Analise and Jordan brought a small group of close family members to New York City from their homes in Virginia and Texas for their wedding in the Ladies’ Pavilion. They got married towards the end of March, right at the start of Spring. Jordan was 31 and Analise 29 when they got married.
They met in the gym at their medical school in Texas. They had been together for around six and a half years before getting married. Their relationship had stood the tests of the two of them making it through medical school, Jordan’s PhD, and Analise’s residency in obstetrics and gynecology before they got engaged.
Exactly a year before their wedding, Jordan had proposed to Analise. He was about to move from their home in Dallas to New York City for his residency in pathology. “I knew that we would likely be apart for a year, and I wanted to express my commitment to Analise,” Jordan said. They endured a long distance relationship for the nine months before their wedding, and now Analise will join Jordan in New York to become an attending physician where they plan to start their new life together. Up to now, Analise has only lived in Texas, so it’s quite a big deal to be moving to New York City.
Analise and Jordan had considered other options for their wedding, including a traditional wedding in Dallas with wider friends and family. “We really always wanted to do something small and fun, so we considered flying to Vegas and having some character marry us,” Jordan told me. They also considered getting married on a beach or just a quick thing at the courthouse. I may be British, but I’ve lived in Las Vegas as well as New York, and I can tell you that those Vegas weddings are fast and not too personal, as are City Hall weddings, which I wrote a blog about, and I also wrote another (equally biased) blog about why getting married in Central Park beats a beach wedding!
In the end, they chose New York and Central Park for their wedding because their parents wanted to be there and getting to New York is easier than many other locations. Also, getting married right there in New York certainly represented the beginning of this new chapter together. Another reason for choosing New York according to Jordan was “it’s the best city in the world and there are endless opportunities for food, cakes, activities. It’s also easy to get to a honeymoon location from there.”
Jordan was already living in the Upper East Side, Analise planned to join him in the apartment there soon. It’s often said that Central Park is the New Yorkers back yard, and I used to live in the UES too, and I agree. Getting married here represented a focus on their future for Analise and Jordan. “Central Park is gorgeous and iconic. There are so many amazing sights. We are going to live nearby,” they said. It’s the perfect spot to begin their married life. I asked if they had any regrets about not choosing the traditional wedding and they said they didn’t.
I asked what their thoughts were on destination weddings and elopements in general. “ We think as small as possible is better. Even having to plan to have just our families be there with us brought some stress, though ultimately it was a great time,” he said. “In talking to our friends and family with big weddings, we just thought it would be better for us to keep it small. We saved a lot of money too, got to get married in an absolutely beautiful location, and spent more money on a great honeymoon,” he said. Really, what more could anyone want?!
Analise and Jordan did have one worry about getting married outdoors in Central Park in March – the weather. The forecast was changeable in the run-up to the wedding. About a week beforehand, it looked like rain might be a possibility, but then dry weather started to be forecast a few days before, so I stopped worrying about it, and hopefully they did too. They had chosen a location with a roof – the Ladies’ Pavilion, so they would have been dry for the ceremony even in case of rain.
We had discussed a few options for the photo locations. They had considered taking photos in a couple of locations in Manhattan, but in the end, they decided to focus on Central Park for their photos. Not everyone likes doing lots of walking on their wedding day, but they came prepared with sensible shoes. And do you remember I said that they met in the gym? They took photos at the Ladies’ Pavilion, then walked up to Belvedere Castle, through the Ramble, and on to Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace. After that, they captured some photos on the street, on the subway and in Times Square.
For the ceremony, we wrote a brief introduction, thanking their loved ones for being there, and we told some of their story to date. They exchanged traditional vows, and they also wrote their own vows. “One of us cried trying to get through them, but I won’t tell you which one,” Jordan said. Then they exchanged rings for the grand finale and they were pronounced married!
Jordan’s parents, his brother and his fiance came to the wedding, and also Analise’s mom and aunt came. Analise and Jordan took their families to tea at Lady Mendl’s tea salon the day before, and went to the Museum of Modern Art with them, and then dined at the Cajun restaurant The Boil. Their families stayed at the Upper East Side Marriott (close to Analise and Jordan’s apartment) and the Lotte Palace Hotel.
I’m told that there were mixed feelings among the guests about coming to New York – “everyone has an opinion on NYC,” said Jordan. But in the end, he says he thinks everyone in the end had a lovely time. Most of the guests at our couples weddings are absolutely crazy about New York, but then, many of our clients come from overseas. “We love New York but we can’t say the same for our families, but hey, it’s our wedding,” said Jordan. It absolutely is your wedding, and that’s the best way to look at it – you can make the day as nice as possible for your guests, but you should always keep in mind that they have their wedding day their way and you have your wedding day your way.
Analise wore a dress purchased from David’s Bridal, and her flowers were from Something Borrowed. Jordan’s suit was purchased from Suitsupply. They got ready in the morning, got married in the early afternoon, spent some time taking photos, then popped back to their apartment to get changed. They ate dinner close to their apartment, at Bottega on 2nd Avenue. They had a wedding cake from Red Gate Bakery. After dinner that evening, Analise and Jordan took an Uber to the airport and flew to Greece for their honeymoon.
I asked if they had any thoughts to share for other couples considering getting married in Central Park. “If you love New York City, you will love getting married in Central Park,” Jordan said. He does advise that there will be lots of people around. He says that as long as that doesn’t bother you, then Central Park is a great place to get married.
I asked how we did. “Claire made a lot of the planning easier and helped us troubleshoot problems as they arose. It’s tough to plan a wedding, no matter how big or small, and it’s helpful (perhaps essential) to have someone to help you,” Jordan said. He also said that I booked a wonderful officiant and photographer for them. It was an absolute pleasure to plan your wedding with you both, and I wish you lots of luck for your future together. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, whether you live locally or are planning on traveling to New York to get married, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos; follow us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinteres
Weddings in Central Park, New York 