New York City Wedding Ceremony on an Italian Gondola

What town said romance to this couple? Manhattan. The big apple. Gotham City. The city that never sleeps...perfect for a private romantic weekend and wedding celebration. From their hometown, they flew to New York, knowing that they would be Mr. and Mrs. on the return flight.

From their beautiful room at the Regency, at the 61st and Park Avenue, Central Park spread out before them, an autumnal carpet of green, reds, and oranges. Their ceremony would be in the park, but first the couple went down to the southern tip of Manhattan, to its famous City Clerk’s office, to pick up their wedding license. A romantic walk across Brooklyn Bridge (on a clear, bright October day), led them right to the River Café, for a celebratory lunch and what is said to be the best view of the city anywhere.

Wedding day, October 4th, dawned bright, clear, and warm. A horse drawn carriage picked the bride and groom up at their hotel, and brought them to the Central Park boathouse, a beautifully peaceful and scenic oasis in the park. What the groom did not know was that Destination Bride had arranged for the ceremony to take place not just at the boathouse, but “on the water,” in an Italian gondola.

From around the lake, on stone bridges, at water’s edge, and from other boats, New Yorkers cheered this beautiful couple, radiant in their finery and their love. The bride was resplendent in her dress with a little 50’s veil and mink shawl, the groom in Armani. They drew a crowd of well wishers, people whose day was made just by a glimpse of them.

From the ceremony, the couple circled the park as husband and wife in a horse drawn carriage, stocked with champagne, fine Italian cigars, and their favorite songs programmed into the sound system. Dinner that night in Little Italy, at Angelo’s, where they were greeted like celebrities as their limo made its way through the narrow streets. People stood on the street and clapped, so clear it was to them that this beautiful couple was newly married, radiantly happy, and in love.

The most romantic city in the world? Paris, Venice...they all fade in our estimation when we remember this destination wedding. It was pure New York, Cole Porter romance, on a beautiful October weekend.

Service Providers
Planning, Design & Coordination: Lisa Light, Ltd.
Rehearsal Dinner: The Strip House, New York, NY
Ceremony: Central Park Boat House
Reception: Angelo's Restaurant
Hair/Make-up: Regency Hotel Salon
Cake: Vineros Bakery
Floral/Design: Kim Coon
Transportation: M&V Limousines, Ltd., AA Executive Town Car, Central Park Carriages
Music: Andres the Gondolier
Photography: Dream Day Photography
Officiant: Father Bernard Lopez