Getting married in NYC- Where to start?!

Hi Guys

My boyfriend and i have just decided to get married next year and our(well my!) dream destination is NYC- ive been twice, he%26#39;s only seen it in the movies, but is happy to indulge me as its his second(and last!!) marriage.

Ive done a quick search throught the forum and im getting loads of ideas, but i really need to know what we should be booking and when? Reception, photographer, hotel???

We%26#39;re thinking ceremony in Central Park, either Belvedere Castle or the Ladies Pavillion, and then a small reception in River Cafe for about 25 to 30 guests.

Also, i cant decide on what time of year! I would love October, but as my 9 yr old daughter will be honeymooning with us we were thinking of Disneyland Florida after NY, and im not sure if that is their storm season. And would August in NY be very hot? (my hubby and i will be fine, we are moving to Dubai in January so we will be used to the heat)

I would also love the name of a really good and reasonably priced NY based wedding planner, as i will be trying to organise all this from Dubai, I think i%26#39;ll need some help! Understatement of the year!!!!!

Any help you guys can give me would be great.

Getting married in NYC- Where to start?!

Congratulations!

I got married in NY last summer and can guarantee you can do it all youself without having to hire a planner.

You need to have a think about where you would like to stay, post back when you know your dates, budget and what sort of accomodation you%26#39;d like.

Same goes for the reception. If you can post with numbers, budget and time of day etc then you%26#39;ll get lots of suggestions from natives.

As you probably know you can get married anywhere as long as you%26#39;ve got an officiant. One site you can use to contact officiants on is http://www.weddingofficiants.net

Although some posters on this board have used RevAlison and have been very happy with her. You can expect to pay between $250-500 for your officiant.

Have you contacted the River Cafe about holding the reception there?

August will be very hot - we got married in July and I had the full dress on - I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ve ever been so hot in my life!

There are sheltered places in Central park if you wanted to choose a different time of year but I guess that would depend on your honeymoon plans. You might even be able to find a shady spot to have the ceremony then go other places in the park for photos.

I spent months tracking down a good (and reasonable) photographer, we didn%26#39;t end up using her (its a long story!) but I can pass you her details if you like.

Anyway, our whole trip is on here

www.angenandy.co.uk

The wedding itself is Day 4. Have a look and see if there%26#39;s anything useful there for you.

Good luck!

Getting married in NYC- Where to start?!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

We married in NYC this April and everything was perfect. Weather wise the day was nice and sunny but the previous day was snowy so a bit of a gamble at that time of year.

We managed to arrange everything ourselves, well with good advice from all on here! We used the Rev Les as our officiant who was excellent and Trix Rosen as our photographer who was amazing (Just google them for websites).

Our ceremony was held in our hotel which was perfect as would have worked if the weather was bad and then we had dinner over at the River Cafe, which I cannot recommend enough!

Any more advice needed just ask.

Mrs S. X

You can google ';hurricane season'; to get averages, I know the fall season runs until November 1. We%26#39;ve been very lucky this year, though after last year%26#39;s hurricanes, we certainly deserve a break. If late May is good for Orlando, it%26#39;d be perfect for New York.

Also, check the Central Park web site -- www.centralparknyc.org -- you%26#39;ll find a section on weddings in the park. The Conservatory Garden is exquisite in late spring, with all the fruit trees in blossom, though you%26#39;ve got to book the date and pay a fee.

Ange and 22Seconds%26#39; wedding was gorgeous! You might also use the search function to find Diva%26#39;s wedding report. She was married last October in the Ladies Pavillion. Beautiful! She used a wedding planner but really didn%26#39;t need to. Her officiant was lovely, he had us very teary.

By the way, congratulations!

Coincidentally I%26#39;m planning a trip to Orlando next year and from being over on that board I can tell you you do NOT want to be there in May or September - there seems to be these horrible bugs that literally fly through the air in droves during those months - so many that they give special instructions on how to clean your car so that it doesn%26#39;t overheat from them clogging up the grill - yuck.

Too bad because May would be perfect in Orlando both from a weather standpoint and fewer crowds since most kids are still in school.

congratulations!!

I was married in the City over 20 yrs ago,in September:it was 104 degrees!! The New York Times had that as their headline the next day!

but,it was beautiful;we walked from church to hotel(reception on roof of Gramercy Park hotel:world trade towers on one side;empire state,and chrysler bldg. on the other). We thought prices were sky-high then!!

the size of your guest list makes things easier;River Cafe should be lovely. I think they should be able to steer you to resources for wedding(photos,cake,etc)

Do book ahead,for availability,and best price-get confirmations in writing.

