Claire Ady, plans weddings in Central Park from her UK home, over 3,000 miles away. She has helped with over 650 weddings since 2012.
Claire Ady plans weddings in Central Park. She does this work from her UK home, over 3,000 miles away! She has a good team in New York City to help her run her business well.
Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Claire married in Central Park back in 2011, when she lived in New York. After that, she moved to Las Vegas and California. She eventually came back to the UK with her sons.
Claire planned her own wedding using word-of-mouth. She thought she could help others do the same, so she read a book and made her own website. Then, she got her first client and kept going.
Since 2012, Claire has planned many weddings, helping with over 650. Her packages cost from $575 to $3550. Couples can marry with the NYC skyline behind them, the same skyline you see in shows like Friends.
In her first year, Claire planned 15 weddings, then business grew a lot. She did best in 2022 with 82 weddings after COVID. Claire visits New York for a week each year to check if things are going smoothly at weddings.
Claire helps people from around the world marry. She got married in Central Park in 2011, because her boyfriend had a work visa at the time, so they had to marry so she could stay with him.
Claire now lives in Solihull, UK, after living in New York, then Vegas, then California. Her first son was born in Vegas, and her second son was born in the UK. They wanted to raise their kids in Solihull.
Claire said her clients often elope because they want smaller, unique ceremonies. That way they avoid big, traditional weddings.
She works around her children’s needs and feels like she gets enough business as it is. Her helpers are very reliable, she says, and she used her own wedding vendors early on. Clients don’t realize where she actually lives!
Claire says she has perfect reviews since she started. Her social media shows happy couples she’s helped.
Her job involves managing expectations and helping people make wedding choices. People save money by using her services, combining their wedding and honeymoon.
Couples focus on each other during the ceremony instead of spending a fortune on a family dinner. People want stress-free weddings, she stated.
Claire said she cries at every wedding and elopements are the most emotional for her because people share deep feelings at them. It’s easier to marry in the US than the UK. You get a license, wait 24 hours, then marry!
Claire writes their wedding vows for them. After the ceremony, they send back the license. The office registers the marriage, and then an official certificate is sent to the couple.
Claire suspects her competitors charge more. She bases her prices on the costs to others and how much of her time the planning takes.
She earned more working a salary job before, but Claire makes enough now, so she is content. She plans weddings from home. Claire loves New York and helping people, and she loves planning and making people happy too.