Liberty State Park, Jersey City

Weddings at Liberty House

Liberty House sits in Liberty State Park, on the Jersey City side of the Hudson, facing Lower Manhattan across the water. We have planned a wedding here that began with the wedding party at the marina and a first look beneath the old railroad sheds in the park, moved to a ceremony on the lawn with One World Trade Center across the river, and ended in the glass-walled dining room beneath strings of lights.

An outdoor ceremony on the lawn at Liberty State Park, the towers of Lower Manhattan across the water. — Liberty State Park. The ceremony, with Manhattan across the river.

Few places give a wedding the whole of Lower Manhattan as its backdrop, and fewer do it from a lawn. The park around the restaurant adds settings a city venue cannot: the marina, the waterfront promenade and the green steel train sheds of the old terminal, all within a short walk.

The lawnCeremony: Rows of white chairs facing an arch of white fabric and flowers, with the skyline across the water behind the couple. An outdoor ceremony here needs a weather plan designed in full, and a decision time agreed with the venue.
The glass-walled dining roomDinner and dancing: Dinner beneath strings of lights, blush roses on every table and the city in the windows. The first dance and the last hour of the night both have Manhattan behind them.
The parkPortraits, a first look: The marina, the promenade and the old Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal are all part of the park. Our couple saw each other for the first time beneath its green steel sheds.

The park is part of the plan

Portraits around Liberty State Park take walking time and good timing. We plan the route from the marina to the terminal to the lawn with the photographer, so the wedding party is where it needs to be when the light is right.

Weather on the water

A lawn by the Hudson catches the wind. We plan the ceremony design so it holds up in a breeze, and a full indoor alternative in case the day turns.

Guests from Manhattan

Jersey City is across the river from Lower Manhattan, so guests often travel by car or coach through the tunnel. We time the transport for the hour of the day, both ways.

A sweet end

At our wedding, an ice cream truck waited at the end of the night. A small surprise at the close does more for guests’ memory of the evening than a favor on the table.