Big Apple Bound
NYC & Co, the business and tourism organization here in the City, has reported a record number of tourists visited the Big Apple last year. I agree, based on my experience with brides and grooms, who choose New York for their destination weddings! While traditionally destination weddings have been associated with warm weather spots, NYC has become a supremely popular location for weddings of all sizes. New York is considered among the most romantic cities in the world, after all. Last year, I officiated weddings for couples from England, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Scotland, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, and numerous American states such as Ohio, Colorado, Washington DC, Arizona, California, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, and New Jersey! Central Park, our crown jewel, is the most popular choice for ceremonies, but the couples are only limited by their imaginations in where they’d like to be married. Over the recent New Year’s weekend, I married lovely couples from Western Canada (Gapstow Bridge, Central Park); Southern California (Rockefeller Plaza, near the famed ice rink and Christmas tree); and Texas (Cop Cot Pavilion, Central Park). To assist my destination couples, I launched a blogsite to provide ideas and photographs of wedding locations about town. Let’s see if we can break the NYC Tourism and Destination Wedding records in 2011!
Photo Above Courtesy of John Mazlish Wedding Photography
Religious Rituals for Non-Religious Couples
As a Celebrant, I work with couples who hold many viewpoints on religion and spirituality. In explaining my work with new clients, I mention that to my way of thinking, Celebrants provide (to use a “political” term heard a few years ago) a “third way” in developing important life ceremonies and rites of passages. We work with people who may not be able to (or may not wish to) hold these important events in houses or worship, but they prefer to have a celebration that is not satisfied by a purely administrative ceremony, such as a justice of the peace. We represent everyone else–which, these days, is a vast proportion of the population. My couples come in all philosophical shapes and sizes…those who are of an interfaith perspective, some identify as “spiritual but not religious” or secular humanists, and many are nominally connected to the faith of their families of origin but do not practice.
Many couples will come to me with an awkwardness about how to “handle” religious traditions and faith matters in a respectful way, to honor their parents, all the while realizing that at least at this point in their lives they do not practice. I firmly believe that as Celebrants we are uniquely qualified to guide these delicate matters with sensitivity. I attempt to reassure couples that there are elegant options that we can show respect and honor to the faith tradition(s) of their families while not calling upon the Bride and Groom to feel inauthentic about the words and rituals of the ceremony.
First, there are often ways to couch rituals in terms of cultural connections as opposed to highly religious language. This is particularly effective with respect to Jewish customs like standing below a chuppah during the ceremony or the breaking at the glass at the end of the service. Many American Jews hold closely to the cultural and historical connections of their Judaism, with being observant (or perhaps nominally observant on High Holidays). As such, the descriptions of these rituals can reflect this orientation. Likewise, there are ways to draw parallels between certain religious ceremonies within a wedding and a more secularized approach to the concept. For example, a Jewish couple will include the signing of a Ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract, as part of a religious service, but a ceremonial signing of the marriage license can certainly resemble this kind of ritual. The familiar Christian unity candle can be referenced by leaning on the universal symbolism of light as a sign of goodness—and Godliness. I have been delighted how a number of my clever couples have used their wedding programs, which are often a rudimentary listing of the bridal party and order of the ceremony, to provide creative explanations of rituals or objects we are including in the wedding. I think this is particularly helpful for those who may be unfamiliar with a faith tradition.
Another beautiful way to negotiate this potentially ticklish situation is to involve an honored guest who is practicing the faith to lead that portion of the ceremony. It will most certainly provide a great deal of satisfaction on their part, without the bride or groom feeling as if they are overly stating their current commitments. In a recent ceremony joining a non-practicing Jewish groom and his non-practicing Protestant bride, the groom asked his beloved Grandfather, who observed, to read the traditional 7 Jewish blessings at the end of the ceremony. The Grandfather (who is now among my all-time favorite wedding guests) read the tradition blessings in Hebrew, followed by a modernized version blessings in English. What could be more inclusive than this?
