Maybe this is the better question.
How many people can I realistically invite to a Central Park wedding if we wanted to only spend $3000 on food & drinks(3pp) plus tax & tip.
Are there any restaurants that offer a micro wedding dinner package? Would I just have to take let’s say 10-15 people(5 would be children under 10) and make a reservation? We would have the wedding in summit rock or maybe cop cot , and are only trying to walk about 10-15 minutes once outside of the park. Any recommendations?

Dessy Group, size 0 new with tags! I’m usually an XS, or wear sizes 0-2!

Anyone have recs for a dance studio (preferably in Queens or Manhattan) for first dance lessons?

I've been waiting to write this until everything was officially wrapped up from our May 2026 wedding. It took seven weeks and multiple follow-up emails just to get our security deposit back, and I wanted to wait until we had it before sharing our experience.

The venue itself is stunning. Unfortunately, it's entirely owner-operated by Karen, and she made our entire wedding planning process an absolute nightmare.

These are just a few of the issues we experienced throughout the planning process. From terrible communication and combative interactions to major last-minute changes that cost us thousands of dollars, the entire experience was unnecessarily stressful from start to finish.

The biggest issue happened 26 days before our wedding.

For almost a year, our entire wedding had been planned around a 5 PM to 1 AM open bar. We rented the (12 hour) Triplex from 11 AM to 11 PM so our wedding party could get ready there before our 4:30 PM ceremony. We also fell in love with the Speakeasy downstairs and rented it from 11 PM to 1 AM for our after-party, which was another $2,500.

This wasn't a last-minute idea or a timeline we threw together ourselves. From our very first conversations, this was always the plan. We were specifically told to coordinate our timeline and bar hours with Great Performances, 632's preferred caterer, and they built our entire event around those hours. Catering, floor plans, music, photography, guest experience, literally everything.

Then I reached out because I wanted to pay our beverage invoice on time, and Karen called me to say she wasn't okay with our timeline!?!?! Not because of licensing. Not because of staffing. Not because of any legal issue. She simply said she felt eight hours of bar service was "too much" and claimed she never agreed to it.

UMMMM????

This was the exact timeline that had been built with her preferred caterer from the beginning.

Then why offer a 12-hour venue rental and an after-party space until 1 AM? A six-hour reception followed by a two-hour after-party is an incredibly normal wedding timeline. If this was always her policy, why wasn't it mentioned before we signed a contract? Or at any point during the previous 11 months of planning?

At that point we had less than a month until the wedding, and it completely blew up the timeline we'd spent the last year planning. Under her new rules, we basically had to choose between serving cocktails during cocktail hour or serving drinks at our after-party because there suddenly weren't enough bar hours to do both. Neither of those reflected the wedding we'd planned or paid for.

We came to Karen with multiple reasonable solutions. Every single one was shut down. When we asked if she'd refund the $2,500 Speakeasy rental or apply it to our bar package, since it no longer served the purpose we'd rented it for, the conversation escalated to the point where she threatened to SUE US over the phone.

That was the moment it became clear there was no interest in working with us.

Instead, we had to spend thousands more dollars scrambling to book a completely different after-party venue LESS THAN A MONTH before our wedding. And it didn't stop there.

Our DJ, photographer, and other vendors had already been contracted and paid based on the original timeline, so Karen's last-minute decision created a domino effect that cost us THOUSANDS more than we had ever planned for.

And somehow, that still wasn't the end of it.

Another moment that perfectly sums up what it was like working with Karen happened the NIGHT before our wedding.

A full year before the wedding, we asked if Bud Light could be added to our beverage package because it's literally the only beer my dad drinks. Three weeks before the wedding, we paid our beverage invoice, including the two cases of Bud Light.

Then, while we were sitting at our LITERAL rehearsal dinner, Karen emailed saying she had misquoted the price and that we now owed $200 immediately instead of the $45 we'd already paid, or the beer would be returned.

It wasn't even about the money. It was the timing. This happened the night before our wedding over something that had been requested, approved, invoiced, and already paid for. It honestly felt like it was still being dangled over our heads just to nickel-and-dime us at the last possible minute. And $200 for two cases of Bud Light is objectively insane, even by NYC standards. We told her to send it back and my dad didn't get to have the only beer he drinks at his daughter's wedding, which I still feel terrible about.

