The first wedding I photographed in the Conservatory Garden was an elopement in September, and it poured.
Forty guests stood under clear umbrellas at two in the afternoon, beneath a wisteria pergola that offered no cover whatsoever. It came close to being a real complication, but it ended up being one of the more fun afternoons I have had in Central Park. My favorite frames from the whole day are the two of them cleaning the rain off each other’s glasses.
This guide is built on one wedding in the rain, and I am going to share what I learned from it, along with what you need to know before you book. If you want the wider view of park ceremonies, my guide to getting married in Central Park covers licenses, permits, and every other ceremony location in the park.
Where it is and what you are actually choosing between
The Conservatory Garden sits at Fifth Avenue and East 105th Street, at the far northeast corner of Central Park. It is six acres of formal garden, and it has three distinct gardens, not one, which matters more than most couples realize when they pick a spot from photographs online.
The North Garden is the French one. Lawns and a central fountain. The Center Garden is the Italianate one, with the long wisteria pergola running along the back, and that is where the elopement I photographed took place. The South Garden is the English one, with the water lily pool and seasonal planting.
They photograph completely differently. If you are choosing between them, look at pictures of all three rather than searching the garden as a single place.
You need a permit, always
The Conservatory Garden is the exception to Central Park’s permit rules. Everywhere else in the park, a group under twenty people can get married without a permit. Here you need one no matter how small your group is.
Apply through NYC Parks. The couple at my elopement had theirs sorted well before the day. Permit fees are subject to change, so check the current amount with Parks when you apply rather than going by a number you read somewhere.
The rest of the park’s rules apply here too. No amplified sound, so acoustic music is fine, and a speaker system is not. No chairs or tables without a permit. No throwing anything, so no petals or confetti. Nothing staked into the ground.
Nobody is there
On the afternoon I shot, there were two people in the entire garden. One couple on a bench. That was it.
A downpour is not a fair test of how busy a place gets, and I want to be straight that I have exactly one data point here. But this garden is a mile and a half north of the part of the park where the tour groups go, and it does not get Bethesda Terrace or Bow Bridge foot traffic on any day. If crowds are what worries you about a park ceremony, this is the part of Central Park that answers that worry.
What happens if it rains, which is the real question
Here’s what I most want you to know, because I would have guessed wrong myself.
The pergola does not keep rain off you. It is open-topped. Wisteria vines over an iron frame, and no roof. Standing under it in a downpour is functionally the same as standing in the open.
Which means the Conservatory Garden has no shelter at all. Not the pergola, not anywhere else in the six acres. If it rains on your ceremony, you are in it.
What we did, and what I would tell you to do, is umbrellas. Clear ones. Always clear, so the light comes through, and nobody’s face is in shadow. And cut the little closing strap off each one before the day so it is not dangling down into every photograph. That takes ten seconds per umbrella, and it is the difference between clean frames and forty small distractions.
Now the honest part. I do not have a good rain backup plan for this location, and I am not going to invent one for you. There is nowhere in the garden to move to. Wherever you are having dinner afterward is the obvious answer if they will take you early. Beyond that, this is the part of a park wedding where a coordinator who specializes in park ceremonies knows things I do not, and if the forecast is a genuine worry for you, that is who to ask rather than me.
One limit worth being clear about. The rain we got was heavy, and it worked. Heavier than that and the rain itself starts getting between the camera and you, which is a logistics problem rather than a question of style.
Your guests will be standing
Forty people, no chairs, on their feet for the whole ceremony. That is the default here unless you permit seating separately, and it is worth planning around rather than discovering on the day.
It works fine. Park ceremonies run short, usually about half an hour, and forty people standing in a garden is a warmer shape than forty people in rows. But if you have guests who cannot stand for that long, sort the seating question early, and if it is raining, they are standing in the rain, which is a different proposition from standing in the sun.
Where to take photographs
Inside the gardens themselves, which is the obvious one and the reason you picked this location.
The sidewalk out along Fifth Avenue. You step out of the formal garden and onto a New York street, and the change of register in the middle of a gallery is a good thing to have.
The big iron gate at the entrance, which is the Vanderbilt Gate. It frames beautifully, and it is the shot that says exactly where you were.
