Sam and Steve's Central Park Wedding

Sam and Steve got engaged in February 2012. They had met in 2001, and dated for a short while before an amicable break up and stayed in touch as friends. They both had other relationships but they said that none were 'the one'.  Then, in 2011, something changed for them both and they started to spend more time together, Sam said “it wasn't long before we both realized we were what each other wanted”.

Steve had attempted to make the proposal a impressive and romantic one, he had tried to light candles in the garden which were laid out to say “marry me”. But it was a normal windy February night, so that didn't work, but he improvised and instead he made a heart shape with the candles on the kitchen table and in the middle was a ring box, which turned out to be empty, as a joke, but then he got down on one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket. Of course, Sam said yes straight away.

Steve said “I was sure that I did not want a typical hotel or church wedding with so many people to meet and greet that there is little time to take in and enjoy the day”. They both wanted the day to be a relaxed and small affair. They were discussing it with Sam's sister and coming up with some weird and wonderful ideas. One of Sam's sister's ideas was Central Park. Steve and Sam both loved the idea straight away. They had both been to New York in the past (although not together) and had loved the city. They contacted Wed in Central Park.

They invited around twenty of their close friends and family, and had everything booked quite quickly. Sam said “it wasn't easy getting a date that suited everyone and the only down side of getting married in NYC was that my sister could not make it”. She didn't let that stop her joining in though, providing a beautiful reading for the ceremony and writing a poem for the Maid of Honor to include in her speech.

Sam and Steve chose the Ladies' Pavilion for their ceremony. Sam said “we were so pleased with the location and the Park is so beautiful that there were so many photo opportunities around every corner. Our guests were blown away by it and did not even complain about the August heat!” For many of their guests it was their first visit to New York and Central Park. Sam and Steve's friends and family were such a lovely, happy and friendly group, the whole Wed in Central Park team loved working with them.

Sam had some concerns about being able to get their marriage license once they were in New York, but she said “we turned up early at the City Clerks Office and within less than an hour we had our license. It was very simple and straightforward. For me that was when I could really start to relax”.

The weather became a concern for guests and Steve when at midday the day before the heavens well and truly opened. Sam and I had previously talked about the weather. I had convinced her that, while New York City does see some heavy rain storms during the Summer months, it will usually be over with quickly, and Sam was quietly confident that on the day, if it did rain, it would not last long. Despite the forecasts for possible rain, they had glorious weather all day. For more information on weather in Central Park, see the website.

The location of the reception was a dinner cruise on the World Yacht at Pier 81. They had arranged to have the Yacht to themselves for an hour prior to other customers coming on board. So, this was when they had their first dance and the speeches. Sam said the staff on board could not have been more helpful and everything was perfect. Cameras were constantly going as the views were stunning.

Sam and Steve and their fabulously well-dressed guests have boundless amounts of energy and did not want the day to be over quite yet, Sam had asked me to suggest a few places to go for a chill out drink after the Yacht. I had suggested the R Lounge at Times Square for it's great views so they had reserved an area for everyone. They agreed that it was the perfect ending for a perfect day.

To summarize, Sam said “the day was so much more than we could have possibly imagined or hoped for. Our guests were beaming all day and we were so thankful that they were able to share in it all. We would not have had it any other way or changed a single thing. A huge thanks to Claire and all the people who brought our wonderful Central Park wedding day to fruition. It will stay with us and that of our friends and family for ever”.