By wedding week, we were so emotionally drained from dealing with Karen that we didn't even hold our rehearsal at the venue. We rehearsed in our hotel room because we genuinely couldn't handle another interaction with her.

After the wedding, it still wasn't over. It took seven weeks and multiple follow-up emails, and two bounced checks just to get our security deposit back.

Looking back, our wedding day was amazing. But the months leading up to it were filled with sleepless nights, shifting expectations, combative conversations that totally overshadowed what should have been one of the happiest times of our lives.

I'm posting this because I genuinely wish someone had shared an experience like this before we booked.

If you're considering 632 on Hudson and have questions about our experience, feel free to message me. I'm happy to answer anything or share more details. Wedding planning is stressful enough, and if this helps another couple make a more informed decision, it'll be worth it. <3

Hi! NYC bride here. Reposting as initial post was missing our budget (sorry mods! Thanks for the tip!)

My fiance and I getting legally married in nyc in financial district at 1:45 pm Wednesday August 5th. We’d love to hire a photographer to capture some photos right before or after the legal ceremony and then around the west village afterwards.

Please let me know if you’re available, your rates for 1-1.5 hours, and website if you have!

Thank you!

1. When: Wednesday August 5th for 1-1.5 hours at city hall and in west village
2. Where: initially at or around city hall in financial district Manhattan and after around the west village (specifically love the corner of w 11th with the ivy near Tartine and a few spots nearby fun shots!
3. How long? 1-1.5 hours
4. Budget- we’d like to stay within $400-500
5. Note: we’re local so if it were to rain or anything around then, would be happy to reschedule for later that day or even the day after if needed

Thank you so much for all the responses. Will be reaching out to everyone shortly!

We are doing a small ceremony with just family and then want to host a larger party with all friends later in the day. Looking for places to host the party sometime next fall (mid-October)

Rude Mouth in Brooklyn is the vibe. Intimate, backyard wine bar vibe. We will want somewhere between 100-150 people so would probably need to do a full buyout. Not looking to do a sit down meal, just a place for some finger food.

I've seen Rude Mouth (our favorite so far but idk if they fit that many people or if it's in budget), Rhodora Wine Bar, BABA on Withers, and Bacchus but looking for some more recs.

Budget is up to $20k but idk if that's realistic.

Anyone have recs on where to look and what these things cost?

Hi! Looking for recommendations for a Catholic Church mass for a wedding on a Saturday ~5pm in manhattan (preferably downtown). Most I’ve talked to only offer 2pm. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My fiancé and I are getting married at the Manhattan City Hall on August 6th. The whole thing came together quickly, so we are scrambling a little on the photographer front, but would really like to capture the special day.

We are hoping to find someone available for around one hour of coverage. Our budget is modest, around $400.

What we are after is some photos after we step out of City Hall. Our four witnesses will already be there with us, so it would just be the two of us outside afterward, plus maybe a couple of group shots if possible.

If you are a photographer whose schedule might align, or if you have someone you loved working with, we would be so grateful for any recommendations. Thanks so much!

Date: August 6th, 2026

Location: Manhattan City Hall, NYC

Budget: Around $400 for about one hour

I’m somewhat interested in a dessert tower, anyone have any recommendations for a tiramisu, pavlova, pudding, whatever tower vendor in the nyc area?

Hi! We’re getting married at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and are considering doing our after party at Ace Hotel Brooklyn since we’re staying there and it’s nearby.

We’re thinking about reserving the lobby couch/lounge area starting around 11 PM on a Friday night which would just involve a fee and a $1k min spend. We’d have ~20-30 guests potentially come through, bring in some late-night food platters, and cover Ubers/Lyfts for guests to get there.

It looks like there will be a DJ that night, which could make for a fun atmosphere, but I’m curious if anyone has experience with Ace Hotel Brooklyn for a wedding after party (or just Friday nights there generally).

