Martha’s Vineyard Wedding from Jocelyn Filley

Abby Capalbo
March 22, 2013
Categories: The Blog

Martha’s Vineyard is nothing short of magical. A pretty little island just a hop, skip and a jump away from Boston, but worlds away in so many ways. Which makes it an oh-so-lovely place to say I do. These two newlyweds said I do alright, and they did so in seriously style. With a color palette perfect for a September wedding on the island, pretty little details everywhere you turn and a Groom that ended the evening with a sweet serenade – this wedding is just everything. See it all here.

Colors

Seasons

Summer Weddings

Settings

Hotels + Resorts Weddings

Styles

Rustic

From the Bride… We wanted our wedding to be a celebration of all of the things that we love; namely family, music and the outdoors. We have been fortunate to spend a lot of time on the Vineyard, so having our wedding there was an easy decision. The Captain Flanders House was the first and only venue we visited; we immediately loved the rustic, natural beauty of the property and the simple charm of the house and cottages.

Although we quickly learned that having a wedding at an informal venue requires a lot of coordination, we were able to pull off a fantastic day with the help of our amazing vendors and the assistance of family and friends. Nick and I created table numbers and signs for the property, a family friend hand-calligraphed our envelopes and seating cards. My mother-in-law made koufeta (traditional Greek favors), and one of my girlfriends helped tie hundreds of twine bows on our programs and the shawls that also served as favors. I also cannot say enough about our vendors; we consider ourselves very fortunate to have worked with such talented and genuinely nice people.

We had 100 guests travel to the Vineyard to take part in our September wedding. The gorgeous weather enabled us to have the ceremony and cocktail hour outside, with the reception held under a beautiful tent. We kept the décor minimal, using mostly natural elements like weathered shingles, moss and twine, accented with bursts of orange in the flowers and bridal party’s attire.

One of the best decisions we made was to take “first-look” photos before the ceremony. Capturing our reactions upon seeing each other for the first time was very special. Since we also had our family photos taken early in the day, we were able to sneak away during the cocktail hour to take some beautiful shots at Menemsha Harbor. I am still amazed at how our photographer, Jocelyn Filley, captured all of these moments precisely as I remember them!

In a nod to Nick’s Greek heritage, we used the stefena (crowns) from his parents wedding ceremony and attempted a couple of traditional Greek dances during the reception. The Irish Wedding Blessing as one of our readings represented my Irish roots.

Although we had a fabulous DJ lined up, we also wanted to incorporate live music into the ceremony and cocktail hour. Our wedding coordinator recommended Ballywhoo, a fantastic bluegrass band. We had them “play their way” in after the guests had been seated. The look of surprise on our guests faces as the musicians came down the hill and over toward the ceremony was incredible.

The highlight of the day was when Nick surprised me by performing a song, which he had written, on his guitar during the reception. I am not one to cry easily, but this thoughtful gesture moved me to tears. The evening ended just as we had hoped; surrounded by friends and family dancing like maniacs… We treasure the beautiful photos and video we have to remind us of this fabulous day!

[dotted]