Craig + Michelle, a Central Park Wedding in New York City

Michelle and Craig had a gorgeous day for their June Central Park Wedding, the beautiful bride Michelle tells us in her own words all about their special day!

 

 

 

Tell us about the proposal…

We had already discussed getting married but I was getting a little impatient as always and decided to ask him. It was at on 30th Dec and I thought to myself i don’t want to see another year in without a proposal,  there wasn’t anything spectacular.. Just me in my PJ’s, full of cold (very attractive.. not!) and he made me the happiest woman alive by saying yes

 

 

Why did you choose New York as your wedding destination?

I have always wanted to visit New York (I had asked Craig for ages to take me shopping there!) and Craig quite randomly came up with the idea, we had been looking at many places as we always wanted to to go abroad but NYC just seemed right for us.

 

Tell us about the Ceremony Location…

I’m not 100% sure how I came about the Ladies Pavilion but when I saw the pics I fell in love.. I always wanted a romantic, classic setting and you can’t really get more classic than a Victorian cast iron pavilion can you? 🙂
We spent a while looking through the most popular locations in NYC but even as spectacular as they were it just didn’t feel right. We decided it had to be held in the park but didn’t think the wedding was big enough to hold it in the gardens. When we came across the Pavilion it was just perfect and the view, well its gorgeous! We made sure to obtain a park permit to reserve the venue and its a good job we did. When Craig and  our officiant Julie Laudicina were waiting, another officiant turned up to do a cermony so paying the small fee was well worth being able to move him along. We both decided on Central Park but I fell in love with the idea of the Ladies Pavilion and I couldn’t believe it when I walked round the corner..  it was a complete dream come true. So Beautiful

 

 

Tell us about your Flowers….

I had my flowers made in the UK (they were silk) as I didn’t want to have to find florist when I was in NYC. I thought the least I had to arrange there the more I could just enjoy the city.
As with everything else I wanted something pretty but more classic looking than OTT. I found a picture on google images and a local florist made them up for me.. Again for me they were just right and light weight so easy to carry round for 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

Tell us a bit about the dress/grooms suit..

After looking through 100’s or even 1000’s of dresses I spotted this Sincerity one online and I fell in love. Nothing else I looked at would compare, unfortunately for me none of the local stockist had it available so I took a gamble ordered it on line and I’m pleased to say it was perfect for me. I didn’t want a big over the top dress but a more vintage and classic looking one, hence the lace detailing and shape..

 

 

Who did you bring with you as guests?
We took our parents with us so a party of 6 in total. I’m so glad I did as it wouldn’t have been right without them

 

 

 

Where did you go/do after the ceremony, reception, dinner etc?

We booked a restaurant called the ‘Club A Steak House‘. It was lovely. The food was amazing, they had live jazz music.. the only down side was that we had to rush as we had also booked the Hudson river cruise. In hindsight I would have left the cruise to another night and stayed at the restaurant longer as it was a lovely place.

 

 

Where is your favourite place to go in New York?

We both fell in love with the view from ‘Top of the Rock‘ and Central Park.. Times Square is amazing but Central Park is so idyllic and the views from the Rockefeller Center are amazing

 

 

Did you go anywhere on honeymoon?

Our parents went home the day after the wedding and we stayed on in New York for another 5 days. We do hope to go to Australia later in the year so that will be our proper honeymoon

Tell us your best tips for other Brides/grooms looking to get married in NY

• NYC is perfect for anyone wanting something very different and personal wedding day. As one of my Friend’s stated “we certainly did it in style”
• Make sure you know what you want out of your day as there are so many locations to choose from.
• Do your research and use all resources available to you.
• Brian was recommended on a forum (we fell in love with his work on the website) and in turn he recommended Julie Laudicina to us. Both recommendations have provide us with such wonderful memories of a very special day

 

 

What is your favourite memory of the day?

Seeing each other at the Ladies Pavilion for the first time and the service in general. It was very personal to us and it gave us the chance to really show each other how much we care and love one another. We went back to the pavilion a few days later so we could take in the amazing view in our own time.

For me personally on top of the above it was the general reception from the locals.. The cheers, the claps and the congratulations we received from every person we walked past was amazing.. it was like being a film star for a few hours.

 

 

How did friends and family in the UK react to the news that you would be getting married in New York?
They were so pleased for us. Most have commented on how we did it in style but a few were a mix of happy & very disappointed that they couldn’t be there but they have the photos and video to look at.
It may sound harsh as certain people were missed but all I can say is it was our special day and we enjoyed every minute of it

 

 

What was the most romantic moment of the day?

We would have to say the vows and the service in general as it was so personal to us. Julie did such a fantastic job. We chose the vows, readings and gave her some general ideas on what to include but she brought it all together beautifully. She if such a professional and its nice to know that she felt so pleased to be there with us.

 

 

What was the hardest part of planning your wedding?

Probably the distance. Everything was done via email and sometimes you just need to talk to someone.We used every forum we could find to check things out before we booked anything but the hotels and restaurant were a nightmare. This was mainly down to the fact that its such a personal preference and there are so many mixed reviews on each option. As its a big city you can pay over the odds if you not careful.
Thankfully everything was just perfect 🙂

 

What is your favourite photo taken on the day by Brian?

This is such a hard one..  There are soo many pictures that I love and they are all amazing. I love this picture outside Memphis….to me it shows a little of America but how relaxed and in love we are as a couple.

 

 

We have actually had the times square in lights shot blown up to 20×30 inch and had it framed for one of the walls in the house, every person who has seen the photos has commented on how amazing they are.  Brian had caught so many good shots and we are so thankful as these are our permanent memories to last us a lifetime.

 

 

Can you tell us any funny stories from the day?

Its funny now but at the time I was stressed to high heaven.. I was up at 4am on the 10th watching the weather channel for 5 hours as I was terrified it was going to rain.
Also, maybe my feet – Craig seemed to find it highly amusing that I had blisters on every toe on both feet. I guess my shoes weren’t as comfy as I thought. If could give one peace of general advice for NYC, make sure you have comfy trainers and socks as you will be amazed at the amount of walking you will do!

Are you having a celebration/party back in the uk?

We are still in the process of arranging a party but yes there will be something

 

A Behind the scenes look at Brian in action:

 

Brian’s “About The Photo”

In this shot Craig and Michelle have their backs to the main source of light (the sunlight coming down the stairs).  But as you can see the background isn’t totally blown out, and there is a little light coming onto their faces to make the exposure fairly even (from the flourescent lights in the subway station itself).    Despite my flash being attached, I shot this in natural light because I knew that even if I had to (over) expose for their faces there would still be enough details in the stairs to make it a cool subway shot, one worth trying for at least.  It screamed black and white when I was finished with it.

 

Congratulations Craig and Michelle!!

 

Lisa xxx