We see a lot of beach weddings at Smashing The Glass, but this one really goes all out with the seaside theme! NYC-based Jessica (@jessschein) and Evan (@evanschein) wanted to get married in Montauk in the Hamptons, their go-to weekend getaway from their hectic lives in the city. They chose Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa for its extraordinary views of the ocean — and the stunning sunsets over the water. Totally stunning, right?!
Jessica and Evan wanted to keep their day open, airy, and focused on the gorgeous setting. To complement their surroundings, the pair opted for a very nautical white and navy blue color scheme.
You’ve got to check out their out-of-this-world” blooms all in white — there’s something so dramatic about keeping the flowers to a single color.
And Jessica and Evan’s chuppah for their outdoor ceremony continued the theme — light and airy, it was adorned with the most beautiful white flowers — hydrangeas, orchids, and more — with sheer white side panels, so as not to interfere with the ocean view in the background. Doesn’t it look romantic against that backdrop?
Photographer A Day of Bliss did a wonderful job documenting the day, and the couple sing their photographers’ praises not only for their flawless shots but also for being fantastic to work with on the day. Videographer Keith Brady Media captured the feel of the day perfectly too!
Jessica looked so elegant in her lace fit-and-flare Vera Wang gown, with an exquisite long train. She and Evan wanted their day to be sophisticated and chic with modern flair, and it really was. Now over to the bride…
How we met
Jessica, the bride: “I am so happy my teacher is going to be my Aunt!” — (Evan’s 8-year-old niece, and yes, Jessica’s former preschool student) said, the night Jessica and Evan got engaged.
Our story began in October 2012, on a little known dating site, called JDate. However, I was already part of Evan’s family — he just did not know it yet!
Let’s rewind…
I came across Evan’s profile, and after going back and forth with the usual 21 questions, we realized it was a very small world. It turned out that I was a preschool teacher at the school Evan’s niece attended. But wait, there’s more… Evan’s niece did not just go to the preschool where I taught, I was actually Evan’s niece’s teacher — 2 years earlier!
Evan told me that he needed to get his niece’s approval before committing to a date. (I thought to myself that the chance of going on their first date lay in the hands of a 4-year-old!) As it turns out, I got an A+ rating, his niece saying, “Miss Jessica was the best teacher ever!” This was a fact confirmed by Evan’s brother and sister-in-law, who later admitted they always wanted to set me up with Evan. The rest is history!
A Hamptons Wedding
We got married in Montauk, New York, at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa. We spend many wonderful weekends out in the Hamptons — it is our getaway escape from work in New York City. Whether we are relaxing on a beach, eating at one of our favorite spots, drinking at a cool winery, or just chilling and enjoying each other’s company, we always have the best time. And then there’s Gurney’s!
Truly, this venue is like heaven on earth. The views are extraordinary, from the rolling ocean azure waves, to the expanse of a pristine beach. The sunsets! There are no words to describe them adequately, but suffice to say, the magic of an orange, yellow, blue, pink, and purple sky is magical.
We felt the “love in the air” emotion from the moment we saw it, and knew it would be picture-perfect for our special day. Our vision for the wedding was something different — open, airy, and scenic — and Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa fulfilled our dream wedding.
Flawless, Fun, and Fabulous
We made our wedding day about us by putting our hearts and souls into every single detail, from beginning to end. We are both perfectionists, and so we were completely involved with every element. We wanted our wedding day to be flawless, fun, and fabulous. We also wanted it to reflect our amazing relationship.
We did use a wedding planner to help with the dà©cor, logistics, and timing of events, which was complicated for the big weekend. That being said, we chose every single vendor, designed it all, and made every decision as a team — Evan and I wanted it to be “our” wedding. Our color scheme was white, with touches of a rich navy blue throughout, which gave off the “ocean blue feel” of Gurney’s.
Our custom invites, bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding programs, place cards, menus, and table numbers were all done in navy. We wanted our style to give off the combination of elegance, sophistication, and chic with a modern flair — it did!
Navy Invitations
Our invitations were truly gorgeous and unique. They were custom designed, and done in a rich hue of navy with a blind imprinted backing. Our names and the text were done by hand calligraphy, in understated yet elegant matte silver. We received so many compliments.
An Amazing Hair and Makeup Team
My hair and makeup was an easy decision. Chante Cutter (Chante Makeup), who I can honestly say is the best makeup artist in the business, made me look and feel radiant and glowing. She did my sister-in-law’s makeup for her wedding 10 years ago.
