May 30 2010 Laura Coventry, Sunday Mail

IT’S the most exciting city in the world so there’s no better destination to travel to for the most exciting day of your life…

This is why more and more Scots couples are opting to marry in New York.

With its iconic landmarks, breathtaking skyline, and roundthe-clock hustle and bustle, the Big Apple is the ideal spot for tying the knot.

For many years brides and groom who have fallen in love with this city have said their vows in Central Park, exchanged rings on a Manhattan boat cruise and walked down the aisle in a skyscraper suite.

But recently, there’s been a rise in the number of British couples travelling Stateside and that’s largely down to the popularity of one movie – Sex And The City.

In the 2008 box office smash, we saw New York columnist and fashionista Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) plan her NYC wedding with Mr Big (Chris Noth).

Not only was she to wed wearing a Vivienne Westwood creation (a personal gift from the designer), she was to marry in her dream venue, the New York Public Library, in front of hundreds of guests.

But after Big admitted he couldn’t go through with the “media circus” their wedding had become and Carrie admitted she let the wedding “get bigger than Big”, the couple tied the knot in a simple ceremony in New York City Hall instead.

Wedding planners specialising in NY nuptials report a boom in the number of UK couples marrying there and its growth in popularity as a wedding destination can be attributed to Sex And The City.

During the shoot for the new movie, Kim Cattrall, who plays maneater Samantha, even spoofed fans by turning up on set in a wedding dress to fuel rumours that another of the gal pals was getting hitched.

Stephen and Debbie Higgins, of Birmingham firm Big Apple Weddings, have noticed a sharp rise in the number of couples ditching traditional weddings for a New York extravaganza.

Since 2004, they have made the dream come true for almost 200 couples.

Stephen, who set up the firm with Debbie after their own New York wedding, said: “We are aimed at couples who do not want to spend £20,000 on one day, who would prefer to have the wedding and honeymoon for much less.

“The beauty of New York is there are direct flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Another advantage of New York, compared to other destinations, is that it is only a short flight from the UK and you only need to be in New York 24 hours from the date you get your marriage licence. Also, weddings arranged in New York are legally recognised in the UK.”

To mark the release of the sequel, Sex In The City 2, we spoke to two Scots couples who have married in NYC.

Seeing SJP in NYC made it so special for me

Marrying in The City That Never Sleeps was a dream come true for newlyweds Eileen and Derek MacPhail just two weeks ago.

Sex And The City star Eileen, 42, could not believe she was tying the knot in the same city as her screen idol Carrie Bradshaw.

And she was stunned to spot Sarah Jessica Parker herself in the street while on her wedding trip.

Eileen and Derek, 39, spent around £10,000 and took three months to arrange their wedding in Central Park before travelling there with sons Ryan, 26, and Kai, 13.

With Royal Fleet Auxiliary officer Derek in his uniform and Eileen in an SJP-inspired gown, they exchanged their vows on the Bow Bridge in the famous park before enjoying a four-course dinner and evening cruise on the river.

Eileen, an assistant controller for Glasgow Underground, said: “The film did influence me in my choice of dress. I thought, ‘If I am going to be walking through Central Park getting married, I am going to want an SJP number’.

“I think, to be honest, everyone wanted to take a picture of the boys in their kilts!” While the family were in New York, President Obama was exiting a hotel – but Eileen was more excited about another celebrity who happened by.

She said: “We stood to watch and as I turned round, I saw Sarah Jessica Parker crossing the road with her husband.

“She was going to a charity do and being escorted across by police. I just couldn’t believe it. I just love her.

“I have watched Sex And the City since the beginning.”

We loved big day in the park

Graham and Lorraine Lister fell in love with each other – then fell in love with New York together.

So after seven years together, they thought there was no better city to host the wedding.

The couple booked the Ladies Pavilion in Central Park and travelled to New York in April 2008.

Graham, 42, said: “We’d been to New York a couple of times before and we just love the place.

“We didn’t want a big fuss but we wanted something a lot of people don’t do.”

Of course, Sex and the City fan Lorraine was married a few months before her screen idol Carrie Bradshaw wed in the 2008 movie.

But imagine her delight when she saw it at the cinema and spotted Carrie and Miranda chatting in the Ladies Pavilion – the very spot where she married Graham.

The groom added: “She was overwhelmed when she saw the place where she got married in a major film.”

Graham, a production manager, and Lorraine, 38, an account manager for Jean Paul Gaultier, are now expecting their first child in November.

And the couple, who met on a blind date in 2001, would recommend a New York wedding to others.

The Listers made all their own arrangements but Big Apple Weddings can organise a Central Park ceremony for £599 per couple (excluding travel).

It includes all co-ordination, minister’s fees, flowers, buttonhole and client wedding pack. For more information, visit bigapple weddings.co.uk.

Top wedding venues in city

1. The Ladies Pavilion, Central Park

2. The Conservatory Gardens, Central Park

3. Belvedere Castle, Central Park

4. Bow Bridge, Central Park

5. Gapstow Bridge, Central Park

6. All Souls wedding chapel

8. Empire State Building

9. Harbour View restaurant

10. Grand Central Station

Editor's Choice: How Sex And The City is sending Scots to NYC to tie the knot

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