updated photos of clubhouse

The new clubhouse is really coming along, and thank God, because our first wedding there is October 17. Not too far away!

honeymoon

When planning your honeymoon, don't write off Hawaii as an option because you think it will be too expensive a trip. Look into staying at a condo resort rather than a full service hotel/resort. Chances are, you'll get more space, including a kitchen, and the rates will be much less. I'm partial to Maui, west Maui specifically, and the photos here are of a large one-bedroom condo just feet from the ocean with two pools, views of Molokai, and hundreds of huge sea turtles that greet you each morning. I've been going to this condo for almost 20 years, so trust me when I tell you that it's great. You'll never want to leave. It's #215 at http://www.noelani-condo-resort.com/.

first ceremony at new oceanfront terrace

Here are photos of our first wedding ceremony on the new Ocean Terrace!! The day started out cloudy and rainy, but the sun arrived just in time for a beautiful event. Just a note....we expect the palm trees to be fully grown out by Spring 2010.

clubhouse construction

Just a few months away from completion of our new ocean view clubhouse. What a big change from the old one! In terms of weddings, this building will have a decked out bride's room (window to the left of the front door), which will be the perfect spot to get ready for the big day. It'll be a welcome hideaway, too, as all brides and bridesmaids need a cozy spot to take a breather, reapply lipstick, etc. Further down the hall is a pre-function space, perfect for cocktail hour. It also serves as the backup space when an outdoor ceremony on the Ocean Terrace needs to move inside due to weather. Doesn't happen often, but you always need a good Plan B. The pre-function space (Carolina Room) opens onto the Atlantic Ballroom, which will be beautiful. You can see the ocean from both rooms, and they each have great access to a deep wrap-around veranda, as indoor-outdoor weddings are what we do best.
As soon as the building is finished and decorated, I'll have photos of the whole thing posted here.

new oceanfront wedding venue

Ok, ok, it's been a while since I posted anything here. I've been waiting for progress to be made to our club's outdoor event venue, and now here are some construction photos. The space isn't completely finished yet, which is obvious since the black silt fence is still up, but it will be very soon. This space, called the Ocean Terrace, will be perfect for a wedding ceremony with a cocktail hour immediately following in the same space. The palm trees will provide shade (eventually!), and they will be uplit, which will look beautiful. As far as I can determine from my research, there really isn't another spot on the East Coast where you can get married so close to the water without actually having your feet in the sand. People are going to love it!

covered boat house

Sometimes a wedding on water isn't at the beach. It may be on a lake, at a pool, or in this case, on a creek. When I took this photo, we were still setting up this event, but thanks to the daylight, you can get a sense of the scenario. We held a wedding's cocktail hour on this covered dock after a ceremony on the nearby lawn of this private home. Candles and paper lanterns (with LED bulbs) gave the space a beautiful glow that reflected on the quiet surface of the creek. On the bar we layered a large piece of burlap over the white linen to add an earthy texture, and on the built-in benches along the dock railing we placed burlap pillows that we trimmed in marsh green (wedding color) grosgrain ribbon to soften and coordinate the seating area. As a finishing touch, tall glass cylinders with white pillar candles lit the way to this lovely hour over the water.

ceremony aisle

Flimsy aisle runners (the kind you buy at the craft store or get through a florist) do not work well at a beach ceremony. Even if you weigh them down, they inevitably start blowing around with the slightest breeze from the water. One of the first things I do when I'm showing a bride-to-be our oceanfront ceremony location is discourage her from even considering one of these runners. Instead, define the aisle by lining it with large seashells or decorating the inside chairs like we did in the photo shown here. Hanging these flower balls was easy, and not only did they add charm to an already charming setting, but they added color and coordinated with the flowers on the wedding arch, in the bride's bouquet, and in the centerpieces at the reception. Sweet and simple.