What It’s Like to Get Married at Housing Works Bookstore
If you’ve ever walked into Housing Works Bookstore on Crosby Street and thought, wait… people get married here?
Yes. And it’s exactly as good as you’re imagining.
A Housing Works wedding feels intimate, cinematic, and deeply New York. It’s quiet without being precious, stylish without trying too hard, and filled with meaning in a way that’s hard to replicate anywhere else in the city.
It’s also one of those spaces that instantly tells a story, before you’ve even said a word.
Saying Your Vows Surrounded by the Greatest Love Stories Ever Written
One of the most special things about getting married at Housing Works is where you’re actually standing when you say your vows.
You’re quite literally exchanging promises in front of shelves filled with the greatest love stories of all time. Books that have shaped how people think about romance, commitment, heartbreak, devotion, and partnership. There’s something quietly powerful about that, like your story is joining a much bigger conversation.
It doesn’t feel performative. It feels grounded, thoughtful, and deeply intentional.
The Vibe: Cinematic, Editorial, Very New York
Visually, Housing Works is a dream.
The space lends itself to imagery that feels cinematic, moody, and editorial, the kind of photos that look like they belong in Vogue, not because they’re styled to death, but because the environment already has so much texture and soul.
If you want to see how this translates in real life, browsing through real Cakewalk weddings gives a great sense of how ceremony-only weddings photograph when the setting is doing a lot of the work for you.
(Soon, this section will also link to a dedicated Housing Works wedding gallery.)
Timing Matters: Morning Weddings Work Best
Most Housing Works weddings take place just before the bookstore opens, which means you’re generally looking at an 11am-ish ceremony.
That timing can shift slightly depending on:
Your guest count
The day of the week
Whether you’re planning a weekday or weekend wedding
Weekends are more constrained, simply because the store needs to open to the public on schedule. Weekdays offer significantly more flexibility and breathing room, both in timing and movement.
If you’re considering Housing Works and want to talk through weekday vs weekend options, guest count, and what will feel best for your group, you can schedule a consultation here.
Guest Count = Creative Freedom
The fewer guests you have, the more playful we can be inside the bookstore.
Smaller groups allow us to:
Move more freely through the stacks
Explore multiple photo angles
Create moments that feel organic and unhurried
Larger groups are absolutely doable, but the experience becomes more structured. If your dream is something fluid, quiet, and cinematic, keeping the guest count low opens up a lot of creative possibility.
If you’re still exploring different ceremony settings, you can get a broader sense of what’s possible by looking through our real Cakewalk weddings across NYC.
Photos Inside, Then Out Into the Neighborhood
One of the best parts of a Housing Works wedding is what happens after the ceremony.
Once we’ve captured those intimate moments inside the bookstore, we step out into the neighborhood, which gives you a completely different visual chapter of the day.
Within a few blocks, you’ve got:
Brick buildings with fire escapes
Moody SoHo streets
Subway entrances for very New York moments
Quiet corners that feel gritty, romantic, and real
The contrast between the warmth of the bookstore and the texture of the surrounding streets makes for an incredibly strong photo set. It feels less like a photoshoot and more like a short film.
Cost and Logistics
A Housing Works wedding requires an additional venue fee of $2,000–$2,500, depending on timing, day of the week, and group size. This fee is in addition to Cakewalk’s base package, which already includes planning, coordination, photography, officiant services, and marriage license support.
You can see everything that’s included in the Cakewalk base package here.
Private venue fees like Housing Works are always additional, but they open the door to spaces that feel truly special and private in the middle of the city.
Working With the Housing Works Team
Beyond the space itself, the Housing Works team is genuinely wonderful to work with.
They’re professional, kind, organized, and deeply aligned with the mission of Housing Works, a nonprofit dedicated to providing lifesaving services to New Yorkers affected by HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
From a planning perspective, that makes a huge difference. The process feels collaborative, respectful, and calm, exactly what you want when you’re getting married in a non-traditional venue.
Who Housing Works Is Perfect For
A Housing Works wedding is ideal if:
You love books, stories, and quiet meaning
You want something intimate and city-forward
You care about photography and atmosphere
You’re drawn to non-traditional but deeply romantic spaces
It’s not about spectacle. It’s about setting the right tone.
And if you’re looking for a wedding that feels thoughtful, cinematic, and unmistakably New York, Housing Works is one of the most special places to do it.
If you’re curious whether it’s the right fit for your day, you can always start with a conversation here.