At the end of the day, the goal of any wedding is to underscore the values and ideals that are shared between the couple and among the guests—but there are so many ways to do that with creativity, style, respect, and flourish, honoring the past and recognizing that the couple, as a new family, will have ideas and customs all their own.
High Times on the High Line
For a couple looking to have an outdoor wedding in a more urban setting, perhaps the “High Line,” a relatively new landmark, fits the bill. As described in the Garden Guide: NYC by Nancy Berner and Susan Lowry, the High Line is a “21st Century Promenade, having all the poetry and thrill of the street but none of the noise and hustle.” In its original state, the elevated rail lines served commercial ventures running between Spring Street and 34th. It operated form some 90 years, beginning in the 1840s, serving industry and factories on the far west side of Manhattan. The last train traversed the High Line 30 years ago, when the property was essentially abandoned.
As the High Line languished, there were political factions advanced options for the rail artery that once served the City. While there were some who wanted it demolished, others argued for its restoration as a working rail line. But led by two young New Yorkers, an organization—Friends of the High Line—argued for an innovative public space. A competition was held to select a vision for the park, and a plan devised by two New York City design firms combined an open, elevated public space that retained its industrial feel. Great attention was paid to allowing natural plant growth to continue decorating the space. The High Line meanders over the course of numerous blocks, with plenty of little alcoves where a private wedding could be held, no doubt engaging passers-by. As is evidenced by the photos, the High Line is a striking venue for either a ceremony or post wedding portraits, conveying the intersection of natural beauty and commerce in the Big Apple.
Hotel Giraffe: Perfect for your Wedding (or Honeymoon Stay!)
IIn my opinion, one of the bonuses of European travel is the generous selection of small, lovely hotels that dot the landscape of cities like Paris, London, Rome, and beyond. I think of such boutique hotels as “homes away from home.” These accommodations focus on the basics of hospitality (commonly overlooked by the gigantic corporate hotel chains) including well-appointed rooms, comfortable common areas, extremely attentive staff members, and those “little extras” (complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, etc.) that provide pleasant surprises after a long day of site-seeing. To replicate this experience, a New York tourist—or destination wedding couple—would be well-advised to visit one of the small hotels run by the HKH Corporation. The constellation of hotels, including the Library, Hotel Giraffe, The Casablanca Hotel, and Hotel Elysse, are part of a family-owned company—and it shows. The Library and Hotel Giraffe provide services for weddings (including reserving hotel room blocks), but all are fine places to stay in NYC.
My first experience with an HK Hotel was last winter when I officiated the marriage of Gordon and Anne, a fabulous couple from Scotland. The wedding was held on their top floor terrace area, and couldn’t have been any sweeter. At the time the event coordinator for the Library was Jayla Hughes. I was impressed by professionalism and warm personality, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that she had received a promotion to serve as the Director of Sales at the Hotel Giraffe, another HK Hotel. The Hotel Giraffe is a stylized, chic spot at 365 Park Avenue (at 26th street). The art deco inspired hotel is a stone’s throw away from many NYC attractions including the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Macy’s at Herald Square, and New York’s famous “boulevards” including Park, Madison and Fifth Avenues. It is in close proximity to cultural stops ranging from the fashionable Gramercy Park, the NY Public Library, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), and the International Center for Photography. Finally, the Hotel Giraffe is a stone’s throw from many of New York’s excellent restaurants such as Eleven Madison, Tabla, Union Square Café, and Gramercy Tavern. The list goes on and on.
This hotel will gladly host your wedding ceremony, rehearsal dinner, or guest accommodations. Hotel Giraffe has put together affordable wedding packages that offer space for a NYC wedding (along with set up and breakdown), a well-appointed reception, and guest stays in the hotel. Site selections include their roof-top garden and the piano suite penthouse. If you are looking for a place for your wedding or simply a wonderful place to stay on your visit to The Big Apple—or maybe just a nice spot to enjoy a cocktail, head to the Hotel Giraffe and wait to pleasantly surprised….again and again!
Interested in learning more? Contact Emily White, Sales Manager at the Hotel Giraffe at 212.894.0494 or by email at emily@hotelgiraffe.com. Enjoy!
