"SAY YES" TO BETHESDA FOUNTAIN: CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK

Do you have a "guilty pleasure" TV show?

Mine is "Say Yes To The Dress."

The series started 12 years after I got married,
so I missed my opportunity to be on the show.

Darn. 

However........

I did get my wedding gown at Kleinfeld's!

Yup, I did, back in 1994, when they were still located in Brooklyn.
 

Randy Fenoli was not my sales associate (darn, again),

but I did find a dress that I loved.

Would I pick it again, now, 26 years later?
Probably not.......my bling factor has increased dramatically over the years.
 At the time, this was the one that made my heart beat faster.

I said YES to the dress! 

And, by the way........
we just celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary!

I intentionally cut off Mr. GS' head in the photo since he's camera shy).

One of my quarantine activities was binge-watching Say Yes To The Dress: America.

In Fenoli's words, it's Say Yes To The Dress on steroids.

52 brides were selected from each state, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico
to take part in a group ceremony at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain.

The nuptials happened in July 2019, and the series premiered in January, 2020.

(You can watch it on TLC here, and check out the Instagram page, here.)

Randy officiated, and bridal designer Hayley Paige served as "America's Bridesmaid."

Waaaaaay before I knew anything about this series,

I had some time to kill while in the city, so I walked over to Bethesda Fountain, 
which many say is Central Park's crown jewel.

That was back in October.......when life was still normal.

There are so many places to love in Central Park.......
The Pond, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields.......
But there is a reason that Bethesda Fountain is called the heart of the park,
and there's no question why this iconic landmark 
was selected to be the Say Yes wedding location.

Bethesda Terrace, which leads to the fountain, can be found by entering the park at 
72nd Street (from either the east or west side) and walking towards the center of the park.

It's impossible to miss this grand architectural structure, which was completed in 1863.

Two staircases flank the terraced arcade.
The long flight of steps to the right of the archways 
is the one the brides walked down to meet their grooms on the plaza.

Say hello to Angel Of The Waters.

 

The views from the upper plaza are beautiful........
but more eye candy is found inside the arcade.

 Although there will undoubtedly be a social media influencer doing a photo shoot 
inside the arcade, the ceiling is Instagram-worthy in its own right.
It is the only ceiling in the world to be adorned in Minton tiles from England.

Bethesda Fountain abuts The Lake.
(I know, the name is just about as clever as The Pond, which I showed you here).
What can I say? 
New Yorkers like to get right to the point.

The Lake is almost always filled with row boats, 
which can be rented at the Loeb Boathouse.
The champagne reception for the Say Yes brides was held inside.
You don't need to personally know Randy Fenoli in order to get married at The Boathouse.  
Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other events are regularly held there.

Loeb Boathouse is also a restaurant, so you can enjoy it
without exchanging wedding vows, or reciting your Haftorah.
Personally, I'd like to say "I do" to a Boathouse Margarita at the outside bar.

I've never eaten there, but I just may have to make a reservation 
once quarantine life is over.

If you have to choose one spot to visit out of all the spectacular places in Central Park,
Say Yes to Bethesda Fountain!

 

The Pond: Central Park

An Autumn Afternoon in Central Park

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