The North Fork has it all in when it comes to weddings — rustic farms, charming vineyards, beautiful beaches, nautical venues — plus locally sourced wine, food and flowers. Choose your vibe and let us do the work for you.
The Venue
A wedding at the Halyard and Sound View Greenport hotel means guests never need to leave the premises, and with spectacular nightly sunsets, they won’t want to. Begin Friday with an intimate rehearsal dinner at the Halyard in a private room, then move to the beach for a full-guest welcome party overlooking the Long Island Sound, complete with a fire pit, buckets of beer, wine and s’mores. Some groups gather at the pool, where they can eat and drink at Jack’s Shack food hut. “Nine out of 10 couples exchange vows on the beach,” said Caroline Calleja, food and beverage manager and events coordinator. Receptions move into the Halyard, with its waterfront views; and for the afterparty, everyone can move into the cozy piano bar. Guests can have Sunday brunch at the Halyard or grab a packed breakfast for the beach or the drive back home.
The Food
Couples get to know the Halyard’s acclaimed executive chef Stephan Bogardus at the three-hour tasting beforehand. Beachy weddings obviously lend themselves to seafood, with raw bar stations, mini lobster rolls, ahi tuna tacos and oysters Rockefeller, all locally sourced. “We serve two types of North Fork oysters with little signs saying where they’re from. The guests love it,” said Calleja.
Decor Idea
“For table names at a beach wedding, use the names of beaches that the couple has visited,” said Kessler. “A bonus is to create centerpieces with sand from each of these beaches with pillar candles and hurricanes. The sand collection tells their love story.”
The Flowers
A wedding with sweeping views of the Sound calls for dramatic flowers. “I envision a circular arch,” said Mattituck Florist owner Danielle LaScala, with cascading flowers, feathers, dried material and greenery. “For this setting, I envision white dendrobium orchids making an elegant, classy but beach feel.”
Extra Touches
Couples can set out colorful rugs and blankets on the beach for a bohemian vibe — and to allow a bride to keep her heels on. For dessert, Calleja said, the horizon is the limit: “We once hooked a cake onto a bicycle and staged them atop the steps leading down to the beach.”
First Dance Song
Points East band recommends: “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran
Invitations
A map of the shoreline “orients” guests in this custom coastal design by Melinda Morris created with Bella Figura.
