Jazmin and Alex’s Cop Cot Wedding in May

Local New Yorkers Jazmin and Alex got married in Cop Cot in May.  They’re both from Queens, New York.  They met in middle school, and lost touch after school and then reconnected on social media a few years later.  Jazmin and Alex got engaged at home on Christmas Eve when they had been together for nine years.  Alex handed Jazmin a square gift box, when opened, the box fanned out and revealed pictures of them together, old cards they had written to each other, and an engagement ring box in the center.  Their wedding date was their tenth anniversary of being together. 

I asked why getting married was important to them.  “My parents never married and neither did my husband’s parents,” Jazmin told me.  But for them, marriage felt like an important step to take in their relationship but also something that they both felt unfamiliar with.  “We had committed so much of ourselves to each other over the past ten years, so marriage felt like the natural next step,” Jazmin said.

Once they were officially engaged, they started to think about where they might get married.  “Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, we knew finding traditional wedding locations would be complicated,” said Jazmin.  They didn’t want to wait for a long time for the pandemic to be fully over and for things to be completely back to normal to get married – after all, they’d been together for ten years and living together for five.  “Then we learned that we could get married in Central Park, which was perfect for us,” said Jazmin.  “Early on in our relationship, we spent a lot of time wandering Central Park, so the location is meaningful to us,” she said.

Jazmin and Alex had around thirty guests at their wedding in Cop Cot.  I asked Jazmin what she thought of smaller weddings in general.  “I do believe small weddings and elopements are becoming more popular now, due to restrictions set in place after the pandemic,” she said.  “I believe there are many benefits to having a small wedding,” she told me.  “It can be intimate, less stressful, and cost effective,” she added.  I couldn’t agree more, but most of our weddings are small and intimate, so I’m biased!

Being local New Yorkers, their wedding was close to home, only twenty minutes away! So they could have invited a bigger group, but they wanted to keep things small, I asked Jazmin how she felt about that. “After having my small wedding, I have no regrets.  My wedding was beautiful, intimate, and full of love,” she said.  “We were unable to host all the people we would have normally wanted at our ceremony, but thanks to our video live-stream, everyone was able to witness our ceremony,” she told me.

Jazmin and Alex had decided that they wanted to get married on this May date, because it was their anniversary, so they were confident the weather would be nice, and they also wanted to be outdoors to comply with restrictions imposed by the pandemic.  These factors, along with their affection for Central Park, made it the perfect locations for them;  “Central Park is an iconic place and we couldn’t have imagined a more special place to get married,” said Jazmin.

I asked Jazmin if they had had any concerns about getting married in Central Park.  “My initial concern about getting married in Central Park was securing the space,” said Jazmin.  “Since Central Park is a public park, I was worried about how we could have a private ceremony and what to do if people were occupying the space,” she explained.  “These concerns were gone once we learned about the option of an event permit and that we would be able to secure a space with it.  This turned out to be very useful because there were people trying to throw a children’s birthday party in the location that we reserved, so we showed our event permit and politely asked them to leave,” she said.  The event permit is only $25 and well worth getting even with a small group, in my opinion.  Showing that piece of paper can be a quick, simple and polite way to ask another group to move along. 

Since Jazmin and Alex were so familiar with Central Park, they were sure they wanted to ceremony location to be Cop Cot straight away.  I asked where their favorite photos were taken.  “Some of my favorite pictures were actually taken inside the Cop Cot structure and directly in front of it,” Jazmin said.  “The greenery was in full bloom and it made for magical pictures.  Since Cop Cot is perched on a small hill, we were able to take beautiful photos with the Manhattan buildings in the background.  

We had initially planned for them to walk up to Bethesda Terrace and Fountain with their photographer Julieanne for photos after the ceremony, but in the end, after taking lots of different group photos close to Cop Cot, they decided to just walk up to Gapstow Bridge for some portrait shots, and it turned out to be the right decision for them, since Jazmin said that some of her other favorite photos were taken on Gapstow Bridge.

We wrote a short introduction for the ceremony together, and the officiant read one of my favorites – “Union” by Robert Fulghum, which I will put at the end of this post.  They exchanged traditional vows, then read out personal vows that they had each written in advance and kept a secret from each other until the morning of the wedding, and then exchanged rings. 

Jazmin and Alex’s thirty guests were their parents, siblings, and closest friends.  “Everyone was pleasantly surprised when they found out we were getting married in Central Park and even more pleased after attending the ceremony,” Jazmin told me.  “I personally do not know anyone who has gotten married in Central Park and neither did our guests,” she said.   Jazmin looked stunning in a long white dress and a veil.  It was purchased online from Lulus.  Her bouquet was from a local vendor in Queens and it consisted of white andblush roses, eucalyptus, lisianthus, ranunculus, and other textural elements.  She had her hair and makeup done professionally on the day of her wedding at home. 

After the wedding ceremony that Sunday morning and pictures in the park, they all went back to Queens where Jazmin and Alex hosted a small reception with their guests.  I always ask our couples for restaurant recommendations, and often they are visitors to New York, but Jazmin’s knowledge is far greater than a tourist!  Her recommendation is the Freakin Rican restaurant, which I certainly want to try if only because of its awesome name!  “We catered food from this Puerto Rican restaurant the day of our wedding and it was a hit amongst our guests,” Jazmin told me.

I asked Jazmin what she would say to other couples considering a wedding in Central Park and she said “I would recommend getting married in Central Park to anyone.  It is a timeless location that will look beautiful no matter what the season is,” I completely agree of course!  “Central Park will always hold a special place in our hearts and we look forward to visiting Cop Cot in the future,” she added. 

I asked Jazmin how we did.  “The service I received from Wed in Central Park was amazing.  I would recommend it to any couple looking to get married in Central Park.  Claire and her team made our experience so effortless.  As a person who didn’t know the first thing about planning a wedding ceremony, Wed in Central Park was such a great resource for me,” she said.  Thank you for your kind words, Jazmin, and it was an absolute pleasure planning your wedding with you.  I wish you and Alex the best 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’re from near or far, visit our website.  Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest. 

Union by Robert Fulghum

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.