Elegant Waterfront Wedding at the Guilford Yacht Club

Elizabeth Greene
April 3, 2015
Categories: Nautical, Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance
Tags: Bouquets, Candles, Centerpieces

This nautical celebration had the most welcoming, relaxed elegance about it, making me quite jealous of these guests. Crafted by an uber talented team of vendors, including True Event and Gourmet Galley, the final results are nothing short of fabulous. From the beautiful blooms by Hana Floral Design, to these pics from Leila Brewster and Buzz Media’s film, this is my sort of soiree to kick off the weekend with.

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/119238648 600 338]

Colors

Seasons

Fall Weddings

Settings

Yacht Club

Styles

Classic Weddings

From The Bride… Andy and I met in Easthampton, NY through friends at a summer share house. While the timing was not right, we both made an impression on one another. When we re-met the following summer, under the same circumstances, the timing was much better. While dating, we spent several summers together “out East,” and have many happy memories there.

We got engaged after two years of dating, on a cold winter night in March. Knowing that we didn’t want to wait over a year to get married, we began planning for a fall wedding.

The Hamptons seemed like the most obvious choice for us in terms of a location, given all of our history there. Unfortunately, we came away from our venue search feeling very discouraged. As is the case so often, Andy was the voice of reason. He suggested the Connecticut coast as an alternative, where he grew up spending his summers, as his family has done for generations. I had always found it both beautiful and relaxing when we would visit, with rich New England history to boot. Images of the Long Island Sound and beautiful fall foliage as a backdrop for our big day sealed the deal.

Planning a wedding in six months was no easy task, especially for someone who had never spent much time thinking about what it might look like. The only things we knew for sure were that we wanted the wedding to truly be a reflection of who we are, and to create a seamless, memorable and fun party for our guests.

Early on, we enlisted the help of many amazing vendors to assist us. Once we selected our venue, the Guilford Yacht Club, True Event came on board to help with the design element (and, I would soon learn, so much more). I knew I wanted to play off the nautical theme of the venue, but without overdoing it. Caitlin Campbell at True Event was instrumental in finding that balance (as well as coining the term “nautical chic!”). I love color, and was was incredibly inspired by images of brightly colored floral arrangements I found online. At the same time, I loved the classic look of an all-white ceremony. Yumiko Fletcher at Hana Floral came up with the concept of introducing more color throughout the day as a way to incorporate both ideas, so I was never forced to choose. So genius! Her creations were absolutely breathtaking – definitely one of the highlights of the day. Gourmet Galley helped us craft the perfect menu of all our favorite foods, Ryan Designs provided beautiful lighting and seating, and JTT Band (headed up by a friend from college) kept our guests of all ages on the dance floor until the bitter end. And of course, the insanely talented Leila Brewster and Buzz Media team were there to capture every wonderful moment.

The most memorable part of the day, for me, was our ceremony. We wanted it to feel personal, and knew in order to achieve that we’d need an officiant that knew both of us and could speak to who we are as people and as a couple. Andy’s cousin, Marc, who had never officiated a wedding before, but who fit the bill in every other sense, was the perfect choice. His comments were intimate, warm and moving, and as Andy and I exchanged our handwritten vows, the day’s cloudy skies finally gave way to some sunshine. It was a moment I will cherish forever!