Being one of the most iconic destinations in the world, New York City provides endless ways to tie the knot within its bounds. There’s truly something for everyone, whether it’s a backyard wedding in a Brooklyn brownstone, a wedding at JFK—yep, that’s a thing—or a simple, stylish city hall ceremony like Ceri + Alex’s New York elopement last winter. Being from overseas, they made their day extra special with an adventure through the city hitting all the spots on their bucket list.
Thanks to NYC elopement photographer Laura Diliberto for the photos below!
Ceri + Alex’s New York Elopement
The couple didn’t actually set out to elope: Alex is from Venezuela and Ceri is from Wales, and although they live in the UK, their friends and family are spread all over the world. They knew that wherever they chose to get married, not everyone would be able to make it. After researching locations in Wales, Spain, and other destinations, nothing stood out as the place.
Ceri says, We joked about ditching a traditional wedding and going away just the two of us. It was then we realized that we both liked the idea and so that’s what we did! Luckily our families were very understanding and happy for us.
In a true New York elopement, they made it official at City Hall. They got their marriage license the day before, then came back to get married before having the following week to celebrate and explore.
Why Elope in New York City?
Neither of us had been to NYC before but had both wanted to go. It seemed like a classic location for a winter wedding. We both love city breaks, travel and food so NYC was the perfect fit.
We flew out to NYC on 28th December and stayed at the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca for the entire week. The day after our wedding was NYE and we celebrated at the same rooftop bar we had been to the night before (Cloud M) as the staff were so friendly and welcoming and gave us champagne to celebrate.
Their Wedding Day
They decided on their elopement idea in November, so it took them a month to plan and book everything. They had a lot of research on their hands since neither of them knew the city, but used IG to find their photographer, Laura Diliberto, florist Darling Moon, and makeup artist Daisy Vazquez.
On the day of, Laura took them to all the best locations to give them a true NYC experience. After the ceremony, they went to Dumbo for pizza and the sweetest Brooklyn wedding portraits in Ceri’s gorgeous winter dress and coat!
The Bride’s Elopement Fashion
Ceri’s biggest challenge was finding the perfect wedding look just one month out, but she pulled it off beautifully (don’t you think?!).
I wanted something elegant but a bit different for a city elopement and it had to be affordable and quick to arrive. I scoured Pinterest for inspiration, saw the dress from Rixo, ordered it, it arrived a couple of weeks before we went and thankfully it fit perfectly. I got the Zara jacket as I thought it would be freezing (it wasn’t!), bought the shoes for £5 on Vinted and borrowed a pearl handbag from a friend. Alex wore a suit he already had so all he had to buy was a bow tie and some new shoes.
How cute are these two? Talk about the perfect New York elopement!
If you’re planning your own elopement, be sure to see our past guides on how to plan an NYC elopement from out of town, along with these styling tips.
Photographer: Laura Diliberto | Flowers: Darling Moon | Hair & Makeup: Daisy Vazquez MUA | Bride’s Dress: RIXO
