Beachy Vibes Without the Sand at This Shore Wedding

Their Story

Mia and Dylan wed on May 5, 2023 at Mallard Island Yacht Club in Manahawkin. The couple met at Holmdel High School as teens, attended college together at the University of Delaware and continued dating long distance while Mia perused a nursing degree and Dylan attended law school.

“It’s actually a crazy story because we were originally supposed to get married in September of 2022,” Mia says. “However, I found out in February of 2021 that we were going to be expecting a baby boy in October. This put our wedding plans on a bit of a hold since I did not want to be eight months pregnant on my wedding day! LOL. Our venue was kind enough to work with us and push our date by six months.”

The Proposal

Dylan surprised Mia with a weekend getaway to Ocean City, Maryland, booking a romantic hotel suite overlooking the ocean. “It was decorated with roses and he took me out to the balcony that overlooked the water and proposed,” she says. “It was very intimate and private but very us.”

Choosing the Venue

Mia’s grandparents live in Barnegat (right outside of Long Beach Island) so she grew up going to LBI. “My now husband and I knew we wanted to have our wedding in that area,” she says. “We also knew that we wanted to have beachy aspects to our wedding but did not want to necessarily have a wedding on the beach.”

They loved Mallard Island Yacht Club’s open, elegant feel, the chapel sitting on a pier that overlooks the bay, and the fact that you can rent out the entire venue overnight for accommodations for friends and/or family.

Details of the Day

Mia envisioned a romantic, airy vibe, incorporating the colors ivory, white, sage green and a pop of pale pink. They also utilized a lot of candles to really bring the romantic vibe to life.

Favorite Moment

“Our son Luke going down the aisle in an miniature remote-controlled Audi car,” says Mia. “I can’t even describe how amazing it was to share this special day with our 7-month-old son.”

Detail They Couldn’t Live Without

“A good photographer! I have told so many brides to be that your wedding photos are your forever memories. To me, it was so important to find a professional, kind and trustworthy photographer. Molly Sue, our photographer, was exactly that! She gave us the most amazing photos and everlasting memories.”

Advice for Other Couples

“Try and stay as present as possible. You will hear this from many people but the day really does fly by and before you know it’s over.”

Honeymoon 

The couple vacationed at the Cove at Atlantis Bahamas.