Joe and Scott traveled from Phoenix for an autumn elopement in Central Park. We started off the wedding day with some portraits at Grand Central Station.
Scott is from Santa Rosa, California, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to work for Charles Schwab in 2001. Joe is from Laurel, Mississippi, and moved to Phoenix in 2002 to go to Physician Assistant school. Through a mutual friend, Scott and Joe met at a birthday party in Palm Springs in 2011. Their friend, Craig, had wanted the pair to meet thinking they would hit it off, but as Joe puts it, “didn’t really know that it would be such a fantastic match.”
He continues, “We instantly hit it off and had a fantastic long weekend in Palm Springs. We exchanged numbers and planned to chat more when we got back to Phoenix. We both couldn’t wait to get back to Phoenix as we were both texting each other the entire way home. For our first official date, we took a bike ride around downtown Phoenix and ended up at The Deuce (a fun Midwestern style bar).”
We stopped in Campbell’s Apartment for a few quick shots and then took a cab up to the park.
When we entered the park, we had to stop for a photo by this whimsical sculpture of blue clouds by Olaf Bruening. Then it was time to walk to the bridge for the ceremony.
A good friend of theirs performed the ceremony.
During the ceremony a friend read the lyrics to First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes.
You said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”
MARRIED!
Joe shares, “In December 2013, we had planned a trip to NYC for a fun vacation. We had an amazing time. I had always wanted to see NYC at Christmastime and Scott loves New York but had never seen it at Christmas either. The city was so beautiful. We saw several friends and family while there and while we were out for dinner one night it started snowing. We woke the next morning to a beautiful blanket of snow and a cancelled flight out of NYC. We decided to take advantage of the snow and go for a walk. We were walking along the southern part of the park, near Gapstow Bridge, when Scott turned around to me and asked me, “Joe, would you make the happiest man in the world and marry me?” Of course I said “yes.”
He continues, “Our wedding day was absolutely amazing and I can’t believe everything came off so well. We had a relaxing morning and then went back to our room to get dressed. We were finally headed to Grand Central and you could suddenly feel the anxiety. We were both nervous and anxious at the same time. It was all good anxiety, but anxiety the same. As we were having our photographs taken, suddenly all of my worries and anxieties went away. It was a fantastic feeling. It all seems like a blur after that. Seeing all of our friends and family in the park suddenly made us almost giddy. Lara, our officiant, was so comforting and was extremely helpful in keeping us calm and in the moment.
Scott says that what he remembers about that day is “my face when we were saying our vows and how sweet and sincere I was” and “all of our friends and family gathered around us.”
An intimate reception was held at Uncorked, a wine and tapas bar on East 59th Street.
The day ended with a magnolia cupcake in the face!
Congratulations Joe and Scott!
Special thanks to the team:
Ceremony: Central Park, Gapstow Bridge
Flower design: Carla Jones
Officiant: Lara Gillette
Reception: Uncorked
Suits: Ted Baker
Cupcakes: Magnolia Cupcake
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography
Jessica, I have finally taken a moment to really read through and take in your beautiful summary of our day! I love it! Your pictures expressed the mood and moment in no other way I could have imagined, and my husband’s words brought me to tears with the touching recap of our first meeting. I am truly blessed!
Jessica, thank you for making our special day seem like a dream come true with beautiful memories that we can look to for a life time.
Best,
Scott Merrill