So you’re planning your New York City Elopement and you want to tentatively plan for the best weather and most romantic aesthetic?!
I’ve been a New York City elopement photographer for a few years now, and I think you can get married in this city no matter what season and have AMAZING wedding photos. But I do think there are certain seasons and months you should highly consider when planning your elopement!
I want you to feel confident about picking your wedding date! While I do believe New York Weather can for sure feel unpredictable, I think you’ve got to consider the Season and Time of Day just as much as you consider the weather.
The Seasons not only affect what the weather is, but they also affect the look of the city.
As a local New Yorker, I tell people that I think the BEST months to visit New York are May and October. And I think this is true for wedding planning. May and October often feel the same to me— not too cold and not too hot. While the evenings could be a smidge chilly, the days are usually in that 70-80 range. And no matter where you go in the city, there will be greenery and flowers in bloom.
Here’s my definitive guide to planning your elopement according to season and month in NYC:
Expect rainy weeks no matter what season. It just so happens to rain here more than most visitors expect. Sometimes it only rains half of the day, and sometimes the warmer months can bring some heavy heavy rainfalls. Don’t let the rain deter you from planning your wedding here! There are always ways to rearrange plans and there are always iconic places you can take photos indoors that won’t require you to stand in the rain. But if you want those cool rainy vibe photos, by all means, let’s do it!
When you work with me, I make sure we can keep the photography schedule flexible just in case the weather decides to get crazy. Plus, I know what to expect during different seasons. And when it comes to rain, the most cinematic and romantic element the weather bestows upon us, I know how to make even a rainy day look great and feel as romantic as ever.
January-Mid March:
No greenery and cold temperatures. NYC doesn’t get very much snow anymore, so I wouldn’t “hope” there will be snow the week of your wedding. It’s pretty rare these days. A winter wedding in NYC is probably more affordable and the only reason I would suggest planning your wedding here during the winter months.
Visually, the standout of having a winter wedding in NYC is that tourists are fewer so iconic locations are emptier (hooray for not having to share the Brooklyn Bridge with 1,000’s of strangers!), winter wedding style makes for a really unique look, and the buidings and architecture are really the standout main character in your photos. No matter what time of year, NYC always has iconic buildings for your photos. I would also suggest booking a really cool hotel room and having a romantic photoshoot IN your hotel room since you won’t be wanting to be outside as much (I vacationed in Paris this winter and wished we splurged more on a cute hotel room or Airbnb since we found ourselves wanting to relax a bit more indoors to get away from the cold).
Mid-March-April NYC Elopement:
It’s still chillier in NYC. We may be wearing our lighter coats and jeans. Maybe just sweatshirts. Toward the end of April we will start having more 70 degree days and it will really start to feel like Spring.
Visually, spring is popping up bit by bit! Mid-March cherry blossoms start to pop out and by the First week of April, there’s a lot more yellow and pink blooms in Central Park. By mid-April the beginning of the greenery will start popping out as well and the weather will be in the 60’s and 70’s.
So while the weather will still feel colder in March and there might be rainier days, your photos will feature both the city and the pretty blooms in the city’s parks too!
May-June NYC Elopement:
The best time to plan your wedding in NYC! If you’re planning to have your wedding in May or June, you may want to make sure the location of your ceremony and any other restaurant you’re excited to celebrate at is still available (if you have no idea where to go, our Planner and Day of Coordinator, Melanie, would love to help create an itinerary for your wedding weekend!). Make those resersvations well in advance! If you work with us, we’ll do all the reserving for you!
Visually— Not only will you get spring in full bloom, you’ll have lots more greenery in your photos. You’ll be able to book outdoor experiences and you won’t feel too hot or too cold walking through the city. Cherry blossoms will no longer be around, but flowers are consistnantly blooming in NYC March-October.
July-September NYC Elopement:
The heat and the humidity might make you second guess planning your wedding during these months and I would encourage you to try to avoid them if you can. But I know dates and planning is sometimes out of our control!
And if that’s the case, I would suggest planning earlier morning weddings or sunset weddings during these months to avoid the midday heat. A romantic nighttime wedding would also be a great option as the heat really tends to die down once the sun is gone.
These tend to be very touristy months in NYC, as a photographer, I’m always encouraging my clients to wake up early for photos so they avoid tourists and avoid the heat. These are great months to plan visits to The Met or indoor cafes so we could take photos indoors in the Air Conditioning.
Caveat: If you want to plan your wedding for upstate New York when all the leaves are changing, I recommend the last week of September or first week of October. I’ve always thought it could be fun to take a train upstate with your besties, stay at a boutique hotel, hike up a mountain, change into your wedding clothes, get married amongst the changing leaves, and have a cute lil’ dinner party after to celebrate!
October- Early November Elopement:
Chef’s kiss this is a beautiful time for a wedding! The leaves will be at their peak toward the end of October early November. Visually, if you love the warmer hues of Autumn, this is a great time for a Central Park wedding or a Brooklyn Bridge Park wedding. Prospect Park and Riverside Park are also great NYC autumn elopement locations with far fewer tourists!
Mid-November-December Elopement:
While it will be getting colder…. If you’re a festive Christmas or Hanakkuh couple, this is a great time to get married in the city! The Rockefeller Christmas tree will pop up a few days after Thanksgiving and once it’s lit, the whole city will be twinkling and feeling like romantic Holiday Vibes. It will still feel like end of fall vibes and you’ll defiintely want to bring a coat, but the cheeriness of the decor and the city make the winter cold bearable and much more romantic. I recommend coming after Thanksgiving tourism and before mid-December as the tourism in the city becomes suffocatingly crazy.
Has this been helpful? If you're another vendor, when do you think the Best Times to Elope in NYC are?
Comments