Chante recommended Nikki Avanzino (Nikki Avanzino Hairstylist) as the hairstylist. Nikki was fantastic and fabulous in every way. She had so many ideas of how to achieve different “looks” that it was hard to decide which one to choose.
The extraordinary talent of Chante and Nikki as a team was nothing short of amazing. I could not have been in better hands. They felt like close friends and we had a blast getting ready. They made me laugh and feel relaxed all day.
Chante and Nikki are ultimate professionals. They took everything into consideration, from the style of my dress to the venue, and even the weather. They listened to my input and took it from there, taking into consideration how I would look and feel my best throughout the day/night. I let each of them “do their thing” and I ended up with a hip, fashion-forward, elegant look. It was just what I wanted. I was beyond thrilled with the results. I cannot thank them enough!
A Fit-and-Flare Vera Wang Dress
My dress was from the Vera Wang collection and it was absolutely stunning. A girl is supposed to feel like a princess in her wedding dress and I did! It was so well designed and fit amazingly.
The gown style was fit-and-flare. It was covered in the most gorgeous, delicate lace, with a modern v-cut bust, and a sheer mid-back lace layer, with buttons as a closure. The amazingly beautiful long train was detailed in the same lace. It gave off the vibe I wanted — classy and graceful, yet chic and cool.
Elegant Accessories
I wore elegant, modern, and striking stiletto hanging diamond earrings that went perfectly with the modern v-cut bust. I decided on a simple, long cathedral veil that showed off the magnificent long train of the dress, as I walked down the aisle.
I wore my hair half up/half down, pulled back for the ceremony, and changed the style for the party to a cool braid with an intricate pearl beaded vine entwined throughout.
Christian Louboutins
Evan and I both were Christian Louboutin shoes – we have an amazing picture, showing the red soles of them. I chose a simple, shimmery closed-toe pump that went beautifully with my dress.
I must confess, I changed to sneakers for the ceremony to be comfortable. I bought a pair of Nike sneakers that I took to a shoemaker to add platforms to — they were comfortable and I danced my feet off all night long in them!
The handsome groom
The handsome groom wore the very best: a custom designed tuxedo from Jake Mueser.
Bridesmaids in Navy and Black
I had five bridesmaids in total — two of them were my sisters-in-law, and the other three were amazing, devoted, and incredibly wonderful friends.
My sisters-in-law chose their own black dresses. My friends’ dresses were picked by me and purchased at Bella Bridesmaids in New York; they were designed by Joanna August. They wore “midnight blue” elegant, flowing-in-the-breeze dresses, which complimented the color scheme and the vibe of Gurney’s.
The navy and black dresses looked stunning together. All the girls’ dresses had that “sweeping” stylish look as they marched down the aisle with the groomsmen, ahead of me.
A Floral White Chuppah
It took us time to decide how we wanted our chuppah to look. We both knew we wanted it beautifully simple, not overly done. I researched and looked at many pictures for inspiration. My vision was something light and airy.
We worked with our florist and came up with a spectacular design. The chuppah was rectangular shape, with natural cedar-graying posts. The top featured a wide band of white hydrangeas, white phalaenopsis orchids, and white floral stock. The sides of the chuppah had white sheer panels that were blowing in the breeze. It allowed everyone to see the beautiful backdrop of the water. It was perfect!
A Moving Ceremony
Our ceremony was moving in every way — I know people felt the tremendous love! There was some laughter and some tears throughout. It was a reflection of the adoration of our families, and our devotion to one another.
We wanted to incorporate many of the traditional Jewish rituals, and we did, while standing underneath the sunset sky of our beautiful chuppah. We used two tallit shawls that were strung above us. One was Evan’s from his bar mitzvah, and the other was his grandfather’s. It was a reminder of the past and a look into the present. Evan and I were also wrapped as a couple in my dad’s tallit, which was so incredibly meaningful to me. We also used my dad’s kiddush cup for the blessings.
My favorite part of the ceremony was when we read our vows aloud to each other.
We picked a ketubah that was very much our style — modern, clean, and impressively unique. The laser cut design of mostly silver with pale gold is simple, yet so gorgeous.
Entertainment Extraordinaire
We truly had the best band in the business, Chevy Chevis Entertainment. We had seen her at two previous weddings we attended, and as soon as we got engaged, that was our first phone call. We needed to make sure she had our date available.
