Jennifer and Eddie were going to the Clerk’s Office in Kew Gardens, Queens to get married. Then they planned to invite a few dozen family and friends for an early afternoon celebration at Vetro on a Monday, which is a semi-new reception hall space associated with Russo’s on the Bay that is ideal for weddings with fewer than one hundred guests.
That was the original plan.
Following the advice of someone who suggested eliminating the hassle of the Clerk’s office, Jennifer called me with a few weeks to spare before their wedding in search of an officiant registered with NYC Clerk’s office who could perform a quick ceremony and file the license properly. Naturally, I agreed happily. When she mentioned that they were Catholic, I offered to add a traditional Catholic prayer and blessing to the ceremony.
Fast-forward a week or two. The wedding expanded to eighty guests and the couple moved the date to Sunday, August 8th at 1:30 PM. Given the day of the week and timing, my schedule was still open — phew!
And so, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, they married on a roofdeck overlooking the Bay with both natural and urban skyline views.
Moral of the story? It is absolutely possible to find a balance between the crazy dramas of planning a “full wedding” and the did-we-just-get-married feeling when folks go to the Clerk’s office with only a few witnesses present. It is also absolutely possible to have a small-ish wedding on short notice. If you cut out all the unnecessary extras, which range from researching for hours until you find the perfect flowers, dress, earrings, and venue to spending hours pouring over the ceremony or writing your love story, then planning a wedding becomes much less energy depleting!
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