How to Get Married in Central Park
So you’ve made the decision to get married in Central Park. Awesome. I’d argue that Central Park is one of the most iconic urban parks in the world, and it’s a beautiful spot to get married! If you’re planning your wedding or elopement in Central Park I’d love to help to make sure you have the best experience possible.
I’ve been photographing weddings and elopements in Central Park since about 2010, so I’m very familiar with the area and how to get married in Central Park. The best news for you? It’s SUPER easy to get married and have your wedding or elopement in Central Park.
What are the steps to get married in Central Park?
Step One: Get a marriage license
Get your marriage license. There are two main things you need to get married in Central Park; one of them is a New York marriage license. How do you get your marriage license? Well, currently (as of February 2022) you need to get an appointment with the City Clerk’s office. You’ll have to fill out paperwork and then get an appointment to have everything verified by the clerk and pay your fee of $35. You can have an appointment online or in person to do so. Remember, it doesn’t have to be at the Manhattan office if you’re looking for in person appointments. If things are tight, I’ve also had couples have success getting their license either in Long Island or up in Westchester or the Hudson Valley.
More information on getting your license can be found on my blog here: Getting your Marriage License Online in New York or on the Project Cupid website.
Step Two: Find a New York Wedding Officiant
Find an officiant. This can be done in conjunction with Step One, but is the other item you need to have for getting married in Central Park. There are only three things you need to get married in Central Park. They are your marriage license, an officiant, and a witness. I’m always happy to be a witness and have done so hundreds of times for couples. In regards to how to find the best officiant for your Central Park Wedding, I wrote a whole blog post about the process here: How to Find an officiant for your New York Wedding. Check it out for some of my favorite New York officiant recs.
Step Three: Pick a location for your Central Park Wedding
Decide on where and when you want to have your Central Park Wedding. Central Park is HUGE. There are SO many options for where to have your wedding ceremony. I joke that Central Park is essentially my office, and I’m always happy to help couples pick the best ceremony spot to meet their needs. Don’t let the size of the park overwhelm you, it’s totally manageable if you know where you’re going, and I happily will be your guide for your wedding day.
Whether that be a tucked away corner of the ramble or North Woods, a rock with an epic skyline view or a pavilion with seats for all your family and friends, I’m certain I know the best spot for you. I wrote a guide for Central Park weddings that includes lots of the most popular spots, so that’s a great place to start for suggestions.
In regards to time of day, this is a popular question with weddings and elopements in New York City. Personally, I absolutely LOVE a sunrise elopement or wedding in Central Park. You have the park to yourself with no crowds, the light is gorgeous and everything is quiet and peaceful. However, I realize, especially in the summer time, this can be a very early wake-up call. My advice to couples is, if you care about not having crowds, the earlier you’re willing to go in the morning the better and mid-week will be better than weekends. You can also opt for less crowded sections of the park for quieter moments, the northern reaches of the park or the ramble tend to be quieter than anywhere around Bethesda Terrace which is the busiest spot in the park.
If you don’t want an early morning, just before sunset is also lovely light-wise and in the summertime will also offer the benefit of being much cooler in temperature.
Step Four: Do you need a permit for your Central Park Wedding or Elopement?
Figure out if you need a permit. There is one place in Central Park where having a permit for your wedding is absolutely essential, that’s the Conservatory Garden. This is a beautiful spot for weddings, and I always love photographing in the Conservatory Garden. However, it is necessary to have a permit here, and they are slightly expensive. You can apply for the permit on the Central Park website here.
If you are getting married elsewhere in the park, it’s not required for you to have a permit unless you will have more then 20 guests. If it’s a small ceremony you don’t need a permit. However, if you’re getting married in a popular spot, many couples opt to have one as it essentially gives you “dibs” on the spot. There is no formal signage or park staff that blocks off your selected location during the time that you have a permit, but should someone else be there, you can let them know that you have reserved the space. Additionally, you can have peace of mind knowing that should some else be seeking to have a wedding there and also attempt to get a permit, they will be informed the space is already reserved.
Park permits for spaces other than Conservatory Gardens are $25 and can be reserved here.
Step Five: Have your Central Park Wedding and Get Married!
Get Married! That’s it! If you’d like to get other vendors, flowers, make-up, hair, etc. I’m happy to help with recommendations, but it really is just a matter of license, officiant, pick location, get married! DONE.
Looking for locations for portraits? Where to go for a celebratory drink? How to get to Central Park from your hotel? I can help with all these things and more if you’re planning your Central Park wedding, just let me know!
Check out more information and all the details about getting married in Central Park on my Guide to Central Park Weddings or contact me for more information or to schedule your wedding today!