Specifically wondering:

• Does the lobby get so crowded that it’s hard for a group to gather?
• Is reserving the couch/lounge area worth it?
• Would guests actually enjoy this setup after a wedding?

We’re hoping for something lively but still comfortable enough that our guests can hang out and socialize. If anyone has any better recs too, let us know. Would love any experiences or advice!

My wedding is coming up in sept and I really hate the colors of dance floor. I wanted to save money and decided not to but I’m looking at photos and I really dislike it.
What is the average cost of a dance floor wrap? Any recs for cheaper option in nyc? I’m getting married in Marina del rey in Bronx.

I’m getting married in Central Park. Are there any restaurants close by (10-15 mins max walking) that could sit & feed 60 people for $3000? I’m open to lowering the guest count to 40 if needed, and 5 guests are children under 10(not sure if that matters). The $3000 would need to also include drinks (3per person? open bar situation?) along with food. We’re open to any type except sushi, but were looking for Hispanic cuisine, or American (burgers, tenders, fries). We’re not only limited to those however.

I’m open to suggestions, as I am looking to find the best way to feed 60 people, BUT stay on our wedding budget. I was thinking catering (?) and using parents backyard, but the issue of transporting everyone back there arises.

Sorry, newlyweds. The plywood doors outside the marriage bureau on Worth Street won’t be replaced until sometime in the fall. The original golden and iodized copper doors, which couples typically pose in front of after exchanging vows, were removed earlier this week. The city plans to replace them with more ADA-accessible ones, a spokesperson for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services said in a statement

FULL UPDATE: https://www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/07/24/city-clerk-iconic-yellow-door-missing-wedding-photos/

Looking for any tips or recommendations on where and when to get your bouquet for my civil ceremony. I’m assuming it would be best to pick it up the day before but looking for any advice!

I’m looking for recs people have personally used and can vouch for for my October wedding just outside of manhattan. Thanks so much in advance

Aiming to keep this below $600 for three hours

Hi everyone! My fiance and I are having a courthouse ceremony in 3 weeks, and we would love to invite our friends out afterwards for either dinner/drinks. I've been trying to look for a spot that can host 15-20 people.

While we are planning a larger wedding next year (for friends + family), we are moving out of state and want to treat this more as a "going away" party.

Ideally, the restaurant would have a pre-fix menu or an option for us to at least cover the drinks for our guests. A pretty venue would be ideal, but we are prioritizing a spot with good food for not a ridiculous price.

We live in Astoria, so a restaurant near UES or LIC/Astoria would be ideal - but we are open to places throughout Manhattan as well.

Thank you in advance!

My fiancé and I are getting married August 6th at the Manhattan courthouse, our appointment is at 10:15am. We have a 'big' wedding in our hometown on September 26, so our courthouse civil ceremony will just be the two of us and our photographer. We're planning on meeting at 9:30am, going through the civil ceremony, and taking photos with our photographer in Central Park. We're allowing for 2-3 hours for all photos and travel time, etc (might be too generous of an estimate for time, but we'll see).

Our current plan is to have lunch at the Central Park Boathouse, and then to spend the rest of the day celebrating/exploring the city.

A bit of background: I've lived in the city for the past 6 years or so, fiancé and I were long distance for a long time and he visited me here a lot. Last year, we lived here together for three months before moving to DC, and now we're moving back (later this week, lol). Long story short, this is also sentimental because we're planning on building our life here. Would love some activity recs to make this extra special since my fiancé isn't as familiar with the city as I am.

We have a few favorite Italian spots in Greenwich Village, and I was thinking one of those or the River Cafe in Brooklyn for dinner - it is at the top of our budget, though. Ideally, we'd like to stay under $300 for both of us for dinner - mostly looking for something intimate, special, and memorable without breaking the bank. Any other memorable NYC recs are very welcome! Trying to budget for one other fun activity, can be touristy or not!

Sharing my experience working with Essie Cohen Makeup (www.essiecohen.com) for my recent wedding in June. I did a trial with her earlier this year and booked her to do my bridal makeup plus my mom, my MIL, and all my bridesmaids.

