Now that you’re officially getting married, your first step is probably going to be posting those ring pics online (duh). And if you’re planning on a New York elopement, your second step should definitely be to call One Wedding House.
Here at One Wedding House, we work super hard to give our future newlyweds the most fabulous wedding day—and boy is it worth it. We love giving our happy couples the best, most original, most truly “them” elopement possible. But how do we do it?
EASY: WE’RE ELOPEMENT EXPERTS
We’re there from the day you say “yes” all the way to “I do,” helping our lovebirds put together the nuptials of their dreams. We have years of wedding planning experience and all the New York know-how to match each couple to the best vendors for their needs. Depending on your wedding vision, we’ll match you up with the ideal caterers, DJs, florists, venue, (and so much more).
But we’re not just here to help plan your elopement and make the whole process feel like smooth-sailing (which we definitely do), we’ve also got our fantastic photography and videography team to document your special day and capture those Insta-worthy wedding shots.
We’re basically your wedding-edition fairy godmother, here to make your New York nuptials positively magical. So white email, we can’t wait to hear about your wedding vision and to help you say, “I do!”
This blog is about the adventures that our couples take… It’s about advice that you can use while preparing for your own wedding in. It’s about locations where you can have your wedding ceremony, ideas on how to decorate your venue and create a memorable and personalized wedding day. And of course, it’s about things you can see & do while you are visiting New York.
Our team answers the most frequent questions that we get.
We decided to elope! What now?
Pick a date! Once that is done, we can get started on picking a location for the ceremony, and all the details: picking florals, music, make-up and hair artists, discussing the ceremony speech and so on. We love this part because we get to see all the personalized touches that the couple wants to add to their elopement wedding. These little things will make the wedding unique and truly theirs!
What do we need to do in order to actually elope in NYC?
We are here to help you create your special elopement. In addition to discussing everything over email, we have created a useful blog post for you guys.
As soon as you are ready. Many outside vendors like florists and musicians (and our team as well) get booked a year or two in advance. That is why as soon as you are ready to move forward and book our team, you can do it by putting down a deposit and signing the contract.
Will our marriage in NYC be legal in our home country?
After you are married by our officiant you will need to go back to the City Clerk’s Office in order to get your marriage certificate and an apostille. The apostille will be proof that your marriage in the US was legal and will be legal in your home country. Allocate enough time for this. Check the hours of the City Clerk’s Office.
How large can an elopement wedding be?
We like to stay under 20-30 guests. Most of our weddings are under 15 or under 10 people and many couples decide to keep this day purely between themselves.
How many days do we need for everything while we are here in NYC?
Great question and one that we get asked a lot. The shortest amount of days that you need to get married and deal with the paperwork is 3 (if you live outside of the US) and 2 if you live in the US.
Will our marriage in the US be legal in our home country?
Another frequent question. The clerks at the City Clerk’s office will let you know if you need an apostille (this is an extended version of your marriage certificate). An apostille will make your marriage in the US legal in your home country.
Where can we have our ceremony?
Short answer- anywhere in New York! Long answer- it’s up to you and your taste. Do you want to be surrounded by nature, skyscrapers or both? Do you want an industrial backdrop? The city’s skyline? Once your date is booked we can discuss your ideas and we will share our list of locations.
Do we write our own speech for the ceremony?
If you prefer to do that, of course! Most of our couples write their own vows and we create the rest of the speech for them.
We feel that we need something between your ‘second package’ and the ‘all in one’ package. Can we create a custom package?
We created these three packages and 90% of our couples pick them. However, if you want a custom package, we can create one for you guys.
Can we add more hours of photography coverage?
Of course! You can add more hours during the planning process, a week before your wedding day or during your wedding day.
Photography is $500 per hour.
Videography is $500 per hour.
We want to have our day captured by a cinematographer so that we can have a video in addition to the photos from our NYC elopement. Is this possible?
We are happy to let you know that we also offer cinematography services and you can check out more about it here
What deposit is required to book our date with you?
Deposit is 30% of the chosen package is required to secure your date with us.
Are you able to share the photographers who would be available that day so we can review their work?
Yes! Danila and Lana are our in house photographers and thy shoot our weddings. So (unless we decide otherwise)
Danila or Lana will be capturing your elopement.
What type of musician is available for the ceremony? Could this be a violinist?
Of course, you can have a violinist perform at your elopement! Violin is very popular, so are guitarists.
