Chandelier Event: Sally & Andy's North Fork Nuptials

All Images Reserved: Max Flatow Photography

Summer love has officially set in here at Chandelier Events. That's why we're totally swooning over Max Flatow's images of a recent North Fork wedding we planned this Spring. The Hamptons gorgeous sister, Long Island's North Fork proved a perfect backdrop for our couple Sally & Andy's April wedding. Not only was the evening a total culinary experience, with a five course meal prepared by Keith Luce and his team at Luce + Hawkins at Jamesport's Jedediah Hawkins Inn, but it was an elegant nod to the upscale, yet low-key atmosphere of Long Island's wine country that Sally and Andy (and we!) love so much.

Sally and Andy came to me about six months prior to the wedding date with a special wedding weekend in mind. They wanted an intimate ceremony and feast out East on Friday night, followed by a raucous cocktail reception in Manhattan (which we hosted at Hudson Terrace--we'll post those photos in Part II next week!) They had specific criteria for Friday evening's wedding: they wanted it to be special, delicious, picturesque, but in no way stuffy, formal or stodgy. Finding just the right venue became our biggest challenge and when we found Jedediah Hawkins Inn--an Inn that combined the best of old world Victorian Charm with the most modern luxuries and sensibilities (can you say woven leather ceilings!) -- we knew we had our venue.

The rest fell into place: ceremony in the gazebo out near the Inn's historic barn, cocktails in the original Speakeasy where they have Long Island Reisling on TAP!, and a five-course sit-down feast in the dining room complete withgorgeous mantel prepared just to their liking by Keith and his team. The florals were provided by Landscape Adventure in Riverhead (a family friend of the bride) and incorporated colors inspired by the Inn, the season (daffodils!), and lots of interesting containers indigineous to the environment from mason jars to milk jugs.

Guests dined on individual plates of duck wing confit ragu with cucumber raita, artisinal cheese and charcuterie and crudite served family style, fish, steak and smouldering pots of macked out mac 'n cheese--with wines handpicked by the couple. After dessert which included chocolate pudding with Peconic sea salt, homemade donuts, and a special strawberry shortcake, the entire family of 25 descended back downstairs to party the night away at the Speakeasy.

Next week, we'll post Part II of this special wedding weekend -- when our North Fork event moved into NYC Nightclub!