George and Jaclyn Ebilicos settled in their family home in Southampton, New York, with their hearts at an outdoor wedding reception last summer.
“We wanted to celebrate the neighborhood of town, but not in town, but in a gorgeous outdoor area with plenty of space,” Entilicos said. “Our property was attractive as there was no need to pay the venue fee and there was a large lawn to accommodate our guests.”
But when Entilicos, a psychotherapist who practiced in Manhattan, and Entilicos, 32, examined the costs of renting a tent, audiovisual equipment and installing a dance floor and other logistics, they found it to be far more expensive and complicated than they wanted.
They will instead host a wedding and reception for 150 people at Central Park Zoo in September.
“It turned out to be extremely convenient for our guests and us to marry in town,” Embiricos said. “We got a lot more money than we had in Southampton, and it wasn't too stressful for us to plan.”
New York has long experienced slowing weddings over the summer. The drop-off was particularly prominent during the coronavirus pandemic as local couples chose a more spacious outdoor venue within hours of the city. They often sought locations in upstate New York, Hampton, Connecticut, and other rural and seaside destinations.
However, in recent years, summer weddings have steadily returned to the city, with couples like Ebilikos who appreciate the ease and economic value of having a local wedding. The spread of local event spaces in recent years and the decision to have a fiancé in the city has led to a potential headache that will separate out of town events.
Overall, there has been a steady increase in New York City weddings, including summer weddings, since 2021, according to wedding planning site The Knot. This number rose 16% in 2022, then 8% in 2023, and nearly 8% in 2024.
Louise Castellano, sales manager for events and catering for the New York City Wildlife Conservation Society's aquarium and four zoos, said Central Park Zoo held six weddings last July and August, with six weddings scheduled for the same month this year. Two years ago, that number was zero, she said. “The Bronx Zoo, which averaged 12-15 weddings in June, July and August, showed more interest in last summer and continues this year,” Castellano said.
Glasshouse, which has three event spaces in the city, is also watching the summer wedding jump. According to Jack Guttman, the Chelsea location, a penthouse that has been open since 2006 and can accommodate 150 people, which owns Glass House venues in Chelsea and Bryant Park and a general partner in a third of midtown west, the Chelsea location has hosted 30% of the summer weddings since last year.
“We averaged 20 summer weddings a year, up until the pandemic when business slowed down and everyone went to the Hamptons,” Gutman said. “We're busier now than ever.”
New York catering companies are also recognising new interest in summer weddings.
According to Alex Metz, vice president of sales, Restaurant Associates, which collaborates with Delicatessen in Katz and Restaurant Tatiana at Lincoln Center, has between 25-30% of wedding reservations for July and August.
“We were offering lucrative pricing to put our business in place over the summer, and now we don't need it anymore,” she said.
Metz added that the number of new event venues in the city has helped to strengthen the summer wedding business. It includes Hush Venues, which was founded in 2021 and consists of seven spaces throughout the city. The latest is Halo, a financial district that will open in June, and can accommodate 750 people indoors and up to 5,000 people in the second-floor outdoor plaza. Glasshouse has also opened two venues over the past four years: the 1902 Bryant Park Mansion and the 100,000 square feet of western highway space.
New York event planner Elizabeth Hall was working on Ebilikos' wedding, but thought the growth of Summer City weddings was partly due to convenience and cost.
“Many young couples in New York and elsewhere have been invited to their destination weddings all summer, and there is plenty of money and time needed for these events,” she said. “When you're having a wedding in the town where you live, it's easy and inexpensive for a friend who lives in town to make it work.”
Another New York event planner, Victoria Duvin, said the logistics of local couples holding weddings outside of town are key factors. “We may need to bring in multiple tents, including kitchen items, guest receptions, ceremonies, just in case it rains,” she said. “We'll probably need toilet trailers and generators to drive our tents, music, lighting, kitchens and other electrical needs, including air conditioners.”
Dubin added that the number of hotels that can accommodate small town guests may be limited. Some municipalities may impose curfews on weddings or even cap guests to limit traffic.
“For many people, getting married where they live is a perfect circular moment, linking their wedding day to where they first began and where they have already built their lives together,” said Allison Calman, vice president of brand marketing for wedding platform Zola.
Concept artist Jessica Williamson, 30, and software engineer Kevin Lee, 42, held a wedding reception at Glasshouse's Chelsea venue last July. The couple then moved to Miami, but they said they lived in Manhattan for most of their relationship and wanted to host a “personal and meaningful” wedding.
Their celebration began with a welcome drink at the trailer park lounge in Chelsea where they first dated. Lee said he had a view of the same city as his previous apartment a few blocks away, so they chose the glass house for the reception.
“The wedding was sentimental and we talked about our lives in New York as a couple, and that's exactly what we wanted,” Lee said. “It took guests to our beloved destination and called home.”
