Hollie and Kye’s Wedding in the Ladies’ Pavilion

Hollie and Kye got married in the Ladies’ Pavilion in September.  They are both from Bournemouth in England and Hollie was 29 and Kye was 31 when they got married.  They had two witnesses to their wedding, Hollie’s mom and her partner.  They had been together for five and a half years before getting married.  “Marriage is important to us because it confirms our commitment to each other and the wedding day and preparations for it were a lovely chance to reflect on what we mean to each other and the day itself was about expressing that to one another,” Hollie said.  

They met through work.  They were working in the same hospital where they worked on different wards.  Hollie had to take something to Kye’s ward to a mutual colleague, and that colleague played matchmaker for a few months.  He hinted to Kye that perhaps Hollie might like him to ask her to go on a date.  They did indeed start dating in January 2017.  Their first date was at a local steakhouse.  They said that the food wasn’t too impressive, but the company was. 

Hollie and Kye got engaged at home on Christmas Day of 2020.  They told me that Kye had planned to wait until their anniversary the following February to propose, but decided it would be nicer to do it in 2020.  And after the year many of us had in 2020 I’m inclined to agree!  So, they ended what had been a very tough year in a happy way.   

Hollie had already found Wed in Central Park on Instagram before they got engaged!  So, she had seen some of our beautiful weddings, and knew that getting married in Central Park appealed to her.  “It seemed to fit perfectly with our idea of a small wedding in a place we have always wanted to visit,” said Hollie.  I asked if they had any regrets about not having a “traditional” wedding closer to home.  “At times we thought about people who couldn’t come and felt sad that they wouldn’t be there to share in the day, but overall, we knew we had made the decision which was right for us and had an amazing day,” Hollie said.  She told me that she most missed having her closest friends there – the ladies who would have been her bridesmaids if she had gotten married close to home.

I asked if they thought that smaller weddings are becoming more popular.  “I think Covid has definitely made them more popular as I think all the cancellations made people realise that the ‘big day’ isn’t necessarily the most important thing, but you just want to be married,” Hollie said.  I agree, based on what many of my couples have told me.  “I think they are right for couples like us who want something a bit different and don’t have a big family, but everyone is different, and I think it is important for couples to feel like they can have the wedding they want without judgement or criticism from others who might do it differently,” she said.  I do wholeheartedly agree with this.  I’m someone who spends a long time helping people to plan their wedding, and usually our weddings do not tend to follow tradition. I believe all weddings are a lovely celebration of love, but everyone’s relationship is different, so why shouldn’t weddings reflect that?

So, New York was the place that the wanted to say “I do”.  Hollie told me that they loved the idea of getting married somewhere so iconic and so beautiful.  New York had been on their ‘bucket list’ for so long, so it felt like a great opportunity to tick somewhere off that list, and get married while they were there.  They did worry about the weather on the day, which I think is unavoidable.  “We feared that if it rained all day we might regret choosing to get married outdoors,” Hollie said.  “We knew we had no control over this and tried to remember what is most important about the day and this helped,” she told me.  Luckily the weather was perfect, as it so often is in New York in September, but of course there’s always a risk of rain affecting photos.

Hollie and Kye and their witnesses stayed in New York for nine days, at the Kixby Hotel.  “We had amazing food all week” Hollie told me.  “Highlights for breakfast were Café Hestia and Friedman’s and Gallagher’s Steakhouse for lunch,” she said. Their hotel had Black Tap on site for burgers if they didn’t feel like going out after a busy day of sightseeing.

We had a vintage cab pick the couple up from the hotel and then they met their photographer, Jakub Redziniak, at Bryant Park for some photos outside the New York Public Library.  He came with them on to Times Square  for more photos and to Central Park from there, taking photos with the vintage cab on their arrival.  In the meantime, Hollie’s mom and her partner met the officiant at the Ladies’ Pavilion ready for the bride and groom’s arrival.

Hollie and Kye had the reading The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilfred Arlan Peterson as part of their ceremony, which is one my favorites, and I’ll put that at the end of the post. They also repeated some promises after the officiant that were unique to them.  The reading was chosen by Hollie’s Mum.  They had asked her to choose a reading and narrowed it down to a few options of ones that they liked, but the ultimate decision was a surprise for the bride and groom so they said that it was almost like hearing it for the first time on the day.  “We now have our vows and reading from the wedding to look back on to remind ourselves of the promises we have made to each other and our future and know this will be useful and comforting moving forward, particularly if we find ourselves facing challenges,” Hollie told me.  After the ceremony they took photos at Bethesda Terrace and Fountain and at Bow Bridge.  “The photos taken at Bow Bridge are some of our favourites as it’s such a beautiful part of the park and so familiar and well-known,” Hollie said.

Hollie’s mom and her partner had been a bit worried when Hollie and Kye first told them about their wedding plans.  Their idea was for quite a different kind of wedding to the usual ones that they had been to in the past.  “But as soon as we got to New York and saw Central Park they knew that we had made the right choice,” Hollie said. They told them that it was a lovely wedding and they loved NYC more than they were expecting to! 

Hollie wore a White One dress from a bridal store in her home town.  She had the straps altered to make it one-of-a-kind and she loved it.  She carried a bouquet of silk flowers which she had made herself before coming over to New York.  She wanted to be able to keep the flowers afterwards but was worried that real ones wouldn’t last long enough to be pressed at home.  So, she decided to go for artificial ones and then put them in a vase at home as a reminder of the day.  She also made boutonnieres for the men.

Hollie and her Mom had their hair and make-up done by Jocelynn and Dana from Metro Look.  “They were really professional and friendly, and the make-up lasted all day,” said Hollie.  Hollie said that their hair also stayed in place perfectly and she had been so impressed how Jocelynn was able to re-create something just from a picture that she had seen online.  She said that she would definitely recommend them and it really added to the ‘bridal experience’ even though it was just Hollie and her Mom.

After their time in Central Park the four of them went on the Bateaux premier dinner cruise, “which was a definite highlight,” said Hollie.  I’ve been on it, too, and I would agree!  “The food was really good, we got a free bottle of champagne and an announcement about our wedding, and it was amazing to see the sights of the city as the sun sets and at night,” she said.

I asked them what they would say to other couples who were considering getting married in Central Park.  “If you want a wedding that is a bit different from the traditional in an amazing city then definitely consider Central Park.  Everyone was so friendly and congratulated us as we walked around doing our photos,” Hollie said.

I asked how we did.  “Claire was incredibly organised and efficient.  She answered all of our questions in a timely manner and provided us with so much useful information,” Hollie said.  “Her connections with different services; photographers, the vintage cab, hair and make-up were all great and we could tell they all valued working with her and each other which helped the day go smoothly,” she added.  Yes, after more than ten years doing this, I truly feel that I have found some amazing people to work with, who love making weddings as special as much as I do!  “Claire took away the stress involved with planning a wedding and we are so glad we stumbled across her page on Instagram.  We had our dream wedding and Wed in Central Park played a massive role in that,” Hollie said.

Thank you so much for your kind words, it was an absolute pleasure to work with you Hollie, and I wish you both lots 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 live locally or are planning on traveling to New York to get married, visit our website.  Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram as Hollie did, and follow us on Pinterest. 

The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilfred Arlan Peterson

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created. In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner.