A Martha’s Vineyard Wedding

Take a moment to imagine yourself standing in the sand, feeling the warm breeze in your hair, smelling the sweet salty ocean, hearing the seagulls call to one another. This is the scene for Michael and Mallory’s wedding day.

They spoke the vows they’d written themselves on the sand at Martha’s Vineyard. It’s the island that has become so special to Mallory – she grew up traveling there with her mom whenever they could. It’s the island she shared with Michael after they started dating – a quiet getaway from the bustle of the city. It’s the island they dream of moving to one day – the place where they feel most like themselves.

Michael and Mallory’s closest friends and family traveled from far and wide via car, airplane, and ferry. The method of simply getting to the island was an adventure in and of itself. Flying over the sparkling blue water or standing on the deck of the ferry, the ocean air washing away the stress of the mainland.

Our favorite weddings to document are the days that we’re invited to be a part of, truly invited to be a part of. We love when our bride and groom’s families and friends invite us into the intimate moments and stories of the day. With Mallory and Michael we actually are family, which made it that much more special to capture the day through both photographs and video. Mallory and Tim are cousins and it was so sweet for me to get to meet that whole side of the family that I’d not yet had a chance to meet. They truly invited me into their family. They let us stay with them at the beach house they rented, we sat around on the living room floor making wedding signs and eating takeout Thai food together, and after sunset we walked to the ice cream shop for a late night snack, laughing and telling stories the whole way.

Every detail of Michael and Mallory’s day had special significance for the two of them. They DIY-ed much of their wedding – a departure from the standard “Martha’s Vineyard Wedding,” so naturally each detail had a story. The jewelry was made from sea glass Mallory collected on the Vineyard as a child. And she collected the vintage glass bottles and the table decorations for her reception. The diamond in her engagement ring was a gift from Mallory’s mom – the same diamond her grandmother wore in her own ring. And Michael and Mallory surprised her mom Lauren by using the extra diamonds from grandma’s ring – they had a gorgeous “thank you” gift made to thank her for all the ways she contributed to their dream Vineyard wedding.

Many of the details were sourced by vendors local to Martha’s Vineyard – the watercolors used for table numbers were painted by local artists, the clam chowder served at cocktail hour is a local Vineyard staple, and the vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options for dinner were all provided by a local restaurant. The flowers were hand-picked on the island from a local farm, and Mallory, her Maid of Honor, and their family friends helped arrange the flowers for the reception decor.

I can’t even begin to describe all the details of their day, so be sure to check at the bottom of this post if you’re curious about where their invitations were made or who created their gorgeous cake.

Take a deep breath (pretend it’s salty ocean air) and dive into Michael and Mallory’s wedding film and photos.