Destination Wedding Central Park, Cop Cot, Russian Tea Room
sometimes you fall
A few years back, I photographed a destination wedding in Central Park. The couple and the guests were from Australia, and as nice as can be. The limo driver was very late getting to the hotel. The makeup artist was very serious about getting the bride to her Central Park destination asap so she told me to hurry and get into the limo when it finally arrived. Well, I hurried a bit too much. My soft-soled loafers stuck to the black carpet of the limo and I lost my footing. It was actually a bump in the floor of the limo, for the spare tire.
Sometimes you fly into a minibar of a limousine and you’re not even lindsay lohan
I went flying into the minibar, which was made of a very hard plastic, bake lite, and I had a camera in each hand of which I refused to let go. I ended up breaking my nose and getting two black eyes. There was blood everywhere, but luckily not on the bride’s white dress, only on the bridesmaids’ purple ones (see above pictures for the purple dress). I’m so grateful purple is ever a popular color for weddings, because you never know when you will splatter blood and it blends just perfectly.
A quick-thinking guest took a can of chilled coke and put it on my nose. The bridesmaids didn’t act vexed, just wiped off the blood with seltzer water and a napkin. The mother of the bride handed me some pills. I had no idea what they were, but I took four. The father asked if I needed an ambulance. I was confused. Why would I? I have a wedding to photograph!
The Show must go On
The day went by, the wedding was lovely. It took place in a special little nook of Central Park called the Cop Cot, “a small wooden shelter built in 1984—one of several Central Park rustic structures created with rough-hewn logs in intricate designs.” After the ceremony, I ran into the bathroom at Bethesda Fountain. When I saw myself in the mirror I couldn’t believe my eyes (that’s a double entendre). By then they were swollen shut, and I was a complete mess. No wonder I was having trouble focusing and had a horrible headache.
Photographing a wedding with my eyes closed
They kept saying I could go home, and now I understand why. I replied, “Are you kidding, I’ve done this so many times I can do it with my eyes closed.” And so I did, just barely making out the fountain, the Bow Bridge, and all of the other lovely places we took pictures. I don’t even remember being at Lincoln Center but I have pictures to prove it. Then, we headed over to the Russian Tea Room for the reception.
Probably the biggest tragedy of the day was that I was offered the most delicious food that I most certainly needed. However I could not taste a thing due to my broken nose. There was a soup, that I’m sure would have been amazing if I had been able to taste it. The couple and the family and guests were as nice as can be. I have so much affection for each and every one of them and I thank them for entrusting me in their wedding photos and being so patient and supportive along the way.
Below you will see the makeup artist who told me to hurry. If you know her, please connect me with her because I’d love to catch up. She did a great job and really cared about her bride. You’ll also see a selection of the pictures I did with my eyes closed. I’d also love to get in touch with the planner, Claire, from WedinCentralPark.com.
In other news, Google is Back and this is HUGE
You know your Google Business page is up and running again after months of it being suspended when you get nonstop solicitations from people trying to sell you things.
Well, Google, thanks for re-instating my account (I was never a fraudulent business, I just moved back to NYC) and thank you to Professor M for having the focus and expertise to get it fixed!
Now, couples, I’m here for you. It’s only a matter of time before I start doing destination wedding photography in New York again! I used to get so many calls from couples from all over the world. By the way, I accept foreign currency. : )
Just in time, because the Conservatory Garden is back open after renovations and the park is humming. Well, it’s even gorgeous in the dead of winter and I love doing snowy weddings too. I’m just full of Central Park photographer joy right now. More soon. And if you read this far, do you want to see a picture of me with a broken nose and black eyes? Let me know and I’ll try to find it.
