They say when you know, you know… and for this darling duo and their search for the perfect seaside venue, that statement couldn’t have been more true. Because the second they stepped foot into the Montauk Yacht Club, they knew THIS was the place they would host their incredibly thoughtful + classic day. From their beautiful invites from Bella Figura to their popcorn place cards to their heartfelt moments all captured by Brklyn View Photography. See it all in THE VAULT right this way.
From the Bride… Since the beginning of our relationship seven years ago, Brian and I have shared a love of visiting lighthouses. When we arrived at the Montauk Yacht Club during our venue search and saw that they were not only just down the road from the famous Montauk Lighthouse but that they had their own small lighthouse featured in the middle of the hotel, we knew we had found the perfect place.
As we began our planning, we decided we wanted our wedding to have three things; all of our activities at one location (from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony to the reception to the day after brunch), a getaway feeling for our guests so they could properly unwind, relax and celebrate and finally bursts of both of our personalities throughout. We often read during our research that after picking the venue, everything else is simple – and it happened exactly that way for us. The venue search was a bit stressful, we saw many places, but neither of us felt a connection to any of them until we arrived at the Montauk Yacht Club. It was our third venue visit that day (the other two were disappointments) and the last one we had scheduled – and luckily we walked in and felt it – that connection. After that, as they say, all the pieces fell into place.
We were able to create a three day weekend for most of our guests (we both have very big families so more than half the wedding was invited to the rehearsal dinner) which allowed everyone to relax and take advantage of the Montauk Yacht Club’s numerous activities – from spa services to water sports. This made us so happy. One other big advantage of having all our events at the same location all our guests were staying at was that it eliminated any transportation or driving for the whole weekend. We think this allowed everyone to relax a little bit more knowing they didn’t need to worry about any logistical issues.
We let our personalities shine through at every opportunity we could over the weekend. We wanted our wedding to be unique but more importantly, we wanted everyone to feel like they knew us a little bit better as a couple when they left. We started this with custom ceremony programs that featured a timeline of our relationship, highlighting major and memorable moments as well as a breakdown of our relationship by the numbers – showing how many movies we had ever seen together, how many birthdays we had celebrated together and so forth. It continued with Brian’s father officiating the ceremony and us reading our own vows to each other. We felt like it was like no other ceremony we had ever been so, and it was very much ours.
The cocktail hour featured a playlist curated by Christianna as well as a few of our favorite foods including two different types of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The wedding began with guests picking up their place cards which were fastened to the front of small boxes of popcorn – Brian’s favorite snack and heading to their tables which were marked with pictures of both of us at the age of their table number. Throughout the reception we included more personal touches like a cigar table featuring my father’s favorite brand and our mothers’ signature cookies and our favorite frozen yogurt, 16 Handles, for dessert.
As we look back on the day, I still cry when I think about the ceremony and Brian remembers how happy he was that our personalities shined through so much. If we can give one piece of advice to couples planning their own weddings it would be to remember that your wedding should reflect you both – from your favorite colors, the hobbies you share, and even the hot dog recipes you both love. Make it yours!
Photography: Jainé Kershner Photography | Floral Design: Flowers By Beth | Wedding Dress: J.Crew | Invitations: Bella Figura | Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | Makeup: Amy Klewitz Beauty | Band: The All Stars | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Venue: Montauk Yacht Club