Change of Plans: NYC Elopement

Elopement marrigae in NYC and sightseeing

Moving to France to eat croissants and macarons all day might sound “easy” or “spontaneous,” but it actually takes a lot of planning and, how do I put it? …logistical manoeuvres. There are a few ways to get here: as a student, as a student/au pair, as a worker, or as the family member of a European person. The option that made the most sense for Erik and I was to become family members, i.e.: get married.

Up until last week, we had been planning on marrying in Sweden, Erik being a Swede and all. We had the tickets bought, we had plans for me to finally meet his family, and we were about to leave in less than a week. However, when we found out that some documents we sent hadn’t been deemed “official” enough, we had to make a sudden change of plans. It’s not like we have all the time in the world, either – there’s a definite timeline to apply for residency, which is constantly hanging over my head.

Our solution? New York City.

Elopement marrigae in NYC and sightseeing

It was certainly a lot of fun, but it was also really stressful. I was born American, but in many ways, New York felt like a foreign country. After attempting to walk from the Empire State Building up to Central Park, I realised that this is NOT a city made for sightseeing walks; it’s overwhelmingly expansive. In Paris, all you have to do is pick a street – any street – and it will be beautiful or charming or interesting in some way. New York requires a lot more city knowledge. New York also feels much grittier – rougher. I would imagine that the typical New Yorker is generally a tougher kind of person.

Spring Street
NYC Streets
Chinatown View
NYC Public Library
Bundled Up


{IT WAS COOOOOLD!}
The day we got married was the coldest we experienced during our 5-day trip, and although my bare legs were frozen, the bright sunshine and clear skies made up for it. The Manhattan City Clerk’s Marriage Bureau was quite lovely: nothing over the top, but quite a few steps up from the DMV for sure. Some of the other government buildings nearby were pretty impressive and made for a good picture of us :D
to the Courthouse
Bride with Bouquet
Newlyweds 2
Newlyweds
Cold Wedding Day
We had some great pizza at Lombardi’s, saw the city from the Rockafeller building, took some taxis, admired some fire escapes, went to a couple great bars, explored the Metropolitan Museum, strolled through Central Park, and best of all, GOT MARRIED!
Lombardi's
Pizza, Yum
From the Top
NYC
Brooklyn Heights
From the Brooklyn Bridge
Bar 9
Central Park in Winter
Central Park Ice Rink
Central Park Bridge
Lower Manhattan with Bridge
The Met - Paintings
The Met - Statue and Coffered Ceiling
I’m so excited to be home. Although I wouldn’t say that France feels like home by any stretch of the imagination, when I’m with somebody I love, I feel secure. When you’re out in the big world, within endless urbanscapes that swallow you up in machine dust and human grime, in a place where you feel sick, tired, scared, and confused, the best remedy possible is to have someone by your side.
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I'm a Californian in my mid-twenties who studied Art History and lived in France for 3 years. I blog honestly about my travels, share my thoughts on life, and get poetic about art and photography. I also sell prints of my photographs on Etsy.

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