Central Park Elopement
When we saw this darling NYC ceremony from Mademoiselle Fiona, we just knew we had to feature it. Though the wedding had to be postponed after news of thunderstorms hitting the city, the bride was not to be deterred. Grant and Jenn’s day came together beautifully, with a set of images to swoon over.
From the bride, Jenn: Grant and I wanted to elope for several reasons. We knew we wanted to get married in New York but we knew it wouldn’t be possible for our family to fly. We told our parents about our plans and although they were initially sad (I’m the only child for my mom), they were extremely supportive. We both spent our lives compromising on so many things that for our wedding, we just didn’t want to compromise on anything – we wanted to follow our hearts and have a wedding on our terms, in our vision. Our parents, the few people who knew about our wedding beforehand, were very supportive of our decision. We also didn’t want to spend too much for just one day; it’s an important day but we felt we could make it special without going into debt. So we set a number we absolutely could not go over, and that budget was a really good guiding light. And even if money wasn’t an issue, Grant and I wouldn’t have wanted a large wedding. We wanted something intimate, unique, romantic.
As for the specific location in Central Park, we knew that we wanted to get married at Wagner Cove in Central Park because that was our special place in the park when we lived in New York. We even have our initials engraved on the wooden shelter there. Wagner Cove is a very dreamy hidden oasis from the rest of the park, and that’s the only place we envisioned exchanging our vows, right by the water. The added bonus was it was free to wed there.
About Jenn’s wedding dress: We had about three months to plan our wedding and trip to New York. Two of the most important things for me were finding the right wedding dress and the right photographer. I knew it was going to be a bit challenging for me to find the right dress because I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress and I was on a tight budget. After a disappointing online search for vintage or vintage-inspired dresses, one day as I was crossing the street in my neighborhood, I saw a taupe colored evening gown hanging in the window at a used clothing store called Take 2 by my apartment and so I went in. The lady told me I wouldn’t fit it because it was a size 12 (I’m a size 4) but I felt compelled to try it on, and as expected it was huge on me, sagging down, there were holes and rips everywhere, but Grant’s eyes lit up when he saw me in the dress. We both saw the beauty and potential in that dress and so I bought it despite the flaws. I didn’t care that it was a Badgley Mishka evening gown, I just loved that it reflected my style. My wedding dress was not perfect (the beads started falling apart on my wedding day), and I understand some brides would probably freak out about that or wouldn’t even dare wear the dress. But what attracted me to the dress initially was that it had an air of old world glamour and I knew that not every bride would have it. To me, the dress is intricate, delicate, refined but a bit rough around the edges, and it was a bit of a pain to fix, but it was completely worth it. I had some family and friends who weren’t so happy when I told them my dress is a taupe color since they all said “but you should wear white or ivory” but as a bride you have to wear what reflects your personality and personal style, and this dress was it for me. Since we were going to be walking around all day, I wanted to be comfortable so I wore an old pair of comfortable gray shoes I’ve worn for many years.
Some advice from Jenn: It’s really important to work with people who not only have a great portfolio but have an easy-going attitude and are just simply nice. On the night we had to change the wedding date, both my photographer and videographer kept emailing words of encouragement like “don’t worry about a thing” and “it’s no problem for us.” You have no idea how much that meant to me because I would have spent all night feeling bad that I had to trouble them, but those emails they sent me put me at ease. Just keep in mind that something will go wrong on your wedding day, and it’s good to be mentally prepared for that ahead of time. But the most important thing to remember is that even if everything doesn’t go according to plan or how you envisioned everything lining up in your head, it’s okay because when you exchange vows with your best friend, all the negative stuff just melts away and you will find a bright, perfectly imperfect perfect day.
