Our Affordable Central Park Ceremony
If you have ever planned a wedding, you know that there is nothing quite like it.
Before I began sorting out the details of my wedding, I had never had to think about planning a party of this magnitude. The holiday soirees and the summer get-togethers I had hosted had mostly consisted of BYOB and potluck meals. Sure, maybe I would pull out the fancy napkins and tablecloth, or put out some cute decorations; however, when it came to wedding planning I was pretty lost. I had a very sparse Pinterest board with some ideas, but overall I had no idea what anything would look like. If it weren't for my family and friends, I would have never been able to pull it off.
As soon as Taylor and I became engaged, we immediately got into wedding mode. We knew we wanted to get married sooner than later and so the planning began right away. We decided to have a small ceremony on June 16th, 2018. Our immediate family would be present and then we would have receptions after the fact in our respective hometowns. With our grandparents being older, and less likely to travel, we knew the decision to come to them was best. Plus, according to CNN the average New York City wedding costs over $77,000 so we had to be a little untraditional.
The Perfect Wedding Venue
Even though the ceremony was going to be very intimate, we knew that we wanted to do something more formal than City Hall.
There are some great outdoor venues in New York City where you can have the ceremony for practically nothing. We decided to have ours at Cop Cot in Central Park.
Cop Cot among other beautiful locations in several New York City parks, (including Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, and Ft. Tryon) can host up to 75 people or more. All you need to do is apply for a NYC Park Permit and pay $25.00 to secure your spot. Our permit allowed us to use the venue for an hour and a half. It was the perfect amount of time to set up, have the ceremony, and take family photos. Of course, I was nervous that we would be rained out, but the weather couldn't have been more perfect. By the time my father and I walked down the aisle, it was a cool 75 degrees and I could hear birds chirping happily in the trees.
All Hands on Deck
Our wedding was truly a family affair. Everyone was assigned a task and I am grateful that everyone was so eager to help out. My sister and maid of honor, Laura, arranged the flowers. I wanted blush-colored roses, baby's breath, and greenery. She was able to get everything from Whole Foods for $80.00 and made two boutonnieres and two bouquets.
My bridesmaid and best friend, Simonne, did my makeup. I bought a nice foundation for $42.00 (Sunshine Skin Tint by Milk) for the ceremony that I now use daily. Other than that, Simonne used makeup I already owned. She did a muted smokey eye and a natural lip.
I got an Uptini by DryBar that morning for $92.00. I was not super excited about how it turned out so Angela (my bridesmaid and sister-in-law) added some baby's breath and softened the front.
My dress from BHLDN, cost $350.00 and set the vintage tone of the entire wedding. I bought all of my accessories at Macy's
Badgley Mischka jeweled sash for $58.00
Givenchy rose gold earrings for $48.00
Blue by Betsey Johnson pointed rose gold flats on sale for $60.00 (original price $99.00).
The bridesmaids all wore long gowns in varying shades of blush.
My bridesmaid and lifelong friend, Elaine, took all of our wedding photos. She captured everything from the rehearsal dinner to the wedding dinner. Early in the planning process, Elaine offered to photograph the affair for free as our wedding gift. I was honored and extremely grateful that she did so. Our photos are absolutely priceless.
My brother, Chris, officiated the wedding and my sister, Caroline, and my sister-in-law, Alana recited an original poem and scripture respectively.
We exchanged our own vows and our first kiss as man and wife was accompanied by the musical stylings of violinist, Nick Pauly, and the cheers and applause of our beloved family.
Read about our wedding dinner here.
All photos taken by my dear friend and talented photojournalist, Elaine Cromie.