A Rustic, Romantic Wedding at the Jersey Shore
This couple invited 150 guests, including their dog, Leo, to share their favorite parts of the Jersey Shore during their wedding weekend at Willow Creek Winery.
Sarah and Joe met at a weekend-long 4th of July party in Bedford, New York, back in 2016. After spending the weekend flirting over summer activities, Joe missed the opportunity to ask Sarah for her number, but he managed to convince a mutual friend to share it—and their romance ensued.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the couple escaped New York City to Sarah’s family shore house in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. "While there, the pet-friendly Willow Creek Winery, with its plentiful outdoor tables, fire pits, good wines, and good food, became our 'go to' place to unwind after a week of Zoom calls," Sarah says. So on October 23, 2021, Joe brought Sarah to the winery with their dog, Leo, and her sister, Lily, to pop the question and celebrate.
Sarah and Joe decided to tie the knot at the same place where they got engaged, hosting their ceremony on the Estate Lawn and the reception in the Grand Tasting Room at the winery on September 16, 2022. "It was 'our place'—it captured our love of the shore and offered scenic backdrops," Sarah says. "Plus, Leo would be allowed to be part of the ceremony."
With a vision of a rustic romance-themed wedding, Sarah and Joe hired Michael Emens from Weddings Down The Shore to help them pull off all of the decor details with a color scheme of green, white, and shades of pink. Sarah and Joe invited 150 guests to share their love of wine, seafood, and the Jersey Shore throughout their wedding day.
Related: 11 Traditional Wedding Vows to Exchange During Your Ceremony
The Invitation Suite
Sarah and Joe worked with Allison, a watercolor artist and the owner of Hand Painted Weddings, to design and hand-paint their invitation suite. The suite included an invitation, RSVP card, and a map of Cape May with a list of the weekend’s activities, complete with a pink band and custom wax stamp of the couple’s dog, Leo. "We put the invitations together ourselves, and Joe became a wax seal pro after a long day of assembling," Sarah says. Allison also created a custom crest featuring the couple’s initials, their dog, and grape vines to symbolize the winery, along with an illustration of their dog in a tuxedo for the RSVP card.
The Bride’s Dress
Sarah spent weeks shopping for a wedding dress with her mom before stopping at Kleinfeld’s with her dad in tow. There, Sarah showed her consultant her top four favorite dresses and ended up falling in love with the first dress the consultant pulled for her: a sleeveless Pnina Tornai crepe sheath dress with a plunging neckline.
The Bride’s Accessories
She paired her gown with her mom’s diamond necklace and her grandmother’s pearl clutch bag as her "something old," Badgley Mischka shoes and a Dareth Colburn pearl comb hair piece as her "something new," and a one-tier chapel lace veil from her sister-in-law as her "something borrowed." She held a natural bouquet of pink and mauve flowers tied with her great-grandmother’s monogrammed blue handkerchief as her "something blue."
The Groom’s Look
Joe wore a custom black shawl tuxedo and shirt from Enzo Custom. His brother, who was his best man, gave him a watch on the wedding day to wear. He also wore a simple boutonniere, which matched the one their florist made for their dog, Leo, to wear.
The Wedding Party
Sarah’s bridesmaids wore dresses in varying styles and shades of pink and blush that they chose themselves. She created a spreadsheet for her bridesmaids to upload the gown and color they selected to keep track of what everyone chose and make sure the dresses were cohesive. Sarah’s Maid of Honor wore a floral pattern to stand out in the wedding party. The girls all held smaller bouquets that were similar to Sarah’s bridal bouquet, featuring a mix of dahlias, garden roses, zinnias, astrantia, chocolate lace flowers, scabiosa, and ramulus. The groomsmen wore a black tuxedo of their choosing for a classic look. The couple’s dog, Leo, wore a tuxedo and cufflink accessories from Chewy.
The First Look
Sarah and Joe shared their first look on the beach in Cape May. "The beach is our favorite spot so we wanted to include it in our special day," Sarah says. Joe faced the water and the couple’s photographer and videographer had them both close their eyes and open them at the same time to see each other. "When we finally joined hands, it was a sense of relief and calmness, which quickly turned to bliss when we opened our eyes to first gaze upon one another," Sarah says. "In that moment, it became more real than ever, and we were overjoyed that in a matter of hours, we would officially embark on our journey through life as husband and wife." They hired a trolley to bring the couple’s parents and wedding party to the beach to join them for group photos before the ceremony.
