Kelvin and Francis got married on Bethesda Terrace on a beautiful day in November. They had been together for four years when they got married. In fact, their wedding day was four years to the day since their first date. They had met at a party that Kelvin was throwing at his place. His friends had been trying to set him up with Francis for a long time and they finally got together that night. Francis told me that they wanted to get married because they were certain that they would be together forever, “we felt it the first time we met,” he said.
The couple were living and working in Doha, Qatar when they first contacted me. Their plan for the future was to move back to New York at some point, where Kelvin has an apartment, or perhaps relocate to the Philippines, when much of Francis’ family still live.
Kelvin wanted to show Francis New York City (who wouldn’t?!), so it seemed like a great location to get married. Kelvin’s mother was not well enough to fly, so his parents drove to New York from their home in Ohio. Francis’ family are mostly from the Philippines but he also has some in New York. So it was the ideal location for everyone to get together. “I have met his family in the Philippines twice and they are all as nice as he is,” said Kelvin. They were both so excited to get their two families together to meet for the first time.
In the very first enquiry email that I received from Kelvin he asked if we could book them a gay officiant if possible. I do offer this to all same-sex couples, since quite a few of the fantastic people I work with happen to be gay. Sometimes couples want this, sometimes it is not an issue for them, but I like to be able to offer. We went one better than their request and their officiant and photographer were a wonderful wife-and-wife team who many of our couples really love, because they help each other and work so well together – they really make a wedding!
They arrived in New York a few days before their wedding; they got their marriage license, and rented their tuxedos. They also ordered their flowers – they both carried bouquets of calla lillies.
Our original plan was for them to get married underneath Bethesda Terrace, in case of rain, given the time of year (mid-November). They were lucky with the weather and it was a beautiful, crisp and clear sunny autumn day, although it was cold. In the end they decided to get married on the grass slope overlooking the Fountain. As you can see from the photos – they had to wear shades because it was so sunny!
After the wedding they took some photos around Central Park. In almost all of the photos, the grooms are relaxed and laughing together, it’s lovely to see. After some photos in the park they all went to the lunchtime reception in Greenwich Village.
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Weddings in Central Park, New York 