A Shelter Island Affair

We are lucky enough to call Long Island our home and are so grateful to work with the fabulous clientele, locations, vendors and influencers who feel the same. One of the things we love most about working in New York in the wedding industry is that there are so many different environments and atmospheres for a wedding. From the Catskills to New York City, Brooklyn the Hamptons and more, the options are endless. Last year we had the opportunity to design and coordinate of for a lovely couple in stunning location of Shelter Island. For those of you who don’t know where or what Shelter Island is, it’s this sweet little escape off the north fork of Long Island that is only accessed by ferry front Greenport. It is truly a secret summer haven and we are excited to share it with you!

Angel Project Photography

We are excited to share with you this wedding for many reasons. Firstly, the bride happens to be family to the Showplace team, which we have to say, made it even more special for while planning the big day! Take a look into the stunning wedding of Sarah and Patrick and see why our nautical brides and grooms should consider this little dream destination wedding spot.

Angel Project Photography

Lets start from the beginning, shall we! Sarah and Patrick met at a local bar in Baltimore, Maryland. Sarah was out celebrating her birthday when she met the love of her life, and Patrick knew he found the one while watching Sarah pour her heart into the karaoke song, “something to talk about.” A mutual friend introduced them and they haven’t looked back since! A few years later, both living in North Carolina, Sarah knew her life would be changed forever. Coming home after a girls’ weekend away, Sarah opened the door to a room filled with candles and her favorites…sunflowers. Shocked at the scene Sarah shut the door and ran back outside. When she got herself together, she walked in to see Patrick down on one knee, waiting to ask the big question. We love this couples sweet story and knew planning and designing their wedding would truly be a special journey. After the engagement and about a year of wedding planning, that’s where we come in!

Angel Project Photography

Sarah and Patrick were married at The Boathouse on Shelter Island, which is sentimental to a few of us. “The Boathouse is actually near and dear to my heart. My aunt and uncle had their wedding reception there years ago and my cousins had their reception there as well. Shelter Island has always just been a magical place to me and when I finally took my husband there for the first time, he fell in love too. The rest was history and we knew that’s where we wanted to be.”

Angel Project Photography

For many who may not know, The Boathouse is a truly special place. It has a long history of special occasions from visitors that come every year, but also has a few of it’s own little stories and history. The Boathouse partners with the marina on Shelter Island and is known for it’s fabulous space. Built in the 1920’s as an original boat storing facility aka “ The Boathouse”, the venue has now been revamped for host wedding and special events. One thing we love about this location is that it can relate to many themes and styles. It is rustic, beachy, nautical and chic at the same time. The high ceilings, dark beams, stunning chandeliers and windows with a view lend itself to a decorators heaven! We loved creating in this space. From hanging greenery on the chandeliers to long dining style tables, it truly was a beautiful canvas from the beginning. There are indoor and outdoor seating options to enjoy the beauty all around you and we think it’s the perfect close destination wedding for many New York. Another little fun fact, for all of our Billy Joel fans out there, can you guess what song was written in this historic location? Piano Man isn’t his most famous song or anything…pretty cool if you ask us!

Angel Project Photography

When we asked Sarah what her favorite part of her wedding was, like all other brides her first response was “I wish I could remember more of my wedding, but everything was perfect. When people tell you it’s over in the blink of an eye, they really are not kidding!” This is so true for so many brides, but she told us her favorite part was sharing Shelter Island with my friends and family. Sarah and Patrick made sure to make their wedding a full experience for guests visiting out of state. It was a mini weekend getaway, and in her words, “the whole weekend was perfection.”

Angel Project Photography

While meeting with Sarah before her wedding to bring her decor vision to life, it was really important to us to understand her vision and produce an atmosphere that would make her swoon. Sarah was such a pleasure to work with. She was interested, intriguing and we like to call her our “bridechilla,” which made planning her wedding that much more fun for everyone involved. Sarah’s original inspiration was vintage meets bohemian vibe, and I have to say, that’s exactly what we gave her! We started with colors that complimented an early September wedding from greenery, reds, burgundy, blush, mustard and more, it was a summer meets fall paradise. One of the first things we know brings a space to life is lots of greenery. We started with garland at the pews of the church and added in two stunning lush wreaths to the outside of the Union Chapel doors. This was a first look as to what the guests would be immersed in once they got to The Boathouse, and we wanted to bring the theme to both locations.

Angel Project Photography

Decorating The Boathouse as was so much fun because we had so many options. Green garland was a big stable in our décor process as we hung if from the chandeliers, used it as table arrangements and was the main centerpiece of the sweetheart table. This garland was custom made and included a variety of eucalyptus for that sage green look, along with ferns and smilax vines. While choosing the flowers, we truly wanted to compliment the theme. Sarah wore a stunning lace gown from Michelle Roth and we wanted our flowers to make a statement, yet be soft and romantic. We used a variety of greens as a base from eucalyptus, ruscus, dusty miller and more. Then we added in flowers to match our color scheme of blush, burgundy, soft peach, ivory and reds. These blooms included roses, ranunculus, spray roses, hybericum berries, garden roses, scabiosa and more! It was perfectly wrapped up with in silk champagne ribbon for our boho bride. When it came to designing tablescapes, we created a variety of centerpieces from long garland with glass atriums and low lush pedestals with taper candles. We wanted to use a variety of blooms and had fun making these arrangements that were seasonally and colorfully appropriate. Flowers we used included roses, lisianthus, astilbe, dahlias, spray roses, scabiosa, lots of greens and more!

Angel Project Photography

We then added more design elements to spice up these tables. Accenting with blue colored tapper candles, copper votive candles, blue stem wear and copper chargers brought the table to life with a overall fun bohemian look.

Angel Project Photography

A night full of yummy food, fun drinks and lots of dancing was what was in store for guests of Sarah and Patrick. Salt Waterfront Bar and Grill was the premiere caterer of the night. They are native to Shelter Island and have fabulous menu and atmosphere for both onsite and offsite catering! Opting out of the traditional wedding cake, Sarah and Patrick served their guests Italian pastries, which only made this wedding more adorable!

Angel Project Photography

Overall, a stunning wedding with an even more stunning couple was executed that weekend, and we were so thankful and happy to have been a part of it. In the words of Sarah herself, “the wedding for us was something really special because it was centered around family. Our families, immediate and extended, helped us make this weekend everything that it possibly could be, and we are so grateful for the love and support they gave us through the whole process.” We were honored to be part of your big day, and wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Thanks for taking a look inside the life of a real Showplace couple and wedding. We hope you have been inspired and who knows, maybe Shelter Island is the dream location you never knew you needed!

Check out links below of the fabulous vendors and locations!

Ceremony: Union Chapel

Venue: The Boathouse, Shelter Island

Caterer: SALT Waterfront Bar & Grill

Event Decor/ Design: Showplace Floral and Event Design

Bridal Gown: Michelle Roth

Photographer: Angel Project Photography