This Long Island yacht club got a delicious taste of Italian elegance when this bride and groom decided to host their delightfully stylish and personal nuptials, captured by R Wagner Photography, on the beautiful waterfront property. The gorgeous floral arrangements against the vibrant Fiorentina pattern bring to mind an old-world charm and classic European garden loveliness. The decor is thoughtful and elegant just like the bride and groom! See all the Italian-inspired details in the full gallery!
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From the bride… Growing up on Centre Island and spending my summers sailing at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht club, I never took the beauty of Centre Island, NY for granted. When my now-husband came to visit me one summer when we first started dating, I drove him by SCYC and jokingly mentioned that is where we would be getting married. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that would come true eight and a half years later. It meant so much to get married where I spent my childhood and for our family and friends to help us celebrate. However, Peter and I both studied abroad in Florence, Italy; Italian language, culture, wine and food are huge influences in our daily lives. Though set on Centre Island, we tried to bring a little bit of Italy home to share with our loved ones through various special elements. Our escort cards were tried to sprigs of rosemary, the guestbook was a wine bottle, our favors were hand-bottled olive oil and balsamic vinegar, we had a Bellini bar at cocktail hour, most of the food was Italian -inspired, and we included a glossary of fun Italian wedding terms on the back of our menu (Cent’anni!), along with tasting notes and special stories about the wine served at the wedding. In fact, much of the wedding was inspired by a particular paper pattern on a scrapbook I have from my travels in Florence, Italy. It has such vivid and beautiful colors — perfect for the celebration of our marriage! This pattern really inspired the feel of our whole wedding.
Based on this pattern, I designed nearly all of the paper elements with the help of talented printers at Village Invites and Spark Letterpress. When the paper company didn’t have the perfect liner, I found it from an Italian specialty store online, and shipped the paper company the pattern to custom line our invites with this print. The extra paper was used to make candles by the Etsy vendor Crafty Clementines. We even had runners made from this stunning Fiorentina pattern. Two of my bridesmaids hand-made a beautiful pennant banner from this paper as well! Because the pattern is so vibrant, I wanted to keep the florals simple, mostly cream colored, a few pops of color, with lots of lush greenery and olive branch accents to evoke a Tuscan feel. The blues of the bridesmaid dresses were selected to compliment the beautiful blue hues in the Fiorentina pattern.
One of my favorite elements was our RSVP cards. We invited guests to design a wine label on the reverse side, and we were blown away by the designs our talented guests mailed back. I scanned in all of the labels we received, and created wine labels that were displayed on wine bottles next to a corkboard display of the original designs. In addition to the personal touches we tried to incorporate throughout the design and feel of our wedding, it was important to us to personalize the ceremony as well. Peter and I sat down together and came up with a special element, which we called, “Kisses and Wishes.” With the program, our guests received a little pouch filled with a candy and a penny. The candy was a “Bacio,” which means “Kiss” in Italian. Baci are our favorite candy, not just because of the flavor (chocolate & hazelnut) but it has sentimental value to us – and each has a little love note in the wrapper! Everyone got to have a little snack mid-ceremony — Grandma Bea seemed particularly happy about this treat! The penny was for each guest to make a wish on and place into a little lantern. Peter and I saved the pennies, and all the “wishes” are displayed lovingly in our home. Everything about the day was wonderful. Grazie mille a tutti!
Wedding Photography: R Wagner Photography / Wedding Coordinator: Melissa Bauer of Chandelier Events / Floral Design: Main Street Florist / Venue: Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club / Wedding Dress: Ivy & Aster with Customization by Sew Elegant + Ellen’s Couture (Sleeves + Sash Assembly) / Veil: Peter Langner via Kleinfeld Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Endless / Bride’s Belt Ribbon: Hyman, Hendler & Son / Bride’s Belt Applique: M.J. Trimming / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid + Amsale / Groom’s Suit: Custom by La Sartoria / Groom’s Tie: Zegna “Quindici” via Saks / Paper Goods: Designed by the Bride with Village Invites / Save-the-Dates + Wedding Invitations: Village Invites + Spark Letterpress / Menus: Village Invites + William Arthur / Wedding Cake: Baked / Earrings: Bloomingdales / Bride’s Hair + Makeup: Hair by Kiss (631-923-0990) / Candles: Crafty Clementines