St Patrick's Cathedral

This was one of the most amazing and thrilling experiences. My experience with them was very smooth so if you are thinking about St. Pat’s, please do! The ushers at the Cathedral run a tight ship. There was one funny moment where they told me to enter the vestibule at the front of the church and my dad would be there to share a few private moments – yeah right! I walked in and the doors to the center aisle were wide open with about 60 tourists roped away on the other side of the church waving, taking pictures and smiling at me. I almost fainted! Guests were in awe and the tourists were very respectful throughout the ceremony and clapped as we left. The image that remained for many guests was when the huge bronze doors swung open as we exited and revealed the Atlas statue across the street and the sun streaming in and casting our shadows down the aisle with the sound of the bagpipers. And although it is in a very public arena, the ceremony still was very intimate and personal. We loved every minute of it. But don’t expect a full rehearsal and your photographer and videographer can stand in only one area during most of the ceremony. Rely on Deacon Arthur prior to the day – he interviews you and assists you with the process. He is so nice and was incredibly supportive.

What a place. The building speaks for itself. However, I hadn't expected the charm of Deacon Art, the coordinator of weddings at St. Pats and our celebrant. He was so friendly and really broke down the process so that we would not have any worries or anxieties about getting all of the documentation we needed for the church. He took a sincere personal interest in us and we spent much of our meeting time together just chatting like friends. He performed a beautiful ceremony and wished us a "basketball team" of children (Yipe!) Also, the security at St. Pats is fantastic. We had about 1000 spectators come in off the street, and the security staff kept it all under control and maintained our privacy before and during the wedding. Also, the church representatives that helped us line up and coordinate things before the ceremony started were really great and calmed my nerves tremendously.

The only the shadow on the whole experience with the church was the rehearsal. The priest running the rehearsal was NOT Deacon Art. He rushed us through the rehearsal and left us feeling confused and agitated. He looked at me like I was an idiot when I asked questions and acted hassled and rude. I forced him to slow down and go over everything until we felt we understood what to expect, but he was resentful of my interference with "his show".

DH and I can not imagine having a better memory of: 1. For me, walking down the long Cathedral aisle towards him and 2. For him, seeing me walk down that aisle. It was truly a magical and beautiful experience.