A Black-Tie, Stone Harbor Yacht Club Wedding With Luxury Details

Ellen & Kevin’s black-tie, coastal wedding at Stone Harbor Yacht Club was romantic, elegant, and timeless. Planned to perfection by Shannon Wellington Weddings, every detail was devine. The rehearsal dinner took place the night before and the fashion was everything! Ellen & Kevin got ready and celebrated with some portraits at Ellen’s family home on the water in Stone Harbor. Their pup Reily made an appearance while the family hung out on the back deck as the sunset. They then made their way to the ICONA Avalon for dinner and drinks with guests!

On the wedding morning, details came together beautifully. The invitation suite by Raise Your Words Design was a work of fine art. Sentimental details included a fur stole that belonged to Ellen’s grandmother, which also played a role in the couple’s proposal. Ellen & her girls got ready for the day while relaxing in lux robes by Boca Terry before getting dressed. Ellen’s Carolina Herrera gown from Elizabeth Johns was everything elegant, timeless and chic, featuring an eye-catching crepe bow on the back. Her Bottega Venetta shoes were serving high fashion vibes!

The couple’s first look and portraits took place at a wildlife sanctuary park in Stone Harbor. The weather was perfect! The traditional ceremony took place in a local chapel, and ended with a receiving line among countless florals lining the entrance by Fresh Designs Florist. The couple hopped in a getaway car which led to a private, evening boat ride with their pup Reilly! When they arrived at Yacht Club of Stone Harbor, the party had just begun. The two made a grand entrance to the venue and sabered a custom bottle of champagne to kick off the celebration. 

Inside the venue, the space came to life with florals, candles and unique details by Shannon Wellington Weddings, like life-like tree structures that gave the space a whimsical feel. It was truly a dream for the couple and their guests! The party got started and the couple danced the night away with their family & friends. Ellen is known for a chic outfit change, so of course she rocked a second look, a party dress by Chiara Boni Sam’s Exclusive, paired with kicks from Salvatore Ferragamo. The fashion speaks for itself! This wedding was an absolute dream, with details to match!

From Ellen:

Our wedding was absolutely perfect – I know that is so cliche to say, but from the moment I woke up I just felt like everything I saw and that happened was better than I could have even imagined. We had a traditional ceremony in the church and it felt very special to me, also having two of my “little sister” like family friends participate as readers. I would say that my personal style, and our style for the wedding is very traditional and timeless, but with a modern twist or edge. I felt like every aspect of our wedding upheld the idea of being timeless yet having that burr of singularity to make it truly “ours”. The florals were very natural, ivory, pink and taupe with a lot of greenery. I wanted to have an explosion of florals and greenery as my primary decor and Shannon & Fresh Designs knocked it out of the park. The bouquets were stunning and the florals going up the stairs at the entrance of the church took my breath away. 

When we arrived at the venue and walked through the front door I think my jaw dropped. The biggest moment was the two large trees right as you walked in that were on either side of the three panel seating chart (which of course had a nod to our beloved pup Riley). The second moment where I was absolutely speechless was seeing our sweetheart table; behind the table we had again, amazing florals and greenery, plus the candles. There were beautiful hurricanes with candles throughout the entire venue. There was greenery on the chandeliers to continue with our indoor garden theme. The linens were various ivory, taupe and blush tones with the most luxurious blush velvet napkins. The chairs were sleek and gold, which gave a hint of chicness and moderness to the vibe, while keeping the feel very romantic and timeless at the same time. Shannon had a dog figurine on the side of our cake, which was very traditionally iced with beautiful florals cascading down the side, and the Riley figurine was taking a bite out of the cake- it was so subtle that you couldn’t tell unless you got close, but created another level of personality and meaning. 

I tried to incorporate a lot of “easter eggs” to my dress throughout my wedding planning process and have a lot of meaning in what we wore. My dress had the large bow on the back, which tied into the bow heels I wore the night we got engaged and the night before for the rehearsal (full circle). I wore three hair pins that were custom made with a few of my great-grandmother’s pearls, the strand of pearls I wore for the rehearsal with a diamond pendant made to mimic the beading of my wedding gown. The garter I wore had a piece of my grandmother’s nursing cap ribbon and grandfather’s marine button on it, and inside my dress was a piece of my mother’s wedding gown and a bow made out of my grandmother’s nursing cap ribbon. Kevin wore a green velvet dinner jacket the rehearsal night- a nod to the green of the bridesmaids and also a nod to the velvet jacket he wore for New Years Eve after we got engaged. My clutch was from mine and Kevin’s birth year, and my something blue was sewn into my dress while my something borrowed was a ring of my mother’s I wore. My mom’s gift that she wore that day was a small stacking ring with our alternating birthstones, and my dad wore an embroidered bow tie saying “Dad, I love you – Ellen.” 

All of our vendors were an absolute dream to work with. At the end of the night I felt sad to say goodbye to them. Everything happened so smoothly and perfectly, I think it was understatedly beautiful and elegant and had a great focus on our love for each other and happiness that day. Even before the actual wedding day, from invitations, to rehearsal there was not a stone left unturned when it came to the details and also creating the impression for the wedding day. Everything done leading up to the wedding had nods of the wedding day without overshadowing what we did day of, but setting the tone and hinting at what was to come!

Ellen’s advice for future brides:

“Shannon Wellington for planning I would recommend to everyone and anyone – I truly don’t know what I would have done without her and her team.. they went above and beyond with everything while keeping it all a reflection of us as a couple. Obviously I would 10/10 recommend Magdalena Studios! If you want a timeless photographer that can grow with you as a couple and share your story for years to come these are the ones for you. Don’t lose sight of who you are as a couple and get lost in the “party”- try to remember what is important to you and a reflection of your story and the day will be perfect no matter what. There is no “cookie cutter” perfect wedding, the most perfect weddings are the ones where the bride and groom are so unbelievable happy. And finally, take a deep breath. Buffer time is your best friend. Always plan for everything to take 15 minutes longer than you think, so that if something does go off schedule, the rest of your day is not affected.”

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Vendors

Venue: Yacht Club of Stone Harbor
Wedding Planner/Stylist: Yacht Club of Stone Harbor
Florist: Fresh Designs Florist
Rentals: White Glove Rentals
Signs: Papertree Studio
Invitations & Crest Artwork: Raise Your Words Design
Videographer: Stagger Films
Gown: Carolina Herrera from Elizabeth Johns
Bride’s Shoes: Bottega Venetta
Rings: The Jewelry Studio
Hair & Makeup: Aleksandra Ambrozy
Bride Hair Pins: The Jewelry Studio
After Party Dress: Chiara Boni Sam’s Exclusive
After Party Shoe: Salvatore Ferragamo
Groom Attire: Michael’s Custom Clothing Suit with Tom Ford Shoes
Bridesmaid Attire: Jenny Yoo Dress with Stuart Weitzman Shoes
Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux
Flower Girl: Isabel Garretón
Dog Bowtie: The Foggy Dog
Cake: The Bake Works
Macarons: Nutmeg Cake Design
Transportation: Geiger’s Limousine and Transportation
Band: Split Decision
Photo Booth: That Rad Booth
Linens: Nüage Designs

Stone Harbor Yacht Club Wedding Photographer

Photographed by team photographer Kelee