Ben and I went back and forth on where we wanted to have our ceremony in NYC. Originally we were going to do Central Park (you can reserve a handful of locations for free), but when we went to look at the locations you could choose, none felt…right. We wanted something a little more private and little more accessible, so we decided to look around.
One day we were walking in our neighborhood and passed Jefferson Market Garden and decided to walk through. And just like Steve and Miranda did on Sex and the City, we instantly fell in love with the space.
We were so thankful we were able to reserve it during such a busy time in June and even personalize it a bit with a custom welcome sign a little bar cart with champagne. If you’re looking to book it as well, I would highly recommend. You can find more information on rentals here.
The Ceremony
As our wedding day approached, I honestly wasn’t too stressed! I felt like we had an incredible day planned out and I was really confident in the locations we chose and the vendors we had supporting us. Even so, I had NO idea how quickly that would change and how nervous and anxious I would get the night before. I spent the night twisting and turning in bed – mainly concerned about the ceremony!
Ben and I had decided not to do a rehearsal since our wedding was so small, but I realized the night before that no rehearsal also meant that there were a lot of unknowns. We did have a day of coordinator so I knew someone would be there to help us out, but I still felt somewhat in the dark about what to do and when. My mind was racing…
When do I walk out? How long will the walk be? How will my heels be on the grass? What do I do at the front? Do I hold Ben’s hands? Where do I look – at Ben? At our family? At the officiant?
I was also SO nervous about my vows (which seriously came out of left field because I had written them weeks prior). But suddenly I was panicked about those too, curious if I wrote them “right.” Ben and I each did our own and didn’t share or compare structure or anything, so suddenly I was stressing wondering if they were funny enough… sweet enough…personal enough…too personal…too short…too long.
But as life goes, I eventually fell asleep, woke up the next day and it was our wedding! And then at 7:00pm, on a clear (praise) and warm summer night in West Village, it was go time. Our ceremony kicked off with our flower man (the BEST decision – I’m still laughing at his entrance) decorating the aisle with white rose petals, followed by my two bridesmaids and then my dad and I closed it out as we walked down to All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera. I wish I could tell you everything that I was thinking and feeling in that moment – but I just remember is being SO nervous and feeling somewhat uncomfortable that so many eyes were on me lol
Once I made it up to the front and was standing in front of Ben, our officient (a close friend) kicked off the ceremony and my nerves started to ease. We exchanged vows (which ended up being totally fine – I didn’t write them wrong 😉 ), said our I Do’s, kissed…realized we kissed at the wrong time…finished the ceremony and then kissed again and then we walked out to Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles. It was perfectly imperfect and I loved every second of it.
We spent the next 20 minutes doing family and friend photos in the park and then walked over to Bobo for our reception! Below are some of our favorite photos from the ceremony and then a few tips if you’re planning your own!
Wedding Ceremony Tips
- Rehearse your ceremony. Even if it’s super small – take some time to walk through how it’ll go, who walks out when, what your cues are, etc. It may not seem worth it in the moment, but I promise you it’ll alleviate some stress down the line!
- If you think you may stress about your vows and the flow of them, then sit down with your fiance and figure out a structure. You don’t have to tell each other what you’re going to say, but finding some common ground on length, serious vs. funny ratio, etc. is definitely helpful!
- Have a shot list of every photo combination you want ready to go (with friends and family). Most photographers will ask for this, but just in case yours doesn’t – supply it ahead of time so that they can help you round everyone up! It will speed up the process and get you to your reception faster!
- Remember that it’s ok if something goes wrong – chances are no one noticed but you. Even if they do, sometimes it’s those quirky and imperfect moments that make things so…perfect.
