During his Monday morning press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo was asked about the new rules regarding large gatherings, and how all such clustering should be cancelled or avoided. He said there was one slight exception though: "You can get married, it's just a very small convening. Which is also very cost-effective. It's like an elopement is a government policy."
But as of last Friday, all offices of the City Clerk—including the NYC Marriage Bureau—were closed until further notice. “Obviously, and it’s painful 'cause it’s such an important moment in people’s lives, but we’re also dealing with a crisis we’ve never seen before,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Brian Lehrer, noting it would likely be closed for “many weeks.” Which doesn't leave people many options: either you were lucky enough to already snag a license before it closed, or you could put on a small informal ceremony now and make it legal later.
Either way, you don't want to be the couple who throws caution to the wind and ends up being shamed in the NY Post because you refused to delay your church wedding with dozens of people in attendance. You could do it over Instagram Live. Or you could just get the officiant to hang out the fourth floor window of a building.
Last Friday, one couple offered an example of how to properly conduct a wedding while social distancing by doing the latter. Reilly Jennings and Amanda Wheeler got married during a quick ceremony on Bennett Avenue in Washington Heights, steps from their home, bringing delight to the entire neighborhood. A few friends hung out on the street at a safe distance, the officiant literally hung out the aforementioned window, and the rest of the neighborhood was able to attend by looking out their windows.
"It was the most New York moment ever and was even more special to share with the entire neighborhood in such a scary and uncertain time," Jennings told CNN. "I love this city." You can watch the entire thing in the video below.
The two originally planned to get married in October, but decided to move things up because of the uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak. They were able to pick up a marriage license on Thursday, and were going to go back on Friday to get married there. But when the announcement came that the bureau would be closing, they pivoted and asked a friend who is ordained if he could marry them from the safety of his apartment.
You can read a full oral history of the planning that went into the event at The Cut, but to summarize: a few friends quickly gathered; one owns an event entertainment company, so they broke out some props, costumes and bubble wands. There was a reading from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. And then they were married, and the entire neighborhood was cheering. "I think like this was the New York City version of all the people in Italy singing from their balconies," one friend told The Cut.
One of those neighbors was Jay Vanasco, WNYC's news and culture editor. "I was on the phone and I heard this roar from outside—it sounded like someone was on a bullhorn or something," she said. "I poked my head out the window—I don't live in a neighborhood where everyone is always hanging out their windows—but this woman across the street yells to me, 'It's a wedding!'"
She said it was magical to see the neighborhood coming together like that: "There were people cheering from all these windows, it was so lovely and festive. It felt like a community—it suddenly felt like we were all in it together. This was the first time since this all started that that I felt like, 'maybe this will be okay,' because we were pulling together instead of everyone isolating in their own homes."
"It felt like a real celebration," she added. "It still makes me happy now thinking about it."