What the day actually looks like
The Conservatory Garden is not a venue. There is no room to move into, no cocktail hour, no space to get ready in. That shapes the whole day differently than a wedding in a building.
How ours went: ceremony at two, group photographs after, and then the guests went off to take a break before everyone reconvened for dinner elsewhere that evening. I stayed with the couple for about forty-five minutes of portraits once the crowd had cleared.
That gap in the middle of the day is normal here, and it is not a flaw. It gives everyone a breath, and it gives you a stretch of time with your photographer and nobody else, which is usually where the best pictures of the two of you come from.
I was booked for the ceremony and the portraits only, which for an elopement this size was the right amount of coverage. You do not need twelve hours for a day with this shape.
When to do it
The wisteria and the tulips bloom in spring, and spring is when this garden is at its most floral. If flowers are the specific reason you want the Conservatory Garden, plan for spring.
I shot in September, and the pergola was past its summer green but still full and viny, and the garden was lovely. So the flowers are a reason to pick a season, not a reason to avoid the others.
Frequently Asked Questions: Conservatory Garden Weddings
Can you get married in Central Park’s Conservatory Garden?
Yes. It is one of the designated ceremony locations in Central Park, at Fifth Avenue and East 105th Street. Unlike the rest of the park, it requires a permit regardless of how small your group is.
Do you need a permit for a Conservatory Garden wedding?
Always, at any guest count. This is the one spot in Central Park where the under-twenty exemption does not apply. Apply through NYC Parks. Permit fees are subject to change, so confirm the current amount directly with them.
Which of the three gardens should you choose?
The North Garden is French in style, with lawns and a central fountain. The Center Garden is Italianate, with the wisteria pergola along the back. The South Garden is English, with the water lily pool and seasonal planting. They look completely different from one another, so look at photographs of all three rather than treating the Conservatory Garden as one place.
What happens if it rains at a Conservatory Garden wedding?
You are in it. The wisteria pergola is open-topped and doesn’t keep rain out, and there is no other shelter anywhere in the garden. Bring clear umbrellas for everyone, and cut the closing straps off so they don’t hang into the photographs. I photographed an elopement here in a downpour, and it worked, but if rain is a real worry, talk to a coordinator who does park ceremonies about a backup plan, because there is not one inside the garden.
Is the Conservatory Garden crowded?
Far less than the rest of Central Park. It sits a mile and a half north of the heavily touristed section and does not get Bethesda Terrace or Bow Bridge foot traffic. On the afternoon I photographed there, in heavy rain, there were two people in the whole garden.
Can guests sit down during a Conservatory Garden ceremony?
Not unless you permit seating separately. Chairs require a permit in Central Park. At the wedding I photographed, forty guests stood for the whole ceremony, which was fine, but plan ahead if anyone in your group needs a seat.
Can you have music at a Conservatory Garden wedding?
Acoustic music only. Amplified sound isn’t permitted anywhere in Central Park, so a string trio or a single guitarist is fine, but a speaker system isn’t.
When does the wisteria bloom at the Conservatory Garden?
Spring. The wisteria on the pergola and the tulips in the garden both bloom in spring. I photographed there in September, when the pergola was past its summer green and still full and viny, and the garden was beautiful. Choose spring if the flowers themselves are what you want.
How many guests can you have at a Conservatory Garden wedding?
The wedding I photographed there had forty, and forty felt comfortable in the space. Confirm the current limit with NYC Parks when you apply for your permit, since the Parks Department sets guest caps and they can change.
Is the Conservatory Garden good for an elopement?
It is one of the best spots in the city for one. It is quiet, formal, and beautiful; it comfortably holds a small group, and it does not require you to book a venue. The ceremony I photographed there was an elopement rather than a full wedding, and the shape of the day- a short ceremony, portraits, and dinner somewhere else later- suited it exactly.
The short version
Get your permit early, because you need one here no matter how few people are coming. Pick which of the three gardens you actually want. Expect your guests to stand. Expect to have the place nearly to yourself. And buy clear umbrellas in advance, whatever the forecast says, because there is no shelter in this garden and the pergola will not save you.
If you are planning a wedding or an elopement in the Conservatory Garden and want to talk about it, get in touch.
