Shay Stephens
Apr-03-2007, 07:15 PM
I had a wedding today at 2pm, a short 2 hour wedding elopement in NYC. So we got everything together and headed downtown. We just made it across the New Jersey border on the Palisades Parkway and was headed up a hill when the power to the wheels sputtered. The engine was still running and revving, but the car was slowing down. I pulled off to the side of the road just as the engine died. I tried restarting the car and after 3 failed attempts the battery died.
Jen got on the phone with the insurance company to have a tow truck come and get the car. She also called the church to let them know about the situation. They said they would wait for us as long as they could, but they had a second wedding coming up today and to call at 1:45 to give a status update. After about a half hour we had a tow truck coming and then a NJ cop pulled up behind us to get our license and registration. Once he ran us through the computer he left to find sweeter meat. A class A jerk. A few minutes after the cop left the tow truck pulled up and loaded our car. We told him the story and asked if he could call a cab for us, he did and when we got to the tow yard, a cab pulled up to take us in to town. Jen said "I have always wanted to say this, but please, get us to the church on time!" We all had a good laugh.
We crossed the George Washington Bridge and made it uneventfully to the FDR highway. Around 96th the traffic started to slow down. The driver said if we got off the highway now it would take twice as long to get there and suggested we might get off at 71st. At 71st he wavered and we said to do what he thought best. At the last minute he veered back onto the highway and around the next bend the traffic cleared up. We got off at 53rd and a few blocks later we were at the church. We walked in at 1:45 much to everyones surprise and delight. After a few minutes of setup, I was ready and shooting pictures at 1:55 and the wedding began at 2pm sharp, on schedule, and on a beautiful spring day.
Now you may be wondering how this feat was accomplished. I know the people at the church wondered that, as they thought there was no way we could make it.
The secret, and one you should never forget and always employ is to...
Leave Early
You never know what will happen between here and there.
We usually give ourselves an extra 1.5 hours more than we need to get to the city. Usually if there is traffic that is enough to account for the worst of it. But today it helped us to get ourselves to the church despite a completely broken down car. We used the tools at our disposal, cell phone, contact phone numbers, insurance, tow truck, and cabs to keep our cool, and not waste time. We made sure the church knew what was happening, and we turned a potential disaster into a great success.
Getting home was another adventure, but that is another story ;-)
Moral of the story, be prepared, keep your cool, and leave early. Early enough to account for most possible slow downs. The further you have to go, the more time you will need as a buffer for problem.
Jen got on the phone with the insurance company to have a tow truck come and get the car. She also called the church to let them know about the situation. They said they would wait for us as long as they could, but they had a second wedding coming up today and to call at 1:45 to give a status update. After about a half hour we had a tow truck coming and then a NJ cop pulled up behind us to get our license and registration. Once he ran us through the computer he left to find sweeter meat. A class A jerk. A few minutes after the cop left the tow truck pulled up and loaded our car. We told him the story and asked if he could call a cab for us, he did and when we got to the tow yard, a cab pulled up to take us in to town. Jen said "I have always wanted to say this, but please, get us to the church on time!" We all had a good laugh.
We crossed the George Washington Bridge and made it uneventfully to the FDR highway. Around 96th the traffic started to slow down. The driver said if we got off the highway now it would take twice as long to get there and suggested we might get off at 71st. At 71st he wavered and we said to do what he thought best. At the last minute he veered back onto the highway and around the next bend the traffic cleared up. We got off at 53rd and a few blocks later we were at the church. We walked in at 1:45 much to everyones surprise and delight. After a few minutes of setup, I was ready and shooting pictures at 1:55 and the wedding began at 2pm sharp, on schedule, and on a beautiful spring day.
Now you may be wondering how this feat was accomplished. I know the people at the church wondered that, as they thought there was no way we could make it.
The secret, and one you should never forget and always employ is to...
Leave Early
You never know what will happen between here and there.
We usually give ourselves an extra 1.5 hours more than we need to get to the city. Usually if there is traffic that is enough to account for the worst of it. But today it helped us to get ourselves to the church despite a completely broken down car. We used the tools at our disposal, cell phone, contact phone numbers, insurance, tow truck, and cabs to keep our cool, and not waste time. We made sure the church knew what was happening, and we turned a potential disaster into a great success.
Getting home was another adventure, but that is another story ;-)
Moral of the story, be prepared, keep your cool, and leave early. Early enough to account for most possible slow downs. The further you have to go, the more time you will need as a buffer for problem.