40 Days in Brooklyn: The Almost Wedding

Day 28 - Monday Oct 17th 

When they were here a couple of weeks ago, Christopher and Lawrence decided to come back for the “Into the Veil” tour. And a few days after they’d gotten home, Chris emailed me saying they’d also decided to get married while they were here. They’ve been together for 19 years and were finally going to make it official. They asked me to be their witness and I giddily agreed. 

Since I have a fabulous 2-bedroom Airbnb here in Brooklyn, I also invited them to stay with me. And they were going to, until someone asked if they really wanted to spend their honeymoon in a bedroom in someone else’s apartment that may or may not have thin walls.  Being the incredibly polite pair they are and not realizing that I have earplugs, they decided to book a room at the Park Hotel on Central Park for the Sunday and Monday after they arrived. 

And now, it was Monday and I was meeting them at City Hall for their wedding ceremony. We’d arranged to meet at 2 pm because, after all, who gets married on a Monday? We should have plenty of time, right? 

First, let me say that when I was standing on the street outside city hall, I saw them from a distance. Chris in his tails and Lawrence in a beautiful smoking jacket, both wearing the ascots that Chris made them because you simply can’t buy ascots anymore. Heads swiveled as they walked by. They were indeed a handsome pair. 

The happy couple

I should also mention that it was nearly 80 degrees outside—an almost record-setting temperature for October in NY—and the guys were sweating in their wool clothing by the time they arrived. 

I’d gotten there early and scoped out the flower stand in front of city hall and struck up a conversation with the man there who said he’d be happy to make boutonnieres. When Chris and Lawrence arrived, Chris chose Oceana Roses because they were his mom’s favorite.  Bev died of breast cancer many years ago and on this epic day, Chris carried an old photo of them together. When the flower vendor pinned those roses on, I got a little teary.

Lawrence and the Flower Man

We went inside City Hall, passed through the metal detectors and took a number. And there, we proceed to wait.  For quite some time. We took a bunch of photos together as we waited but most of the great ones are on Chris’ high quality camera, to which I no longer have access. Sadly, I can only post the okay ones from my iphone. But you can still see the happiness in them.

Now when you get married at City Hall in NYC, there’s a 24-hour waiting period in which the betrothed are allowed to reconsider their actions. However, if you’re in a hurry or as in this case, from out-of-town and leaving the next day, you can receive judicial dispensation, a waiver, as it were. Unfortunately, we were not informed that the judge stops signing waivers at 3 pm.  We arrived at the waiver court at 3:15.  So although we were all dressed up and ready to go, the fates had determined it was not to be. 

At the waiver office, though, Christopher and Lawrence did swear their intention to be married. We did the paperwork and after a few phone calls to the airline to delay their flights back, we resolved to return the next day.

The swearing in

The disappointment

That night, however, we had reservations at perhaps the most romantic restaurant in the city—the River Café. More wedding proposals happen here than any other place in NYC. And this was where we enjoyed a wonderful almost-wedding celebration.

The River Cafe below the Brooklyn Bridge

The flowers inside the River Cafe

Christopher with Dan

Lawrence with dessert—a chocolate and chocolate mousse Brooklyn Bridge

The happy yet still unmarried couple