Stamford Yacht Club Wedding

When Bridget and Charlie got engaged, they knew exactly where in New England they wanted to get married. Charlie’s family have been longtime members at the Stamford Yacht Club, so a Connecticut wedding there was a no brainer.

Stamford Yacht Club Greek Orthodox Wedding | CT Wedding

A Big Greek Connecticut Wedding

On our first phone call, Bridget described how Charlie comes from a big Greek family and how the wedding might be just like the movie — minus the roasting pig on the front lawn. Like all big Greek weddings, this one happened in the Greek Orthodox church that Charlie’s family had also been longtime members of. Charlie’s Uncle would be their Koumbaro — which, in Greek literally translates to “sponsor”. In practice, he’d play a part in the ceremony and help to bind the marriage.

At their reception, Bridget and Charlie would enter for their first dance. This would, of course, being followed by Greek dancing to officially kick the night off!

Their Wedding Design and Vision

Family and sentimental value aside, the Stamford Yacht Club is the perfect setting for what Bridget imagined. She wanted coastal chic, without everything feeling too preppy. The yacht club is situated right along the Connecticut coastline, where Bridget and Charlie would do their first look and enjoy their sunset cocktail hour with guests later in the evening.

Bridget and Charlie used the yacht club’s property to create a classic but modern wedding design. Small touches, like Bridget’s grandmother’s pearl necklace added to their classic New England style; while the color palette played into a more modern approach to the overall design. They decided on a jewel-tone color scheme, with the bridesmaids wearing a mix of navy, Bordeaux red, emerald green, and mustard yellow. The group was told to select a floor-length dress in their assigned color, but in any style of their choosing!

Guests would be welcomed to the yacht club lawn following the ceremony — the raw bar, of course, was a focal point along with their signature cocktail drinks. Following yacht club tradition, a cannon would be set off exactly at sunset and guests would be welcomed inside to enjoy dinner and dancing. Hues of blue and gold were used to complement the interior decor of the yacht club — also tying back into the overall jewel-tone color scheme. Sailboat escort cards and nautical rope knot table numbers all subtly added to the coastal CT wedding theme.

Full Wedding Weekend Coverage

With family and friends traveling to the wedding from all over the country, I helped Bridget and Charlie to capture the full wedding weekend! Beginning with their rehearsal, I was able to meet both of their families and photograph the group for their full run-through of the ceremony. The rehearsal is always a fun thing to see — personalities always come out without a crowd in the pews and everyone is pretty excited. Being there also allowed me to see the specific church setup and plan for how to photograph it the next day — where my second photographer and I would stand to capture various important moments of the ceremony; how I would light the room.

Following the rehearsal itself, I joined the families for the rehearsal dinner at The Water’s Edge at Giovanni’s. Toasts were given, wedding party gifts exchanged, and the group celebrated all that was to come the following day.

The Vendor Team for this CT Wedding: