Rooftop NYC Real Wedding

For this couple’s dish, we interview lovers who decided that the Big Apple would be where they spent their first moments as husband and wife. The ceremony took place on a rooftop covered in luscious greenery and overlooking the city’s most iconic skyscrapers. Bailey and Ben’s sophisticated New York City destination wedding is inspirational – especially if you are considering a sophisticated and elegant style event in the city. Find out what the bride had to say about the planning process and more below:

Q: Why did you choose to do a destination wedding?
A: We live in Washington, D.C., but I (Bailey) am from Connecticut, about an hour north of New York City. I grew up visiting New York City often and it has always been one of my special places. When Ben and I started dating, my parents had a small apartment in New York City and we would visit often. When it came time to choose a location for our wedding, we wanted it to be close for family and friends but didn't feel much of a connection to Connecticut. We landed on New York City as somewhere that would be relatively convenient for family and friends, and easily accessible for people coming in from out of town, including Ben's family who flew in from Oklahoma.

Q: How/why did you choose the location/destination? Did you run into any issues specific to this destination and how did you resolve them?
A: We both have very demanding careers so I knew we would need a lot of help from my parents with respect to planning the wedding. New York City is a quick commute from Connecticut, so they were able to come into New York City as needed for planning purposes. It’s also one of my special places and an exciting destination for out-of-towners!

Q: How would you describe your overall experience of planning a destination wedding?
A: The fact that New York City is easily accessible to my parents, who were critical to planning the wedding, made the experience much more manageable. Our somewhat frequent trips to New York City in the months leading up to the wedding did become a bit exhausting, but fortunately, the train ride isn't too long and we were often able to schedule wedding-related appointments on weekends when we had other activities in New York or Connecticut.

Q: Did you use any resources when planning your destination wedding that you feel would be helpful to other couples? i.e. books, a wedding planner, referrals?
A: Our amazing wedding planners were crucial! Planning a wedding is overwhelming and it’s difficult to sort through the never-ending list of potential vendors if you don't have someone with experience to point you in the right direction. I'm not sure what we would have done without LLG Events’ guidance and expertise.

Q: What were the travel logistics like for your guests? Did you run into any issues and how did you resolve them?
A: About half of the guests drove in from Connecticut or Westchester and spent the night in New York City. The drive for those folks was generally quick and painless. Another quarter of guests flew in from Oklahoma, where Ben is from. That group certainly had a longer trip, but there are lots of direct flights to New York City no matter where you're traveling from, so in the grand scheme of things, the travel logistics for the Oklahomans was relatively easy. The last quarter of guests came from Washington, D.C. and most of those folks took the Amtrak, which is usually very pleasant!

Q: Do you feel you spent more or less money by choosing to do a destination wedding?
A: Unfortunately, we spent more money. New York City is a much more expensive wedding location than Connecticut (and likely more expensive than Washington, D.C..) But, everyone had a fantastic weekend, which made it worth it in the end.

Q: How do you think your wedding would have been different had you not held it away from home?
A: I think our wedding had a certain element of sophistication and style that could only have been achieved in New York City! I also think that if the wedding had been in Connecticut, it would have been more difficult for out of town folks to get around.

Q: Overall, do you have any special advice you would like to share with our readers to help prepare them for their day?
A: Don't focus on or stress over the small details too much. These are the things you won't even notice on the wedding day. Try to enjoy the process!

Vendors: Event planning/design/execution: LLG Events; Photographer: Ein Photography; Getting ready venue: The Dominick Hotel; Ceremony/reception venue: Tribeca Rooftop; Florist: Bardin Palomo; HMUP: Whiterose Collective & Beautini; Lighting/stage rentals: AV Workshop; Table rentals/chargers: Broadway Party Rentals; Chairs: Smith Party Rentals; Gown Designer: Oscar de la Renta; Groom’s Clothing Designer: Suit Supply