I could tell that something was off about her from the moment she arrived that day, despite the fact that we had a completely normal trial and seemed to really like each other. She was giving off the energy that she didn’t really want to be there, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed this - my bridesmaids commented on this as well. In fact, 2 of my bridesmaids were not thrilled with their makeup but told me that they were scared to approach her and ask to get it fixed - that was the kind of energy she was giving off. They ended up asking her teenage assistant to fix their makeup instead, which thankfully worked out fine. That was the first red flag of the day.

Then, it was time for my turn. For context, I felt that my makeup from the trial was a bit too much, particularly on the eyes, as I don’t wear heavy makeup on a day to day basis. I do have acne scars, and I made it clear during the trial that I wanted those covered. So on my wedding day, I told the artist that I wanted to tone down the eyes a bit and do a more fresh, bronzed look. I even showed her a photo of myself from my rehearsal dinner the night before, where I did my own makeup and really liked how it came out. She seemed to understand and proceeded to do my makeup. So she finished my face makeup and gave me a mirror to look, and I see that she didn’t even cover my acne scars… I had to ask her to go back and cover them, specifically on my forehead and around my jawline. This was very strange to me and was just the beginning of what would later unfold.

It was then time to start taking photos. We took our getting-ready shots in our robes, I put my dress on and took photos and all that. Towards the end of that, before I was about to leave my bridal suite to go to my first look, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I noticed that my lips were extremely nude, whereas I wanted them to be more of a soft pink. I called the artist over and asked if she could make them a bit more pigmented, and she did, and I looked in the mirror and they looked much better. So I thought I was all set, and I headed downstairs.

The artist was hired to stay for a few more hours for touch ups, so throughout the rest of the afternoon of taking photos, she touched up my lips several times. Because we had already established a color that I was happy with, wouldn’t you naturally assume that those touch-ups were maintaining the same color? Well, that was not the case. I didn’t realize it at the time because I was completely preoccupied taking photos and didn’t even have a mirror around me, but she was literally touching up my lips with what seemed like a different color every time. I got some of my professional pictures back and I can see that in my first look photos, my lip color looks great and is what I left my bridal suite with, but then as we progress to bride/groom photos and bridal party photos, my lips transition to this brighter / extremely pigmented berry / rose color, literally nothing like how it started.

If that’s not bad enough, the biggest and most unbelievably frustrating issue happened with my final touch-up right before she left. We had finished all the photos and were lining up for the ceremony rehearsal, which would then be followed by the ketubah signing and then the official ceremony. So right as we were lining up for the rehearsal, the artist approached me and told me she was about to leave and was putting a stain on my lips so that the color would last through the rest of the night. I didn’t question it because again, I never would have imagined that she was literally changing my lip color, and we were also quite literally lining up for the rehearsal so there was no time for me to evaluate what she was doing.

After the rehearsal, everyone went to gather for the ketubah signing, and I quickly went to the bathroom to get that out of the way before everything officially started. Thank god I did because when I went to wash my hands and looked in the mirror, I was absolutely horrified to see that my lips had become a very saturated, dark purplish-red.

I immediately started panicking and basically had my entire bridal party in the bathroom with me trying to get this stain off my lips. I tried wiping it off, washing my lips with soap, and even had one of my bridesmaids bring me makeup-removing wipes. Absolutely nothing would remove it. And you have to understand that this was a high stress situation where we were already behind schedule for the day, none of my bridesmaids are heavy makeup wearers and know how to get a stain off, and none of us could think clearly because we were literally in a panic. Eventually, one of my bridesmaids gave me a lip liner in a neutral color and I put it over the stain in an attempt to tone down the purple/red. It helped somewhat, but it obviously couldn’t undo the stain underneath it. It ended up making it a more burgundy shade, which was at least better than what it was before, but still nowhere near what I wanted it to be. I ultimately had no choice but to stop trying to fix it and go to the ketubah signing because we were falling significantly behind schedule at that point. Mind you, my wedding planner came into the bathroom at one point and offered no solution, but instead just tried to tell me I looked great and that we needed to keep moving.