View all images from this wedding in the gallery
Wedding Music:
First Dance: “Harvest Moon,” Neil Young
Wedding Vendors (New York, NY):
Wedding Venue: Wagner Cove, Central Park / Wedding Photographer: Mademoiselle Fiona Photography / Wedding Videographer: Madison Waters / Dress: Vintage Badgley Mischka, Take 2 (Seattle WA) / Dress Alterations: Misook Chung, Superb Custom Tailors (Seattle WA) / Officiant: Beth Lamont, Wedding Your Way New York / Wedding Flowers: Wholesaler at Manhattan Flower District
as someone who had a small small wedding, i love this!
Wow! So wonderful that she followed her heart through all of this. Their wedding is beautiful and special. Her dress came out gorgeous and the photographs of the wedding are magnificent!! Such an inspiration.
just beautiful.
love the simplicity of it all. and oh her gown…so jaw droppingly beautiful!
Thank you for this beautiful feature! Jenn+Grant were so graceful and gracious, it was a pleasure capturing their intimate wedding.
I think the dress is lovely and seems to fit you and your personality and your body perfectly! What a beautiful wedding! You all look as if you stepped right out of a painting! Or Mary Poppins! 🙂
The color fits you so well! Looks amazing, the color matches the environment perfect as well! Beautiful!
Wow, this wedding looked amazing. I got goosebumps to read the brides view of her day, a complete reflection of them without influence of others. Simply perfect. Also, that dress!!! Wow.
love this totally chic elopement! gorgeous gown!
this is def my type of wedding!!!
I love love love your dress! Please let me know if you are going to sell it. I Would love to wear something vintage at my wedding this summer and have struggled to find anything this perfectly imperfect at any of my local thrift stores. You really look amazing!
Beautiful Pics! I love Central Park! My husband and I were sitting in a pavilion next to Bow Bridge; similar to the one in the photo by the water, and a raccoon ran in. It scared me half to death as we were enjoying the beautiful scenery.
a very beautiful wedding and a very refreshing take on the costs involved. they seem to have really achieved their goal of making it a special day without going into debt. fiscally responsible and stylish to boot.
I totally love this! A wedding really should be about what the couple wants.
Stunning! What a gorgeous wedding!
I’m in love the first photo!!What a beautiful place!!!And the bride is so charming with the beautiful backdrop!!!:D
So glad you trusted yourself about the dress!! It’s a killer!
you are stunning in your wedding dress. so beautiful!
Hi everyone, thank you so much for such lovely comments. My photographer Fiona Conrad and videographer Madison Waters were absolute dreams to work with. We were so happy with Fiona’s artistry, stunning photos, and the best attitude ever! And thanks for the positive comments about my dress. My tailor Misook really made the dress.
@Hazel – I’m flattered that you love my dress; I think though I’ll hold on it for awhile (and also, you’d probably not want it – it got a bit beat up in Central Park). There’s some online shops that sell vintage (and vintage-inspired dresses). Let me know if you need me to email you some suggestions.
Congrats cousin! Great pictures!! Photographer did a fantastic job!! Couldn’t have been done any better!! Wish we could have been there!!
This wedding looks like so much fun. What a great theme.
I loved the ideas in this wedding. It is so organic and natural. It’s obvious that the couple made their personalities shine through in every detail of their wedding. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This wedding is so romantic and the beautiful photographs capture such amazing moments between the couple! How lucky they are to have these wonderful images to share with their friends and family. Perfection!
This totally melted my heart, beautiful bride, gown and location. Me & my man have thought about eloping but are always so nervous about how family and friends will react. Congrats on following your heart and keeping it true to you and your groom!
Absolutely beautiful, It looks like a dream wedding.
What a beautiful wedding! Who made your weddimg poster?
I love it!
Ughhhhhh, can someone say BREATHTAKING!!!!! OMG…. I LOVE this!!!! and Congrats!!!!!! 🙂
My fiancé and I are eloping in Central Park this August. Some family members haven’t taken the news so well. This has been a wonderful reminder of why we decided to elope in NYC in the first place. Beautiful pictures. Thank you for reassuring me!