It doesn’t get much better than a “modern coastal meets English garden” soiree, but add in a breathtaking bride and groom who know a thing or two about fashion (custom gown, anyone?) and it’s an entirely new level of awesome. Think crisp navy blue hues, a beautiful seaside ceremony and one fab moment after another captured by Betsi Ewing Photography. Fall in love right here.
From the beautiful Bride… Mike and I couldn’t think of a better place to get married, than on the beach near my family home in Amagansett. There weren’t too many locations that provided both a picturesque ceremony setting along with an elegant reception area quite like Gurney’s Montauk Resort. The venue has an atmosphere of casual elegance that was perfect for our late afternoon nuptials. For our wedding, we really tried to do a mix of high end and DIY, splurging on crucial components like the band and venue, but doing a lot of the decor elements ourselves, which created a day that was both perfect and personal.
I didn’t start off with a specific wedding scheme in mind, but the whole affair took on an English garden meets modern coastal theme. Drawing my inspiration from the landscape of Montauk in early fall; I started off with a classic navy blue and white color palette and then layered accents of lavender, cream and spring green. For the groomsmen, we went for a crisp cotton navy suit, adding a touch of whimsy with floral chambray ties and pocket squares. For the bridesmaids, I decided on asymmetrical cream silk dresses, with a dainty floral pattern.
I knew I wanted to complement our beach surroundings when creating my own wedding gown. I designed a dress with a blush colored silk sweetheart bodice, fully covered in a modern pattern of Swarovski crystals, which caught the sunlight when I moved. The skirt was pleated silk mousseline with a detachable chapel train, that created a sense of drama when blowing in the wind on the beach. Mike likes good style as much as I do, so he went for a custom navy suit made by Martin Greenfield in Brooklyn and accessorized his look with a bowtie, suspenders and a pocket round from Alexander Olch.
The wedding day arrived bright and sunny but quickly turned overcast. Instead of putting a damper on things, the gray skies made the greenery and ocean more vivid and cast a stunning light for our pictures. We spent the early afternoon with our wedding party gallivanting around Montauk, taking pictures in areas that really highlighted the surrounding natural beauty. We started at the beach near our venue, then made our way to the lighthouse at the tip of Montauk, and then finished at this great dock in the national park. Betsi Ewing, our photographer, and her associate were absolutely amazing, wrangling our boisterous friends, making everyone feel at ease, and capturing some of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever seen!
Our misty day quickly turned to full on rain just as the ceremony started. But as a true testament to our friends and family, they stayed on the beach creating a canopy of umbrellas, parasols and beach blankets, to the opening strains of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing “Dream a Little Dream of Me”. The rain lent a storybook quality to the early evening, as my dad officiated a ceremony full of stories of our lives, inspired readings, and personal vows. By the time we jumped the broom, the rain was really coming down and everyone quickly ran inside to our tented cocktail hour full of sushi and signature cocktails. I couldn’t be more appreciative of our wedding coordinator Ginny Davis and the Gurney’s staff as they not only kept our special evening running smoothly but stood outside in the pouring rain holding umbrellas over our guests so they could walk from the cocktail hour into the ballroom for our reception.
For the reception, I wanted everything to feel light and romantic, so I played with contrasting textures in neutral shades. Mike’s sister made all of the table numbers by painting on acrylic sheets, a hard modern element, which contrasted nicely with the menus she individually watercolored in a soft blue. Anastasia, at Sag Harbor florist used seasonal florals including astilbe, white clematis, white and pale pink garden roses and an abundance of greenery to create beautiful table arrangements in tall and short clear glass vases giving the illusion that the flowers were floating above the table. Finally, we added a metallic touch with silver mercury glass tea lights and rose gold sequined tablecloths on the sweetheart and card table.
With all the decorations in place, we danced the night away to Motown’s greatest hits, dined on a delicious asian inspired menu and finished it all off with champagne cake filled with fresh strawberries topped with our initials in sparklers. We couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate our marriage then to be surrounded by our closest friends and family. It’s a day we will never forget.
Photography: BETSI EWING STUDIO | Floral Design: Sag Harbor Florist | Invitations: Lucky Penny Paperie | Bride's Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Zimmermann | Band: Hank Lane Music | Grooms Attire: Martin Greenfield | Groomsmen's Attire: Bonobos | Wedding Venue: Gurney's Montauk Resort And Spa | Bride's Hair Piece : Twigs & Honey | Bridesmaids' Button Downs: Ralph Lauren | Groom's Accessories: Alexander Olch | Party Sunglasses: Knockaround | Photography - Assistance: Weddings By Averie