Island Romance – Jocelyn and Michael – Married June 1, 2013 – Wedding Photography: Eric McCallister Photography.
Getting married on an island is the epitome is so romantic. It does, however, post certain challenges that a mainland wedding would not. Transporting guests, food, flowers and other supplies means lots of pre-planning.
The preparation for this most unusual location did not deter Jocelyn and Michael McMahon from holding their wedding weekend on Sandy Island in Tuftonboro, NH.
“We had the idea of a summer camp style wedding for quite some time,” says Jocelyn, who resides in NYC with her husband Michael. “Even before we got engaged, we heard of camp weddings. We liked the destination wedding idea without having to travel to someplace far away such as Mexico.”
Most of the wedding guests came via boat on Friday and stayed for the entire wedding weekend in cabins on Sandy Island. “We looked at six or seven camps but as soon as we saw Sandy Island, we knew that was the place for our wedding,” Jocelyn adds.
The couple loved that the camp was on an island, but with great amenities. “In touring camps, we saw that there is a big different between rustic and run down! Sandy Island is beautiful and the buildings are in great shape. And we could not have been happier with the staff; the wedding coordinator for the island, Kate Lemay, was awesome and she put us at ease.”
The island wedding took place on a June weekend with great weather. The ceremony was on the island’s outdoor chapel and the dinner was in the camp dining hall followed by dessert and dancing in the island lodge.
“We arrived on the Wednesday before the wedding because we had a lot of prep work to do,” she says. “We made baskets for the bathrooms, welcome kits for guests rooms and we did all the decorations; our family and friends helped a lot.”
Jocelyn used Pinterest for wedding décor ideas and Michael was a very involved groom. “He was great at decorating and he put up special lights in the lodge. One of our uncles helped with the flowers. He went to Linda’s Flowers in Wolfeboro and Linda was wonderful. She worked with him to pick out wildflowers that were perfect.”
One issue was getting the 130+ guests to the island. Some people were nervous about getting on the boat and traveling across the water, but it all went off without a hitch. The camp had its own boats – they did all transportation. Early in the wedding planning, the couple talked with camp staff for a boat schedule and gave it to guests so they knew schedule and what to expect.
Jocelyn’s beautiful, but unusual wedding gown was the same one her mother wore when she got married in the 1970s. “It’s a great story,” the bride explains. “When we got engaged and started planning our wedding, my mom said I could wear her dress. I wasn’t sure, but when she sent me a picture of the dress, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. My mom wore the dress at her backyard wedding in the 1970s so I knew it would be great for an outdoor wedding. I tried it on and it fit perfectly; it needed no alterations other than dry cleaning.”
The wedding guests loved the dress and many were fascinated that Jocelyn chose to wear her mom’s wedding dress. The bridesmaids’ gowns were from J. Crew in a light bluish/green color just right for the outdoors.
“I had three maids and my husband had about 17 groomsmen!” Jocelyn laughs. “The groomsmen wore gray three-piece suits from Mens Wearhouse.”
The bridal bouquet and maids’ bouquets were made of brooches and old jewelry. “My mom made the bouquets. Instead of registering for standard wedding gifts for a bridal shower, we asked everyone who attended the shower to bring a brooch and my mom used the brooches for our bouquets. She taught herself how to make them.”
The chefs for Sandy Island handled the catering and the food was delicious. The wedding menu consisted of a choice of sirloin or Chicken Marsala or Pasta Primavera with salads. The chef also did an ice cream bar with toppings and guests could further indulge in cheesecake vs. a standard wedding cake.
“We chose Eric McCallister as our photographer because when we were looking for wedding venues we came across his work and saw that he had already done a Sandy Island wedding. He knew the property and we loved his work. We certainly never regretted our choice – he was great.”
After the whirlwind wedding weekend, the couple honeymooned in San Diego and Jocelyn says it was a nice, relaxing trip. The couple resides in New York City where they work in banking.
Many family members live in Massachusetts, so the NH Winnipesauke wedding was not far for them to travel.
The Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Photography: Eric McCallister Photography
Reception Flowers: Linda’s Flowers
Gown: the bride’s mother’s 1970s wedding gown
Venue: Sandy Island Camp, Lake Winnipesaukee, Tuftonboro, NH
Catering: Sandy Island chefs
Brooch Bouquets: The Bride’s Mother
Wedding Officiant: Nicole McMahon, groom’s sister
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