A Mediterranean Inspired Wedding in the Hamptons at Wolffer Estate Vineyard

When planning their wedding, Chelsea and Dennis knew that they wanted to get married somewhere outdoors as they are both avid lovers of nature. They also wanted a place which could be a fun destination for their guests to visit from near and far. Chelsea’s family has a home in East Hampton, and Chelsea and Dennis love to spend time there year round visiting the beach, fishing and biking. They decided the perfect venue which incorporated all of their desires would be Wolffer Estate, a place where they had spent many leisurely summer nights drinking wine in the vineyard. Chelsea planned the wedding with the help of her mother Joan. When creating her stylistic vision for the big day, she was inspired by the Mediterranean. The couple had a Jewish ceremony in the vineyard, officiated by Rabbi Stein of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons. The couple walked up the aisle to one of their favorite songs, “Better Together” by Jack Johnson, and shared their own personal vows with one another. 160 guests were in attendance, who came from all over the world including Germany, across the US and even Australia. Chelsea and Dennis could not have imagined a more perfect evening. While there were moments leading up to the wedding, it was so rewarding to see everything come together as they had envisioned. After a challenging but prosperous two years, they felt very lucky to spend a beautiful evening surrounded by their closest friends and family.

Dennis and Chelsea met by chance in January 2017 at a bar called “Time” in Philadelphia. Chelsea was there for one night only visiting a friend from college. Dennis had just arrived one week earlier from Germany to begin a semester as a visiting researcher. When Chelsea saw Dennis standing alone and looking a bit lost, she approached him and introduced herself. They hit it off, and she told him “If you’re ever in NYC, let me know”. He came to visit the next weekend! After 5 months of dating between Philly and New York, Dennis moved back to Germany to finish his masters program. Chelsea and Dennis continued their romance visiting one another from abroad, and meeting up “in the middle '' for ski trips in Austria and Whistler. In April 2018, Dennis moved back to the US and the couple has lived together in NYC ever since. Chelsea and Dennis got engaged in November 2020. Dennis proposed with a very romantic surprise. He told Chelsea they were going to lunch in town, but instead drove her to the airport where a helicopter was waiting. The helicopter took a scenic flight over Chelsea’s family’s home and then landed on Block Island, RI. With the gorgeous Mohegan bluffs towering above them, he proposed at the foot of the 140 steps leading down to the beach. As it was November, they had the beach to themselves! They had a lovely picnic drinking gluvein and watching the waves crash before flying back to Long Island in time to catch a perfect sunset from above.

The bride wore an ivory Vera Wang dress which featured a french sweetheart neckline and a delicate rose and tulip lace design. The bride worked with Mark Ingram Atelier to design a custom bolero with hand-sewn detailing which she wore during the ceremony and cocktail hour.

The bridesmaids wore chic cowlneck slip dresses in three different shades of coral and they carried bouquets featuring pops of peach and citrus.

Cocktail hour consisted of a delicious variety of some local favorites including mini lobster rolls, fish tacos and oysters, his and hers specialty cocktails, and wines cultivated on site at Wölffer Estate. Dinner was a beautiful three-course meal served in an intimate farm-table setting.

For florals, the bride chose to use coral, peach and citrus tones to evoke the sweet beginning of summer, and serve as a complement to the blue and white decor. The main estate building at Wolffer is yellow with blue shutters, and it reminded Chelsea of a relaxed summer in Tuscany. In order to make the decor feel airy and light, Chelsea chose to incorporate hanging basket lighting inspired by a trip to the Cyclades in Greece. She sourced hand-painted blue and white tiles which were used as place settings for guests. Blue candle sticks were paired with white matte ceramic candle holders, a representation of the white stucco buildings Greece is known for. As a favor, the couple gave mini bottles of limoncello inscribed with “Salute”, a nod to Chelsea’s Italian heritage.

The wedding cake was a delicious meyer lemon cake with lemon cream, lemon curd, and lemon buttercream frosting. It was decorated with beautiful hand-cut florals and served with fresh berries, almond biscotti and whipped cream.

Hank Lane Music (Steve Delisi Band) could not have been a more perfect compliment to the night with their incredibly contagious energy and talent. Chelsea and Dennis kicked off the dancing with the sweetest choreographed first dance to Frankie Vallie’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. The evening went by quickly and was filled with endless dancing on the floor. Later in the night, Chelsea’s parents, who were also married in June, shared a lovely dance to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.