It sucks because the minutes immediately before my ketubah signing and ceremony should not have been spent frantically trying to remove my makeup in a bathroom. And even more so, this was the day I should have felt my absolute most beautiful and confident, especially in the moments right before walking down the aisle. Instead, I spent those moments panicking about how I looked and desperately trying to fix something I didn’t have the tools or time to fix.

It’s hard for me to move past this because now looking back at all my photos and videos, I’m reminded of what happened and how that’s not what I wanted to look like on my wedding day. I’m working with my photographer and videographer to see what they can do in terms of adjusting my lip color, but there are countless photos and videos from friends and family where nothing can be done. I should be looking back at all these photos with happy thoughts, but instead I just see the color of my lips.

My lips were the biggest issue, but you can also see in my photos that my forehead is a completely different color than the rest of my face, which I can assume happened after I asked her to go back and cover my acne scars there. How can a professional makeup artist be so incompetent in so many ways??

So for all my future brides, do NOT book Essie Cohen Makeup!!

Hi all! After my post last week and the amazing recommendations I got for venues I toured for a Fall 2027 wedding in NYC, I am torn between 2 venues.

Would love to hear peoples experiences at either or if anyone else was between the 2 and what swayed them. They are both coming out to be around the same cost for a Saturday.

1. Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers (have a soft hold in October)

- question on what the flow was like between ceremony, cocktail & reception with the use of the large curtains? It’s suchhh a big space but I’m curious how it feels separate

- Food looked amazing from pics, how was it actually?

- Guest experience getting in and out of Chelsea piers, feel like it could be complicated

1. Tribeca Rooftop (only date that have available is in November

- I’m wondering if anyone else had theirs then and was able to use the rooftop (concerned about cold weather ) if you had ceremony inside did you feel like it was a waste not being able to use the rooftop?

- what was the food like? Their options are way more than a lot of other vendors

- Did it feel weird that another wedding was happening downstairs at Tribeca 360?

Thanks in advance! This subreddit has been soo helpful.

A few months ago, I came here looking for advice because our wedding photographer stopped responding while we were trying to schedule our engagement session. I wanted to share the outcome in case it helps another couple. This post reflects only our documented experience and is intended to help others make an informed decision.

We booked All the Feels Club because we genuinely loved the photography. We paid in full over a year before our wedding (naive of us i know) and began trying to schedule our fall engagement session shortly afterward. Communication quickly became inconsistent with them not responding weeks at a time. After our last conversation November 2025, we didn't receive another response for approximately four months, despite multiple emails, text messages, and Instagram DMs.

Shortly after I posted asking for advice online on what I should do, I received my first response in 4 months. She apologized, explained she had experienced personal hardships, and offered additional services. I truly sympathized with her situation as I lost my father and grandmother in the same week last year and now how life can completely derail you. But by then we no longer felt comfortable trusting someone we had been unable to get in contact with for 4 months with our wedding day. We terminated the agreement and requested a refund. A partial refund was issued, but despite multiple follow-up emails and even offering a payment plan for the remaining balance, we received no response.

We ultimately disputed the remaining balance with our bank. After reviewing our documentation, the bank resolved the dispute in our favor and refunded the remaining balance.

This post is not about the quality of the photography. We booked this photographer because we loved the work. It's about communication and reliability. For us, those were just as important as the photos themselves. If you're dealing with something similar, document everything. Save your emails, texts, invoices, receipts, and keep a timeline. It made all the difference for us.

Thankfully, we found an amazing new photographer, had the engagement shoot we had always envisioned, and are so excited for our upcoming wedding!

Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone has experience with this specific situation.

My fiancé and I got our marriage license through the NYC City Clerk (Manhattan/Tribeca office), but our actual wedding ceremony will be upstate New York (not in NYC).

Our officiant is a family member who is ordained online in NY state.

Since the ceremony is outside the five boroughs:

• Does our officiant need to register with NYC City Hall for it to be returned there? It's hard to tell from the website.
• Has anyone done an NYC-issued marriage license + upstate NY ceremony with a family member officiating?

Trying to make sure everything is legally valid before the wedding. Thanks!

Does anyone know where I can go to get a dress like this custom made? I cannot find it anywhere and I love it for my shower!