Rebecca and Chase got married in Cop Cot in May. They brought around twenty-five guests with them for the wedding from their home in Virginia. This number includes their sister-in-law Alexis, who conducted the ceremony! Rebecca is 43 and Chase is 36.
Like so many of our couples in recent years, Rebecca and Chase met through a dating app. For them it was Hinge. Their relationship became quite serious quite quickly and they were never really apart after that. They had been together for almost four years when they got married. “We feel like we’re each other’s soul mates and couldn’t imagine life without each other,” they told me.
They got engaged at their home in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas day in 2022. It is Rebecca’s favorite holiday. Chase surprised her with an engagement ring that day. He told a few people in his family what he was planning and had his daughter film the proposal. When he asked Rebecca’s dad for her hand in marriage, Chase asked him to keep it a secret until after he proposed. I’m told that her dad then immediately blurted it out in front of everyone at a party, but luckily Rebecca thought it was a joke. So, luckily she was surprised when Chase did officially propose, and of course she said yes!
Once they were engaged, they considered where they wanted to get married. I’m told that Rebecca was certain that she wanted to get married in Central Park. “She’s wanted that kind of wedding since she was a little girl. She visits the city fairly often, and she scoped out a few places she loved the most,” Chase told me. He also told me that he didn’t care where they got married! But, getting married was important to them both. “It’s a commitment to one another. And to share the experience with some of our closest family and friends,” he told me. They first contacted me around six weeks after they had gotten engaged, and they already had a rough idea of what they wanted.
I asked them if they think destination weddings and turning away from the traditional wedding is becoming more popular. “Yes, we think so. We recently went to our friend’s wedding in the Dominican Republic. It was an all-inclusive adult only resort in Punta Cana. There was so much fun stuff to do, and they had about fifty people come. We had a fabulous time!” they said. This does sound lovely, but I have written what I hope is a persuasive blog to convince anyone to get married in New York instead of on a beautiful beach! I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home, “none!” they said.
Rebecca and Chase’s married last name is Carmines. Many readers may know the famous and iconic New York restaurant called Carmine’s, which first opened on the Upper West Side 25 years ago and now has several restaurants in the city. Their group ate at the Times Square restaurant the night before the wedding in a semi-private room. “We had twenty five people and had the basic menu and wine package. This was a hit for most everyone. There was so much food and wine! All in with tip it was about $4k,” said Chase. I love to hear about the activities our couples get up to when they have a group with them, it’s so nice to treat the whole trip as a big celebration, not just the one day of the wedding. They all loved eating at Carmine’s, and they couldn’t not eat there at some point during the trip given their last name!
Rebecca and Chase visit New York quite frequently. This time they stayed at Park Lane Hotel on the 35th floor overlooking Central Park. “We could actually see Cop Cot from where we were staying” Chase told me. I asked if they had any concerns about getting married in New York. “We didn’t. Some family thought the crime rate was higher because of immigration, but once they were here they all thought it was very clean and safe,” Chase said.
We had their photographer meet Rebecca and Chase a little over an hour before the ceremony to take their portrait photos beforehand. This has a couple of benefits – one is that they look their absolute best in the photos, and another is that so does the park because the earlier you take photos the fewer passers-by you will have in the background! Another benefit is that the guests didn’t have to wait around for them after the ceremony while they take photos, they were all able to go off together. “While walking through Central Park taking photos the morning of the wedding we felt like celebrities. So many people were clapping and saying Congratulations!” Chase said.
The ceremony took place in Cop Cot, at the south end of Central Park. Possibly the easiest to find of the more popular wedding ceremony locations because it’s visible from the street and on top of a small hill. “It was a great location for people to get to. Most everyone were staying within a few blocks of Cop Cot,” Chase told me. Their sister-in-law Alexis married them. “She really went all out with a wedding binder with our name on it. She laminated the entire ceremony,” Chase said. They wrote their own vows. “It took about 15 minutes, and everyone said it went great,” he told me.
Rebecca’s dress and their bridesmaid dresses were purchased from Lulus. The girls’ sneakers were from Johnson’s. “The shoes were perfect paired with dresses since we didn’t want to wear heels in the city,” they said. Chase’s suit was purchased from JCPenney. Rebecca’s friends helped her with hair and makeup the morning of the wedding. She created her bouquet with flowers from a bodega, which cost $23 in total.
Their guests were close family and friends. “They were all really excited to be in the city. Many had never been,” Chase said. We arranged for a vintage trolley bus to collect the group from Central Park after the ceremony. “The trolley was awesome, all the adults thought the site seeing was awesome,” said Chase. They took a tour around midtown Manhattan and then over to Brooklyn in the bus. “The kid’s minds were blown by all the excitement and energy. Adults couldn’t get enough of the good food and attractions to see,” Chase said. Then the bus brought them all back to the Tuscany Steakhouse for dinner. “The service was stellar. We spent around $4.5k for everything including an open bar,” he said. “Highly recommended for parties with a max of twenty-five people in their private room. The food at the steakhouse was amazing, and the owner Steve was super accommodating,” said Chase.
I always ask couples to give any other food recommendations because I’m always being asked for them. They said they went to Quality Italian for a late lunch on the day they arrived in the city. “It was good,” Chase said. “The draft negroni was cool,” he added. He also said Broad Nosh Bagels near Columbus Square was awesome. They got hot dogs at Bryant Park during the trolley ride, which he said were great. “Angelo’s Coal Oven Pizzeria near Central Park is inexpensive and delicious! Dim Sum Palace near Central Park was great too. Great mixed drinks,” he said. So, there are lots of really good tips for anyone looking for them!
I asked if they had any other thoughts they would like to share with anyone considering doing what they had done. “It is an unforgettable experience,” said Chase. “And thanks to your planning we all had a fantastic time! People are still talking about it two weeks later,” he added. People do tell me that with these more unique destination weddings guests will be talking about it for years to come, they just stand out in memories different that a traditional wedding.
I asked how we did. “Everything basically went off without a hitch. Most everyone said it was a fantastic and well-planned wedding! Kudos to you for all your help Claire! Thanks for making this a super memorable experience!” Chase said. Thank you for your kind words, and for sharing your story with us, Rebecca and Chase. I wish you both lots of luck for your future together. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding, whether it’s just the two of you or a group like theirs, 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 Pinterest.
Weddings in Central Park, New York 