A Niagra Falls Wedding

by paulbavol@sbcglobal.net

When I was planning my wedding, I dreamt of being wed next to a lake in the evening as spotlights illuminated the area.  However, I didn’t make this a goal–it was just a fantasy.  In fact, I wed in my childhood church.  Today, as I visited Niagra Falls, New York, I became nostalgic for my dream wedding location as I watched a couple take wedding pictures in front of the Niagra Falls.

What a beautiful backdrop for a simply dressed newly wed couple and their similarly dressed bridal party!  The groom wore a non-descript black suit, and the bride wore a floral purple, green, and black mini dress and held  a small bouquet of mixed flowers in her hand.  In fact, if it weren’t for the flowers and the minister clad in her white and gold ministerial robe standing nearby, it would have been difficult to discern that these were newlyweds.

As the photographer took pictures of the wedding party, I was able to talk to the minister about the couple and Niagra Falls weddings.  She informed me that the photographer owned a wedding chapel in Niagra Falls, and with the permission of the Niagra Falls State Park management, they are able to perform weddings under the trees facing the falls.  She went on to tell me that the couple being photographed in front of the falls had been married about ten minutes ago.

If you desire a romantic backdrop of gushing falls, raging rapids, and seagulls soaring in the sky, you should consider having a Niagra Falls wedding.

July 16th, 2009 by Yolanda D. Young | Posted in Locations, Wedding Planning | Comments (1)

It’s the Destination

What constitutes a destination wedding? More and more, I wonder where I would get married. I live in New York City but grew up near Washington, D.C., where most of my extended family still lives. Without a doubt, they would make up the majority of my side of the guest list. Having them all attend would be among my top concerns.

A part of me feels it would be best to hold the wedding in the D.C. area, where my family could easily attend. But I wouldn’t feel that my wedding represented me in any way. I have not been back there in years and fully consider New York to be my home. I would feel as though I were holding a destination wedding, where I never intended to. But I would feel terrible asking such a large number of aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends to make the trek up to the Big Apple–especially given all the expenses involved (and is the marrying couple expected to foot those bills?).

Plus, as I continue to date in the City, it seems everyone I meet is from some other locale: the South, the West Coast, New England and even far-off countries. Given that my fiance and I live in New York but have families elsewhere, where would the compromise come? It seems like a compromise for both families to meet up in New York, where the marrying couple lives. But is this selfish? Doesn’t it inconvenience both sides of the family, while making it easier for only the bride and groom? Then again, who is it more important to please–the marrying couple or their families? What does a couple do in this situation? Any thoughts?

Carla Gonzalez-Hart

(photo credit: millzero)

April 7th, 2009 by admin | Posted in Locations | Comments (0)