"The city was our venue" – Holly and Stephen had a beautiful destination wedding in Manhattan, with a first look in Central Park, a city hall ceremony, and a delicious meal in New York's best kept secret restaurant, The Waverly Inn.
THE COUPLE
Holly Kealy, fashion buyer, and Stephen Penrose, operations inspector.
THEY LIVE
in Dublin.
THE VENUE
Because we were in Manhattan, the city was our venue. We started off with champagne and limoncello spritzs in the Central Park Boathouse, made our way to City Hall in downtown Manhattan, and had a beautiful meal at The Waverly Inn in the West Village.
PHOTOGRAPHER
The amazing Conor Clinch.
THEY MET
On Bumble during the great lockdown of 2020.
THE PROPOSAL
I reenacted our first date by bringing Holly down Howth Pier, having to pretend we were picking up a birthday cake. But she realised there was no cake when I got down on one knee, and the rest is history (I still don’t know if she said yes!).
THE DRESS & THE SUIT
The suit was from Moss Bros, the bow tie was Dior and the shirt was Remus Uomo.
The dress was Aje, the shoes were Dolce Vita and the earrings were Magda Butrym.
THE CEREMONY & RECEPTION
We had our ceremony at City Hall in Lower Manhattan, then we headed to The Waverly Inn for the reception. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted with such a warm welcome – the recommendation came from a content creator I follow who lives in New York and I’m so glad we listened to her.
The menu was super charming – above the small plate menu, we saw a quote in brackets “Waverly Inn – ‘The worst food in the city’ – Donald J Trump” – it was a fantastic example of satire and we loved it. The restaurant has an indoor restaurant and a beautiful indoor garden and we were seated in the indoor garden. The restaurant has been there since 1898 and the indoor garden used to be a greenhouse, nestled in the West Village in an old brownstone.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
They had a fantastic playlist on the terrace! We got to hear some real classics, Elton Johns’s Your Song is a favourite of ours, so we were overjoyed when this came on.
THE DECOR
The atmosphere was just New York perfection; we didn’t need to add a thing to The Waverly Inn – the old gas lamps above our heads, ivy and potted plants lining the walls that were lit with gorgeous sconces. Unfortunately, they have a strict no-photos rule, but it did mean we could really disconnect and enjoy.
The food and service were incredible – they are famous for their chicken pot pie which I delightfully ordered! We just couldn’t recommend it enough; it’s a fantastic place to celebrate.
THEIR TOP TIPS
If you’re thinking about getting married in New York, we couldn’t recommend it enough! It is a little tricky when booking as time slots that only open for both the licence interview and ceremony three weeks in advance of when you plan, so being on the ball with the times is essential. We figured out that slots become available for both every Thursday at 2pm Irish time.
THEY WISH THEY HAD
We really wouldn’t change a thing. It was so special to have our fabulous friends there with us. But if we did have one thing, it would be more time in New York – every day goes by so quickly but then again it’s another excuse to come back! What a glorious city.
THEIR BEST MOMENTS
We really enjoyed our first look in Central Park; we literally danced our way to the Boathouse. It was such a beautiful experience and we had so many people wish us well – we really felt the love here! With our closest friends with us, we got the best seat in the house and floated through the afternoon on a cloud of love and of course – champagne!
THE CREW
Wedding dress: Aje. Bride’s shoes: Dolce Vita. Bride’s jewellery: Magda Butrym. Groom’s suit: Moss Bros. Groom’s tie: Dior. Groom’s shirt: Remus Uomo. Florist: Bouquet by the beautiful Cira in Wholefoods Columbus Circle. Food & Venue: The Waverly Inn.
See more photographs from Holly and Stephen’s wedding in the gallery below.
Photography by Conor Clinch.
Want to see your Real Wedding on IMAGE.ie? Email shayna.sappington@image.ie with the subject line ‘Real Wedding’.
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