What do you get when you have a beautiful east coast bride inspired by cool, California style? Well after spending a lot of QT with this lovely wedding by Kate Connolly Photography, it appears you get beachy chic perfection. From the cool mint hues to the all the DIY details the bride tackled on her own (all the paper goods were handcrafted with love by the pretty lady in white!), I must say it all feels like a refreshing breath of sweet salt air. Click here for even more seaside pretty!

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From the Bride…After a Christmas morning engagement in 2009 (with a diamond passed down through four generations), I fully embraced bride-to-be status.  Planning our wedding became my favorite hobby, and I eagerly checked blogs such as Style Me Pretty everyday.  (Favorite SMP wedding still being this Santa Monica Wedding).  While I would have loved a California wedding, I am a Jersey girl, and thus we began the wedding process by searching our home state for the perfect venue.

After visiting about thirty different not-quite-right venues, we fell for The Stateroom in Long Beach Island.  Finally we found a place that we both loved and could truly envision ourselves celebrating the night away with our closest friends and family!  We pictured a beach style wedding, and LBI fit the bill.  An 18-mile long island along the Atlantic Ocean, LBI is a truly charming Jersey Shore community.  The Stateroom has a Tommy Bahama style area reserved for cocktail hour, while upstairs the elegant ballroom has large windows that offer spectacular views of the bay.  Both Matt and I are Roman Catholic, so we chose to have the ceremony in the nearby church, where Matt’s mom actually worked when she was a newlywed living in Long Beach Island. With parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other couples we admire all with June anniversaries, we chose June 25th as our wedding date.

The inspiration for our wedding was casual seaside elegance, and the fresh mint color of the J.Crew bridesmaids dresses guided the rest of the wedding selection process.  I pictured aqua mason jars and mercury glass vases filled with an assortment of peonies, garden roses, astilbe, lavender, dahlias, and scabiosa.  During our engagement I collected lanterns for the reception tables.  Etsy was amazing for finding many items!  Perfect ties for Matt and the groomsmen, striped straws for our signature cocktails, a personalized wooden sign to greet guests, shells to hold our table numbers, and so much more.  And, whatever I couldn’t find, I made on my own (programs, table numbers, menu, candy bags, etc.)

In the end it was just a beautiful day that really was over too fast.  I spent the morning getting ready with my best friends and was so glad to be with them, chatting, laughing and anticipating all that was to follow.  The ceremony was emotional and meaningful, followed by a fun trolley ride and happy moments taking pictures on the beach with my husband and our bridal party!  We found a perfect blue wall behind Ron Jon Surf Shop on our way to cocktail hour, and some of my favorite shots from the day happened there.  At the reception, toasts from our siblings and college roommates were wonderfully kind and funny.  We danced our first dance as husband and wife to Van Morrison’s “Steal My Heart Away.”

Overall, I think what stands out most is the love Matt and I felt from every single person there celebrating with us.  For months prior, I had considered every detail, but on our wedding day those same details were overshadowed by a tremendous sense of joy.  How lucky I was to be marrying Matt, and to do so surrounded by the most important people in our lives!  We left that night on cloud nine.  I am still filled with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for our family, friends and wedding vendors who together made it the most amazing day we could have ever asked for.

Wedding Photography: Kate Connolly Photography / Music + Cinematography: Off Beet Productions / Floral Design: Michele Tallent & Co. / Hair + Make-up: Aqua Bleu Salon / Ceremony Location: Saint Francis of Assisi Church / Reception Location: The Stateroom / Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet / Bridesmaid Dress: J.Crew / Bridesmaid Necklace: Anthropologie / Groom + Groomsmen Attire: J.Crew / Groom’s Tie: Hand Made by Emy / Groomsmen Tie: Tux & Tulle / Trolley: Trolley Tours / Bridesmaid Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar Loungerie / Wooden Wedding Sign: Craft Mart Texas / Chair Signs: Lil Missy / Seashell Table Number Holders: Gallery360 / Lanterns: Pottery Barn, Target, Ikea + More / Mercury Glass: Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, Target + More / Mason Jars: Etsy + eBay / Programs, Table Numbers, Menu, Candy Bags, Straw tags, Banner, etc.: The Bride

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