I started this business in 2012 and it means a huge amount to me. I’m so proud of this business, and of all the people that we have helped to get married in Central Park. I’m a mom and I run this business around my kids. It’s the perfect job to work quite flexible hours, because it’s mostly asking questions, listening to answers, probably asking a few more detailed questions, and then putting plans in place to make things happen. I have two kids, but Wed in Central Park is also my baby.
We’re great. I know this because I always check in with couples after the wedding to get feedback from them. One of my strengths is being a good listener. This is important before the wedding, and also after the wedding. I need to listen to the couple when they tell me what they want, and then also after the wedding, in case they have any constructive criticism. You can also check our reviews to see what others think.
I’ve planned hundreds of weddings over the years and I know for sure that I’m much better at it that I was when I started. When choosing a wedding planner, I’d always advise asking what experience they have because this job really is about practice (and also being a meticulous planner and organiser, which is just in my nature). Experience means that you won’t just be good at answering couple’s questions, it means that you will think of things that they need to know that they won’t even think to ask about.
I wrote a blog post in 2016 about why Wed in Central Park is the best team to deliver the wedding that you want. But a few years have gone by since then and I have a few more thoughts to share. This particular blog post isn’t really about me; the wedding planner. Although I will be your main point of contact in the run-up to the wedding, the vast majority of my job is done before you wake up on the day of the wedding. This post is mostly about the brilliant people that deliver the goods on the day.
I offer a choice of several packages on my website. These have gone through a few iterations over the years, but this set seems to work well for meeting most couples’ needs. The first option is the “just the ceremony” package. This one is popular with couples who want to choose their own photographer. Sometimes a couple have a clear image in mind of the sort of photos they want, and they want to choose their own photographer. New York has many very talented photographers to choose from. Going through them all and messaging them for prices and terms does take time and effort, but some couples want to do all of that themselves.
I would like make the argument that the photographers who I work with are absolutely ideal to photograph an intimate wedding or elopement in Central Park. I know this because I’ve seen them do it time after time. The same goes with the videographers that I work with. The photographers and videographers that I’m working with at the moment have all been working with me for several years. Some have come and gone over the years – some perhaps haven’t delivered quite the standard that I would like and some have moved away from New York. The photographers and videographers that I work with will cover lots of weddings in Central Park for me each year, as well as covering other elopements and traditional weddings around New York City and areas nearby. They know Central Park well and they know the really good spots to position a couple in to get that perfect iconic backdrop or the off-the-beaten track location that looks amazing. I know that other New Yorker photographers also have knowledge of Central Park, but not all know it quite as well as the ones I work with.
I’ve been working with our florist and our hair and makeup team for many years too. I continue to work with them because I continue to get excellent feedback about them. Both these teams need to be reliable and on time. The flowers always come when they say will and the brides and wedding party are always ready on time. There have been numerous occasions when I’ve had brides try to save money and book a different hair and makeup team, or worse still; have a family member do it. These are the times when brides tend to arrive late, and that makes a mess of the rest of the day, might miss out on some photography time, and also usually results in a stressed out bride on arrival. Another thing these services have in common is that the flowers and the hair and makeup need to stand up to the test of a whole day out in the open, in all sorts of weather. And they consistently do. Our brides and their bouquets always look beautiful for the whole day and into the evening.
I work with several musicians. Most commonly a cellist, violinist, guitarist, harpist, saxophonist, and bagpiper. Just like with the other service providers that I have mentioned, I’ve worked with others in the past, but the ones I’m working with right now are reliable, enthusiastic and talented. They can learn requests with enough notice, which I’m always hugely impressed with, and they really add to the ambience of a wedding in Central Park.
Last but absolutely not least I will talk about the officiants. Recently, New York state has decreed that anyone can become ordained to be an officiant for a day to marry someone. I don’t know why they thought this a good idea but I don’t agree with it. I’ve saved them to last because in many ways they are so very important to a wedding but can be kind of overlooked by some couples.
I’ve attended weddings officiated by friends and family and they do have a different feel to them then ones run by a professional. When I got married I was nervous, and so are many other people. Our couples always tell me how our officiants made them feel calm, composed and ready to do this big thing. I’ve seen them do it, and it’s impressive. They’ve (literally) held the hands and guided so many couples through this huge step in life. It’s because of this experience that they project an air of calm that is infectious. They’re so relaxed about this big responsibility because they’ve done it so many times before and it shows. When a friend or family member does it, it may well be the first time they’ve done it, and that shows too. Our officiants are warm, friendly, funny and manage to set the right tone for this important ceremony.
Finally, to speak in general about the people who are there in Central Park on the day for the wedding, I’d like to discuss their reliability. If you’re a visitor to New York City then anyone that you book for your day doesn’t have as much to lose by letting you down as they do by letting me doen. If anyone on my team lets me down then they run the risk of not getting business from me in the future, so they don’t tend to do it. Things can go wrong for an individual that might mean that they cannot be there for a wedding – we’ve had sickness in families and various other crises. In this unusual situation it’s often quite easy for me to just book someone else to cover the wedding at the last minute and the couple is not inconvenienced at all. This is because I work with a pool of awesome people to make sure that we can always make a date. You can be sure that people will be where they say they will be if you book with us.
Always check the reviews before booking anyone for a day as big as a wedding day. We have 100% five star reviews on Google and WeddingWire that I’m very proud of. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement, visit our website and have a look around for lots of information. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Facebook, or Instagram or Pinterest.