The Ceremony Setup
The couple’s outdoor ceremony took place in front of the old estate house, with beautiful vistas of the vineyard in the background. A birchwood arch was embellished with asymmetrical floral arrangements in hues of pink and blush. The aisle’s entrance was flanked with oak wine barrels, and more florals—including dahlias, zinnias, astrantia, and ranunculus—were arranged to line each side. "We also strategically placed bags of dried rose petals, which guests would throw when we walked down the aisle as a married couple," the bride says.
The Vows
Both of Sarah’s parents walked her down the aisle to live musicians playing "Canon in D," and her uncle, David, officiated the ceremony. When Sarah got to the end of the aisle, the couple’s dog sitter released Leo to run down the aisle. The ceremony included some nods to their shared Roman Catholic faith, and Joe’s sister shared a Bible reading from the Book of Sirach. Sarah and Joe wrote their own vows (Joe even memorized his!), and despite not sharing hints beforehand, they ended up including some of the same promises and special moments from their relationship. For the recessional, the violinist and pianist played "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars.
The Cocktail Hour
Guests moved to the winery’s brick patio for the cocktail hour. Sarah and Joe served red, white, and rose wine from the venue, along with local beer and a signature peach sangria cocktail. Guests enjoyed live music while snacking on bacon-wrapped scallops, Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, coconut chicken, pigs in a blanket, antipasto, lobster tails, shrimp, and oysters shucked to order. They worked with Oak and Sparrow to create a custom escort sign for guests to find their table numbers and decorated it with lanterns, candles, greenery, and flower petals.
The Reception
The couple’s reception was held in the winery’s tasting room, where a stone fireplace, large dance floor, uplighting, and chandeliers set the tone for the event's rustic romance theme. The tables included floating candles, taper candles, and floral centerpieces in ranging heights to play off of the room's tall ceilings. They chose tablecloths with a slight shimmer paired with gauzy sage napkins. They included watercolor menus featuring their custom crest.
The First Dances
Instead of a single first dance, Sarah and Joe danced to two songs back-to-back. They started with "Can’t Help Falling In Love" by Elvis, followed by "Loving You Easy" by Zac Brown Band. They took dance classes leading up to the big day and incorporated slow dancing with a few dips, spins, and a lift. "It was certainly a relief to have the first dance go off without a hitch, but even more special was the dance itself," Sarah says. "Time seemed to slow down around us as we joked, smiled, and laughed our way through." They hired the Michael Hart Band after hearing them at Sarah’s brother’s wedding. "We let them choose the musical selections, with minimal guidance as to preferred genres, and they did an amazing job," Sarah says. "They nailed all the wedding classics and had our guests dancing the entire night."
The Cake
The couple’s three-tiered white buttercream wedding cake featured a small figurine of a golden retriever positioned to look as if he was eating from the cake. They also included a cake topper that was made to look like a silhouette of Sarah, Joe, and Leo. Guests also enjoyed mini cupcakes in flavors like carrot cake, red velvet, peanut butter chip, and apple caramel.
Sources
Photography, Mike Zawadzki
The Venue, Willow Creek Winery
Event Planner, Michael Emens - Weddings Down The Shore
Videographer, Dan Inzitari
Flowers, A Garden Party
Invitations and Paper Products, Hand Painted Weddings - Allison Celenza
Signage, Oak and Sparrow
Bride’s Dress, Pnina Tornai at Kleinfeld Bridal
Bride’s Veil, JJ’s House
Jewelry, Dareth Colburn
Bride’s Shoes, Badgley Mischka
Bride’s Hair, Diane Jones
Groom’s Attire, Enzo Custom
Dog’s Attire, Chewy
Guestbook, Mixbook
Catering, Southern Mansion
Cake, A Piece of Cake
Rentals, Nuage Linens
Transportation, Sheppard Bus and First State Trolley
Lighting, Aviance Décor
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