On July 1, 2011, Claire Ady and Noel Ady, who had moved to New York from England, said “I do” as they stood under the Ladies Pavilion, a cast-iron, covered structure in a tranquil spot in Central Park that overlooks the lake.
“Our wedding was intimate and emotional,” said Ms. Ady, 46, who grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, a small town in England. “It felt so different from all of the traditional weddings I’d been to before.”
At the time, the couple were living in a studio apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and looking to relocate to the East Side. When apartment hunting, she would walk through the park. First, it became her backyard; then, it became a major part of her full-time business.
In 2012, she started a wedding planning company, known as Wed in Central Park, that focuses solely on helping couples get married in Central Park. Most of her clients are from England, but she also works with couples in the United States, Ireland, and other European countries.
“In England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, you’re not allowed to get married in a public park or your garden,” she said, noting an exception might be a football field. “Weddings must take place in a venue that has been given a full and legal marriage license by the local authority, like churches, hotels, and registry offices.”
ImageSince 2015, Ms. Ady has organized 50 to 60 weddings a year in Central Park.Credit...Jakub RedziniakWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.
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