t even thought of themselves! This makes sense because there’s lots of stuff that just won’t occur to you if you haven’t been married before and/or don’t know New York as well as you’d like.
2 . Make sure your wedding will be legally binding.
If you get married in the State of New York, you must get a marriage license at least 24 hours before the wedding. You and your partner are legally responsible for getting you marriage license yourselves, together. You can either pick that up in person yourselves from City Hall, or you can get it through a virtual appointment over Zoom, but that must be done from the state of New York. The license costs $35, you need to take along your passports and if you have been married before, proof of death or final divorce of your former spouse. You can get the license anywhere between 60 days and 24 hours in advance of the wedding. Check the the City Clerk's website for lots of information about that. You must take the license with you to the ceremony. Your ceremony must be performed by a New York State registered officiant. After the ceremony, the couple sign the license with the officiant and at least one witness. Then the officiant sends it back to City Hall for you, they register your marriage and send you a certificate in the mail to your home address.
https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-license
3 Think about where you want to hold the ceremony.
Getting married in New York is so appealing to lots of people partly because the city itself is so iconic and so easily recognisable. It’s such a photogenic place that it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about the beautiful photos. Keep in mind that you can take photos over the city in your fabulous wedding gear should you wish to, and that the place where you hold the ceremony isn’t the only place you will be in for the whole day. So, don’t just consider the beauty of the setting or its backdrop, also reflect on the feel and vibe of the place, and whether it’s the right spot for you to say “I do”.
4 Make the most of your day.
Many British visitors to New York will have a little jet lag, and that can mean they wake up early. If that happens to you, then make the most of the long day! Making a clear and achievable schedule for the day is a big part of the planning process that I go through with many couples. They tell me where they want to get to on the day and I’ll work out a realistic plan to make it happen.
If you’re in New York for just a few days and one of those days is your wedding day, my advice is not to spend too much of it in your hotel room! Of course, most people want to look fantastic on their wedding day, so will need to spend some time getting ready, but it seems such a pity to spend too long in front of the mirror when you have a limited time in this awesome city. If getting ready is a big thing for you, consider having your wedding photographer come to your hotel to take pictures of you getting ready with your party. After that, maybe they could take some shots around the hotel, doing a “first look” if there’s somewhere in the hotel that suits doing that.
One thing that many visitors struggle to get their head around is the size of the city and the travel times involved. Studying a map of the city and of the park can help you to get a good idea of the scale of things. New York City traffic is notoriously difficult to predict, but I have enough experience of doing this to create a plan with a realistic view of travel times and enough of a buffer that the day will run smoothly and you’ll feel relaxed. This applies not only to getting around New York City on the roads, in whatever transport you choose, but (for my couples at least!) also to getting around Central Park. I can advise on how long it will take to get to any different photo locations, depending on your group size and many other factors.
If you’re eloping to get married, then nobody else except your partner (and many, many strangers in New York!) will see how incredible you look unless you take lots of photos. So, lots of couples like to travel around the city in wedding gear for photos, going to spots such as Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, the Top of the Rock, Grand Central Terminal, the Statue of Liberty, or many other iconic New York places (and of course there are plenty of off-the-beaten track cool locations with stunning street art for photos). If you have a group with you then taking photos around the city is still a great option, and a memorable and fun activity to share with your nearest and dearest, but transporting a big group around NYC has more logistical issues than doing it alone.
5 Check the reviews.
Lots of clients tell me how daunting it can feel to hand over a large amount of money to someone they have never met. This is completely understandable, especially when planning a very special day such as a wedding day. This is why online reviews can be so very useful. Consider how often you personally leave a review. Most people don’t take the time to write a review of a product or service unless they feel quite strongly about it, so keep that in mind when checking reviews online. If you find a review that raises an interesting point, don’t be afraid to ask the service provider about it.
Pretty much everyone who gets married in Central Park with us, celebrates afterwards in the city with food and drink. There are so many choices in New York, it really is a city with something for everyone. If you’re in town for a while, then each meal can be a big part of your stay in New York, but you probably want to save the meal or restaurant (or view from a restaurant!) that you think will be most memorable for your wedding day. In choosing a restaurant, online images and reviews can be so very helpful if you’re not able to visit in person!
WOW ! SEE MORE AT WED IN CENTRAL PARK
and thanks to photographers of Claire’s couples by
Jakub Redziniak @jredziniak
Justin Tinapay @justintphoto
Chaomin Tang @windcatcher_photography
Florencia Saavedra @florencia.saav.photography
Julieanne Prevete @orangeblossomphotography