For the bouquet/boutonnière, can we provide ideas of what we'd like this to look like? Is there a florist you work with?
Of course! A few inspo photos are always welcomed. We work with 4-5 trusted florists in NYC. We trust them and always go back to them. The images you provide will be used as INSPO, the florists always state that the bouquet will not look exactly like the ones in your inspo photos because of seasons, our geographical location, the creator and other factors. All of our brides have always been very happy with their floral creations.
Are you able to share the hair/makeup artists you work with so I can see their work? Perhaps their website or instagram?
We usually share ALL vendors and book them for you once you put down a deposit with us (30% of the package price). The hair and make up artists we work with are very talented and professional people. Majority of the makeup and hair you see in our photos on the website and ig have the hair and make up done by them.
Could you provide additional floral such as rose petals for the ceremony? If so, what is the cost for this?
Of course, we can discuss this idea with the florist.
Can you share pricing for the cinematography options?
The rate is 500$/hour (couples usually need 3-4 hours of coverage for a good video). One hour to capture the ceremony.
Can you walk me through the process with the officiant? Do you work with a specific person, style, etc? Is there a way we can see or have input on what they will say?
Our One Wedding House team is small, but mighty:) I like the keep the ceremony at about 10-15 minutes and since I write up the speech I can add little bits of how you met or something person that you want to hear. If you like you can write and say your own vows, about 10% of our couples do that. Otherwise I create the vows for you two.
We're very excited to work with Danila and Lana (the photos look amazing!). When do you recommend we schedule the one-on-one meeting with them and the wedding planner (will this be you?). Also, how many photos are included in this package?
We can meet, but because our team is very busy during this season our time is precious and we have to charge 100$/hour. We can schedule a phone call with you and the photographers so you can chat. That's free:) The amount of photos depends on the amount of "activities" and people you will have at your wedding, but for weddings like yours it is usually around 100-150 images. The photographers will give you all of the good edited photos in high resolution. The images will be ready in 10 weeks after the wedding. There is a possibility for an expedited 1 week-photos deal, if you are interested I will ask the editors how much that costs. It goes directly to them and it's not very expensive.
Are there any hotels the photographers recommend that are good locations for photos? While we live in NYC, we're exploring hotel options for us and our guests where we can get ready on the wedding day. The idea is to be close to Central Park for easy access to the ceremony.
Since you are having your ceremony in Central Park, being close to it helps you and your guests. 1 Hotel Central Park (unique and modern) and Concorde Hotel (more classic, traditional) are wonderful!
We will help you to find the best place.
Can you share an example of the printed photo album and price for this?
Here is the album One is $1000. The photographer will pick photos he/she thinks are the best, you then have 1 chance to change the photos that he/she chose before the final layout. We completely outsource it and don't make any money from it. But find that our couples love photo albums in this digital day and that's why we offer them.
I am interested in doing a bridal hair and make up trial. Is this something that you can arrange. If so, how much will it be?
Yes! We can arrange a trial for you. Bridal hair and makeup trial will be 400$. Depends on the style
Can you explain what type of transportation is included? Is this for the entire duration of the wedding (4 hours).
Transportation is for the couple in the form of an uber, unless you decide to go for something fancy and with additional direct payment get a vintage yellow cab or some other form of transportation. The whole time we are with you transportation in the form of uber is paid for by us.
For floral arrangements, what's the best way for me to share some images for inspiration? Are you also able to share the florists that you use so we can view their work?
You can email a few images of inspo photos for your bouquet and the boutonnière to us or share your Pinterest wedding board. Once we are booked with you we will share a list of florists that we enjoy working with.
With our wedding being on a Monday, what is the earliest date we would need to be in NYC to submit paperwork for our intention to marry?
We would recommend that you arrive Thursday and go to the City Clerk's Office to get your marriage license either on Thursday or on Friday. No matter what day of the week you are having the wedding on, once you get your license (mon-fri) at the City Clerk’s Office and it has been 24 hours you can be married.
Is there any hotels reasonably priced near Central Park that you could suggest, as I assume this is where we would be best placed for the morning of the wedding, to travel to ladies pavilion? Also do you know if the hotels offer discounts for group bookings?
A lot of our couples who have a Central Park ceremony stay at the 1 HotelCentral Park or at the Concord Hotel. I can find out for you, let me know which hotel you are interested in. A bit further away and cheaper are the Sanctuary hotel and Kimpton Ink 48.
