May 7, 2020
If you have been doing your research on Long Beach Island wedding venues, you are likely to have come across the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club. While weddings and special events held her are restricted to members of the club only, you can not purchase a membership with the sole intent of getting married. If you are lucky enough to be a member of the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, and you are planning a wedding there, you will want to work with a wedding planner who is experienced with both the space and tented weddings. If you are not sure what goes into a tented wedding, you will want to check out this blog here about the costs and logistical concerns associated with a tented wedding or event. If you are not sure where the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club is located, it’s in Beach Haven. The Club is a few blocks further south of the busy section, ya’ know where the Chegg is.
I was so thrilled to work with club members, the McOrmond family, when Kathleen and Richard got married a few years ago. They are planned an amazing wedding, with my assistance, at the club. Here’s what I learned.
The Cannon. First, make sure you plan to shoot the cannon. We used it to signal the end of cocktail hour and the beginning of the reception. But seriously: shoot the cannon!
Full Service Catering. You will want to work with a full service catering company here. The key is “full service.” This means they take care of everything from ordering your rentals for tables, linens, glassware, etc. To providing you with a staff that will help to pull the event off seamlessly. This is essential, because when you are working with a venue that is not geared towards weddings, there will be a lot of things that will need to be considered. It’s important, no essential, to have a team that has the expertise to provide excellent food and service, while also working with the logistical parameters that a venue like this will present.
An Experienced Wedding Planner. You will want to include room in your budget for a wedding planner with experience with these types of venues. Not to ring my own bell, but there is no other planner in the NJ shore region with the amount of experience I have gained over the years with Yacht Club weddings and non-traditional venues.
Tenting. You will want to plan to tent the deck. But you will also want to make sure that if the weather is going to be absolute perfection, that you can skip it. I would also suggest that you make sure you know what the specific restrictions in terms of wind are for the tent you are using. And you will want to make sure that you have a plan if the wind is too much for the tent. Keep in mind that the tent will not go up the day of the wedding. Typically tents are installed a few days before, so that there is time for proper inspections. Trust me, the fire marshal will show up to ensure you are in compliance. I would strongly suggest that you work with a tent company that has tented the location before and is going to take care of pulling all of the permits required. If you are not working with a planner, you will want to read this blog post about tented weddings and events.
Ceremony Locations. Here you have some flexibility. You can have your ceremony on the deck over the water, move to cocktail hour in the upstairs of the Yacht Club and then, during cocktail have the deck flipped to reception space. But this will require a lot of catering and planning staff. So you will want to do that thoughtfully. And if you are maxing out the space’s capacity for guests, it might not be a great idea. Other ideas for ceremony space would be the beach in Beach Haven. I would avoid the more crowded streets, or use one of the smaller bay beaches (those would be less convenient–since they are further away with limited parking). You might also be able to grab a permit to put up a smaller ceremony tent in the park located just next to the club. Although there’s not much view and certain times of year this would not likely be a great option. A beach ceremony on the ocean side is probably your best bet, and does not require a permit. Beach Haven just asks that for gatherings of more than 100 people, that the police department is notified just so they are aware of the reason for a small crowd. You might also consider the LBI Historical Society as a backup plan for an outdoor ceremony. It’s affordably rented for $400, plus a security deposit.
If you’d like to check out my favorite Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club wedding, then here’s a gorgeous recap for your inspirational needs.
Wedding Planner | Bogath Weddings and Events
Photographer | Ashley Mac Photography
Ceremony Venue | St. Thomas Aquinas, Beach Haven, NJ
Ceremony Music | St. Francis Parish
Reception Venue | Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club
Catering | Beach Haven Catering
Cake | Clay’s Creative Corner Bakery
Flowers | Something Nice Floral
Hair & Makeup | Lavish Salon
Transportation | Trolley, Inc.
Rentals | Rustic Drift
Tent | Adams Party Rental
Band | Dane Anthony Band
Stationary | Apropros
Thank you to the photographers who allow us to use their images on our site:
Ashley Mac Photographs, Heather Palecek Photography, Idalia Photography, Jessica Erb Photography, Susan Elizabeth Photography, Delaney Dobson Photography, Ann Coen Photography, Lovesick Inc., K Hulett Photography & Melanie Cassie Photography
BWE | 825 Devon Street | Forked River, New Jersey 08731
(973) 477-1392 | jeanne@bogathevents.com
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