Have a wonderful wedding,and a wonderful life!

http://www.millefioriflowers.com/ for flowers

sylviaweinstock.com for cake

Carry a pair of comfortable shoes to walk in for when you go to take pictures before the wedding or else your feet will kill you by the time of the ceremony. Be careful about picking the photographer. Their websites can be better than their actual skill. I don%26#39;t want to advertise the name of the guy we used as we weren%26#39;t thrilled with his work; though his website was very nice. We made the mistake of not talking to anyone about him before we used him. Ask for references and talk to them before you agree to use someone. We over paid for his work. He was about $1500.00 plus the cost of pictures to be printed (cost depends on the number of prints you order.) He didn%26#39;t seem professional though he claimed to be. He didn%26#39;t have a digital camera which should have alerted me right from the beginning that his work was dated. Anyway, just be careful.

Dinner at Daniel. Upper East Side fine dining experience. Everyone goes to the Rive Cafe.

Rental of church or synagogue is available and easy to arrange. Just pick a place and call. Most all have out of town guest fees they charge to use their house of worship. You can rent an officiant as well. All religions have websites for officiant rental in NYC.

Don%26#39;t forget about securing a NY marriage license to be married in NY. There is a website for that as well that gives you all the requirements and details about where to go to secure the license. I think there is a 2 day advance requirement before you can get married once you secure the license. It is all on the website. I heard that securing the license in NYC can be an all day experience. You have to go somewhere downtown to get the license.

Boston or Washington DC would be nice for honeymooning with a child. 4 hours by car to either city from NYC or you can ride a train easily from NYC to either city. That, too, is fun. Both cities offer lots to do with a 9 year old. If you get married between June and September, consider a drive out to the beach (the Hamptons) for a taste of New York as your honeymoon. If the wedding is in Oct, I wouldn%26#39;t suggest the Hamptons. It is a beach area--- better in the summer for your daughter. Fall in the Hamptons is gorgeous; though your daughter may find it boring. North of NY in Oct is ideal time to see the seasonal changes in New England. New England (Boston) is gorgeous and very historical. Orlando would be good in Oct if you decide on Disney World. The weather is mild. Your daughter would like Disney and the whole Orlando experience. I would stay in the NY area since you are there, take the train or rent a car and drive to Boston or DC.

Don%26#39;t bother hiring a wedding planner. You will be fine planning on your own. There isn%26#39;t that much to do once you study about obtaining the license, then make your wedding site, dinner, floral, officiant, photographer, and cake arrangement. I have the name of great hairdresser if you need it.

NYC is great for a wedding destination.

Marla

Thanks guys for all the replies(and your congratulations), you are all so helpful.

We are kinda leaning towards October now, and maybe just take our chances with the weather in Florida. Will the trees in central park have those fabulous Fall colours then? Thats one of my reasons for choosing October- I was in NY last November and I was amazed at the colours, just beautiful. But i think November might be a wee bit cold for and outdoor wedding!

We haven%26#39;t picked a date in October yet, im going to contact River Cafe about availability and work around that.

Just a quick question about Central Park, do i need to get a permit if we want to get married at Belvedere Castle? And will the ceremony be performed just in front of the castle? I cant really find any exact info on this anywhere.

thanks again

According the Central Park website you need a permit if there is going to be 20 or more of you, but its only $25.

Have a look on

www.centralparknyc.org/thingstodo/weddings

for more info

Hello

We were married in NYC this year and it was a wonderful experience.

I guess you can certainly plan your wedding by yourself even if from Dubai.

We choose a planner www.carolevents.com she was absolutely great and her packages were reasonable.

Someone I know is using www.wedinnyc.com havent been to the site but they say so far its been a great working with them. Maybe something you%26#39;d like to check out.

October seems like a great month in NYC not to cold not to hot and the leaves changing color should be a site in the park.

PS about Rev Les I heard on another site that they absolutely hated him? Said he was a bully etc . So you might want to check it out.

Take care and enjoy the planning!

Hi Guys I had a friend who hired this wedding officiant that she just loves to marry her in the park. I think it%26#39;s expensive in the park though. But her officiant she says is a hoot and does anything she wants. I guess she was her best friends officiant and everybody at her wedding loved her. Any way she%26#39;s reasonable,can officiate anywhere in the US....which I guess if you want to fly her...she%26#39;s the girl to have and best of all the world loves her. All I can remember is her address, which is easy...ctjusticeofthepeace.com. Good luck. I think if you are going to marry in the park...early Oct is the time to do it because by the end the leaves will be gone. Good luck.