Chevy and her band are something else — it’s like being at the best concert, while dancing your feet off and having the most awesome time. She and her band are entertainment extraordinaire. They have that “wow” factor that makes a wedding what it is. Most of our wedding music featured current songs, with a fast beat. Evan and I were sure we wanted that kind of music all night — upbeat and rockin’ — that kept the crowd on the dance floor.
We both even got up on the stage and sang with the band! We limited our slow dance songs to our first dance, and the father of the bride and mother of the groom dances. Our first dance song was to Ed Sheeran’s, Perfect (before it became so popular — lol). The lyrics resonated with us from our first listen.
We also used SPN Events, a trio of two violins and a cellist, who played during our ceremony and cocktail hour. The talent of these musicians is just enormous and they played everything from classical to pop music.
White Wedding Flowers
For our flowers, we envisioned out-of-this-world blooms coming together for a totally “white wedding.” We used a very creative florist, who understood our vision.
Flowers by Beth was our fabulous florist. After listening to our input, she achieved a current and modern yet dreamy and romantic atmosphere with flowers for the evening. In our large tent, this was no easy task — we wanted to have that knockout, dramatic factor as people walked into the reception — and it turned out to be all that and more.
We also incorporated both high and low centerpieces, all surrounded by vases with different blooms. The low vases were white roses, white orchids, white peonies, hydrangeas, and more. We also incorporated different-sized delicate tall stem glass candles, and had many candle votives that surrounded the table for extra ambiance.
My bouquet was all roses — mostly huge white ones with a few blush colored ones dispersed throughout. My bridesmaids’ bouquets were smaller replicas of mine. The groom and his groomsmen all wore a simple flower in their lapels — just perfect!
Our fabulous photographer…
Our photographer was A Day of Bliss, and the name of this studio most definitely reflects their work. Wolf and Chiaki were fantastic to work with — easy-going and professional. The style of their work captured moments that will last a lifetime. We choose them because of their artistic style and their ability to capture the great moments throughout the day/evening.
…and videographer
We used Keith Brady Media as our videographer. He was recommended by the venue and his work was simply the best. Keith was nothing short of remarkable in recording the vibe throughout the day. The highlight video came out perfectly.
A Chic Five-Tier Cake
Gurney’s recommended vendor Sugar Sugar, located in Quogue, New York, created our cake. We worked with the baker to create our design, which matched our colors and dà©cor — modern, chic, and eye-catching.
It was a round five-tier cake with a white and silver color scheme. Each tier featured a different aspect. Our cake flavor that we cut into was a Swiss chocolate with cookie dough buttercream filling, and boy, was it delicious. The cakes passed out to the guests included a dark chocolate cake with salted caramel butter cream filling, as well as a white chocolate cake filled with blackberry mousseline.
LDV Hospitality, Gurney’s in-house catering service, catered the event. The food was fantastic, and the presentation was beyond. All the guests raved about the food, from cocktail hour to dinner to dessert.
Dancing All Night
The entertainment for the wedding part was the biggest part of the night, and we hit a homerun when we hired Chevy Chevis Entertainment. Her and her entire band created that “get up on the dance floor and never sit down” evening that Evan and I both so wanted.
Sweet Dreams
A personalized welcome box, filled with lots of goodies local to the Hamptons — like North Fork Potato Chips and Tate’s Cookies — greeted our guests who stayed at one of our recommended hotels. Again, these boxes matched our color theme, white and navy.
At the end of the evening, guests were given a “Sweet Dreams” cookie, which was shaped like a cloud and signed “Love, the Scheins.” It was the perfect touch for the perfect night.
Jessica & Evan’s little white book
Photography – A Day of Bliss
Videography – Keith Brady Media
Venue – Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa
Wedding planner – Faith Ferguson Productions
Bride’s Dress – Vera Wang
Groom’s attire – Jake Mueser
Bride and groom’s shoes – Christian Louboutin and Nike
Bridesmaids – Joanna August purchased at Bella Bridesmaids
Hair + Makeup – Nikki Avanzino Hairstylist and Chante Makeup
Flowers – Flowers by Beth
Band – Chevy Chevis Entertainment
Ceremony Music – SPN Events
DJ – Jason Drazen
Cake – Sugar Sugar
Catering – LDV Hospitality
Invitation – Phantastic Papers
Photo Booth – Photobooth Creative
Cigars – La Casa Grande Tabaco
Transportation – Hampton Hopper
Congratulations to Jessica and Evan! Such a beautiful wedding!