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Same-sex Weddings in New York

Updated: May 15

Claire Ady is British and plans weddings in Central Park, New York.  She has a listing here on the G Wedding Directory.  She got the idea to start her business just after she got married in Central Park herself, when she was living nearby on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  This was back in July 2011; coincidentally, the same month that New York State began to legally recognise same-sex weddings.


The majority of Claire’s couples come from the UK and Ireland, and around 15% of her couples are same-sex couples.  In the blog post below, she shares some of her tips for British or Irish same-sex couples considering getting married in New York’s Central Park.




We’ve performed lots of weddings in Central Park for same-sex couples over the years, many of them from the UK and Ireland.  Some of our couples are eloping, just the two of them, and perhaps they had already planned a trip to New York and then decided to get married while they’re in town, or maybe they were looking for somewhere awesome and very gay-friendly and chose New York for the city where they want to tie the knot.  Some of our couples are bringing a group of their friends and/or family with them from home to witness their wedding and to celebrate with them in the incredible city of New York. 


The Gay Wedding Institute in the US did a survey in 2018 and found that 74% of LGBTQ couples getting married are paying for the wedding entirely themselves.  So, same-sex couples especially are giving plenty of thought to what they want to spend their money on; a big party close to home with all of their friends and acquaintances, or a smaller affair in an amazingly inclusive city, which truly has something for everyone and is certainly one of the most gay-friendly cities on Earth?  (Yes, I know I’m biased on this one – it’s New York every time for me!)  Another possible benefit to a destination wedding is that if there are any issues with family members that you don’t want to invite to your wedding, then having it far away is the perfect way to exclude someone.  Also, you can have that big party with everyone you know when you get home, so in fact, you don’t have to choose at all!





All Irish and British couples who marry in New York will have their marriage recognised at home, whether it’s a same-sex or opposite-sex marriage.  This is with the caveat that you do not break any NY State laws – ie if you’ve been married before, you need to show proof of final divorce or death of previous spouse, and you must be over 18.  There are many European countries where visiting couples can have a symbolic wedding, and then they need to do the legal part at home.  But British and Irish couples can quite easily get married in the US, and the wedding ceremony there will be legally binding in the UK and Ireland. 


Before your trip to New York, you need to make an appointment to get a marriage license from City Hall.  You can get your license as soon as you arrive, or on the first day, whenever suits you.  It costs $35.  Then you must wait 24 hours before you can hold the ceremony.  You can get married in City Hall, or pretty much anywhere you choose, indoors or outdoors.  All you do is find yourself a New York State registered officiant, or you ask someone like me to book one for you, and also to book the rest of the people who might want to be there, too, such as a photographer, flowers, a musician and so on. 



At the wedding ceremony, you both sign the license, along with the officiant and at least one witness (this can be your photographer if you elope!), then the officiant can return it to City Hall for you, and they register your marriage worldwide.  I write all of our wedding ceremonies for each couple by asking questions about them and their relationship, who they want to mention, and what, if any, traditions or rituals they want to include.  So, your wedding ceremony can be as unique as you are as a couple.  You can say as much or as little as you like!


Have I convinced you that getting married in New York’s lovely Central Park is the simple, easy, stress-free, memorable and unique experience that you’ve been looking for?  If so, there are some big questions you should ask yourselves to get you started.  The first thing to do when considering a wedding ceremony in Central Park is to decide on what time of year the wedding will take place and who, if anyone, you will invite with you to the wedding.  A lot of the subsequent choices you make will depend on these things, due to the weather and the options you have either with or without guests.  If you decide to get married without any guests, then it’s simpler in many ways, because you can do exactly what the two of you want to do.  If you bring some guests with you, then things become more complicated, because you have to think of their needs and tastes besides your own. 





The answers to these two questions about when you will get married and who will attend will help a couple get to the answer to the most important question of all for many: what is this going to cost us?  It is possible to get married in Central Park on a fairly frugal budget, and of course, it is very easy to have a big, lavish and expensive wedding. New York offers endless choices.  In terms of the wedding ceremony itself, we offer competitive prices.  But of course,e there are other costs to consider – flights aren’t generally that expensive between Ireland or the UK and New York, but accommodation can be costly. 


I don’t really like to talk about same-sex weddings as if they’re especially different from opposite-sex weddings, because all weddings are unique, because all couples are different.  But, the survey the Gay Wedding Institute did in 2018 also showed that 44% of same-sex couples and 61% of transgender/non-binary couples were afraid of rejection from wedding vendors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Also, LGBTQ+ clients have said things to me over the years that indicate that some reassurance is needed.  So, I like to make it absolutely clear that everyone at Wed in Central Park is very committed and enthusiastic about marriage equality and performing same-sex weddings. 



As I go through the planning process with the couple, I start with the big stuff and eventually get to the small stuff. I'll guide you through making the broader plan of timings; we'll work out travel times from your hotel to the location, and from the location to the reception together. We'll chat about where you'd like to capture photographs in Central Park, and which loved ones you want in them. By the time we wrap up the planning process, we'll know exactly where everyone should be and when, so you can simply relax and enjoy your special day, confident that everything will run smoothly.


There are several locations in Central Park that are popular for wedding ceremonies.  Some spaces are bigger than others, some are more private than others, and some provide a beautiful view.  They all have their pros and cons.  There are practical reasons why you might choose one location over another – a roof, or seating, for example.  Give careful consideration to the place where you will hold the ceremony.  Don’t just think about how it looks in a photo; think about how it will feel as you make these special promises to each other.  You can take photos in beautiful places once you’re married!


Pretty much all of our couples have professional photos taken around Central Park after their wedding ceremony, and some take some extra time with a photographer to take photos in some of the iconic spots all over New York City.  Popular spots for photos are Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, from the Brooklyn waterfront with the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline in the background, or from the Top of the Rock observation deck.  This is the sort of thing that provides some stunning wedding photos that will really stand out as unique.

 


After the wedding and the photos, comes the party!  Picking your reception spot is an exciting decision, since New York has so many wonderful places to eat and celebrate!  The only difficulty you might have with choosing where to have your reception in New York might be choosing from so many awesome options!  Venues across the city are super gay friendly, so you won't raise any eyebrows.  The whole NYC vibe is welcoming to marriage equality.  So, you're not limited to the classic gay hotspots like Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen and the Village anymore, but of course, there are venues in these areas that would be happy to host you.


If you’d like help planning your wedding in New York, get in touch with Claire via email at info@wedincentralpark.com, visit the Wed in Central Park website, or follow her on Instagram to see beautiful photos of happy couples celebrating in Central Park and across the city. Everyone Claire works with is LGBTQ+ friendly and proudly supports marriage equality. Several of her trusted service providers are members of the LGBTQ+ community themselves. New York City is celebrated for its diversity and inclusivity, making it a truly fantastic place to say “I do.”


View Wed In Central Park advert here:


For more information, contact Claire via:

Photo credits: Jakub Redziniak, Julieanne Prevete, Chaomin Tang, Florencia Saavedra


Disclaimer: We thank our website advertiser, Claire from Wed In Central Park, for supplying this blog. All links included are supplied by the advertiser. Unless otherwise stated, the businesses in these links are not advertising with us, so we take no responsibility for information you may find on their websites. This blog is published as an informative piece.


 
 
 

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