Manahawkin Wedding at the Mallard Island Yacht Club by Kay English Photography

Oh goodness, this wedding by Kay English Photography is just prettiness defined. Pink perfection.Blush-hued bliss. Romantic done oh so right. It’s just a complete dream of a day, and every gorgeous picture tells the story of a couple completely in love and tying the knot in serious style.  So trust me when I say you’ll want to set aside some time for this pretty little number, because the full gallery is bursting at the seams with one pretty detail after another!

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From the Bride… We had to travel 1,200 miles from home to find each other. Tony and I both grew up along the Jersey Shore, about 45 minutes from one another, but we met five years ago while both living and working in Florida. We had the connection of both calling the same place home but realized quickly we shared so much more — importance of our families, passion and aspiration for our careers, and a love of sharing great food and wine. When we began planning our wedding, we wanted it to reflect our roots, honor our families, and most of all exude the happiness, love and fun we have found in one another. Mallard Island was the first venue we looked at, and we immediately fell in love with the intimate ballroom, breezy feel and easy elegance of the waterside estate. The views and setting are spectacular and the reception truly felt like a big dinner party at our own home with all our loved ones over — it was the perfect place to celebrate. We wanted our wedding to feel springy, soft, elegant, romantic, warm and happy. It was the biggest compliment to hear from our guests that we accomplished just that.

I fell in love with my dress the second I put it on. I loved the lace, the lines — everything about it was perfect for me. The finishing touch was my “something old” — we had the seamstress attach the buttons from my mother’s wedding dress down the back, and they added a sweet, special detail that we both really cherished. I went with statement, vintage-style earrings from Tejani and a bold bangle from Nadri (my wedding present from Tony) to complement the dress. 

Peonies are my favorite and I knew I wanted them and other soft blooms — ranunculus, hydrangeas, astilbe, lily of the valley — to be the basis of our florals. For months, my mom and I collected mercury glass vases and votives, picking up varying heights and styles whenever we spotted them in stores. We liked the eclectic elegance they brought to the tables and were thrilled with how our florist brought our vision together so beautifully. My brother, who’s a designer, made our “happily ever after” signs and got us the ampersand symbol for some photo fun. We were blessed with a perfect spring day, stunning setting and no shortage of cherry blossoms outside our church — all of it was captured gorgeously by Kay English. The food was extremely important to us (a raw bar was a must), and we tried to choose a variety of our favorites that would be a hit with our guests. Our band was a no-brainier — Tony’s known some of the members of Facedown since he was a kid and we knew they would be a blast for all of our guests. We danced and laughed the night away with everyone we love — what could possibly be better?

Each of our vendors worked so hard to make the day seamless and special. Kristin and Adam with Bella Bridal Consultants went above and beyond, steering us through the process from start to finish to help us create and enjoy the day of our dreams with our family and friends. It was truly the most beautiful, fun, happiest, love-filled, fastest day of our lives, and we wish we could re-live every moment!

Wedding Photography: Kay English Photography / Second Shooter: Ben Tapper / Ceremony: St. Catharine & St. Margaret Parish in Spring Lake, New Jersey / Reception: Mallard Island Yacht Club in Manahawkin, New Jersey / Wedding Planning: Kristin of Bella Bridal Consultants / Floral Design: MDS Floral Designs / Wedding Cinematography: Endless Wave HD / Wedding Invitations + Stationery: Belletristics / Catering: Taste Catering / Band: Facedown / Wedding Dress: Legends by Romona Keveza “L192” / Bride’s Shoes: Pour La Victoire “Cristella” / Bride’s Earrings: Tejani / Bride’s Bracelet: Nadri / Bride’s Clutch: Nordstrom / Hair + Makeup: Expert Makeup Artistry / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale / Men’s Suits: Calvin Klein