Weddings of more than 20 people in a park need a permit

We've had a bunch of phone calls from people planning weddings for 40, 60, 100 people, and who expect to be able to go to Battery Park, Central Park, etc. and simply hold an outdoor wedding.  PLEASE read our posts on wedding sizes.  Most of the comments on this blog are about ELOPEMENTS - small wedding parties of under 20 people.  And that's too many for Brooklyn Bridge!  Here is the cheat sheet for crowd size in Central Park, again.  BIG weddings (over 40 people) are hard to site.  NO CHAIRS, no decorations, no poles, no canopies, no amplified music, no rice, no flower petals.  If you want that, book a wedding hall.

Any EVENT in a PARK over 20 people needs a permit. That means ANY park - Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park, Battery Park, Madison Park -- even hipster weddings at East River State Park.. So you can't just turn up in a park with a big group of people and have a wedding.  And if you want a popular spot, GET A PERMIT, even if you have 6 people.  Because if someone else has a permit, you must vacate the space.

Part of Brooklyn Bridge Park will open

After more than 20 years of planning, a portion of Brooklyn Bridge Park will open on Monday. Following a 9:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting with Gov. Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg, the Pier 1 section of $350-million greenspace will open to the public, Brooklyn Heights Blog reports. Pier 1—which boasts a 2.5 acre lawn and a 1,300 foot esplanade near Fulton Ferry Landing—was actually supposed to open late last year, but bickering between the city and the state over control of the park caused delays. News of Pier 1's debut comes just one week after the city obtained control of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Unfortunately, Pier 1's proposed wine bar probably won't be ready for opening day, according to Curbed.   (THIS FROM GOTHAMIST)

Update:  More pix here.

Spring wedding - find the south side of a tree

Spring is here! The snow melted last night and here are spring crocuses on the hill at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  Which means they'll be in Prospect Park, too -- Happy spring wedding!

There may be meatballs in your wedding

You NEVER KNOW what's going on in NYC.  Here is the Fulton Ferry Landing, always a nice spot for an impromptu wedding with a great view of Manhattan.  Today, we have the MeatBall eating contest occurring in the great little corner where we often conduct weddings.  So if you're not dressed in cheerleader outfits with blue pompoms, try the Brooklyn Promenade.  Just don't wander over to the River Cafe or the Fulton Ferry Park, as they'll unceremoniously kick you out.

Here is the Fulton Ferry Landing on Bride Picture Day - can you count all the brides? I think they're one wedding, and the rest (of the 7) are photo shoots.  This is a view from Brooklyn Bridge.