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A Romantic Elopement In New York City

Jul 13, 2017

| By Kimberly Aglipay

a romantic winter elopement in new york city - grooms

It was at a Mariah Carey concert in Las Vegas that Matthew, a publicist at CTV, and Maurie, a senior producer and reporter for "The Roz & Mocha Show" on Toronto's KISS 92.5 FM, were engaged. "When we started talking about marriage, I jokingly told Maurie it would only happen if I got to meet my idol," Matthew recalls. "Maurie made this happen--at the show, Mariah called us on stage and handed Maurie the mic!"

The pair decided to elope in New York City, their home away from home. "Visiting the Big Apple during the holiday season has become an annual tradition for us since 2007," the pair shares. "It's only serendipitous that we exchanged our vows in both a New York minute and state of mind." The couple married under the colourful tiled ceiling of the arched Bethesda Terrace Arcade in New York City's Central Park on a rainy winter morning in December. The events following the ceremony were also annual traditions--brunch at dessert spot Serendipity 3 and dinner at Katz's delicatessen, where they ate matzo ball soup and pastrami sandwiches with pickles. "We wanted our wedding day to be just as if it were a regular day in N.Y.C., hitting up the spots we usually visit there," Matthew explains.

An extra-special detail was the vintage yellow New York taxi the pair rented for their photos. "The 1960s Checker cab was a favourite element," Matthew says. "It was the same one used in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

Because they chose to elope, the couple asked their closest loved ones to hand-write letters for them to open on their wedding day. Maurie also surprised Matthew with congratulatory letters from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. "At the end of the day in our hotel room, we sipped champagne and ate chocolate-covered strawberries and opened each letter one by one and read them out loud to each other," Maurie says with a smile. "It was a beautiful moment and great way to end such a special day."

Matthew Almeida and Maurie Sherman, December 29, 2016, New York City, New York.

Photography courtesy of Anchor and Veil.

Vendors
Ceremony venue: Central Park
Grooming: beGlammed
Grooms' tuxes: Zara
Flowers: Élan Flowers
Transportation: New York Checker FilmCars
Wedding rings: David Yurman