To Shelter Island, With Love
Photos by Silent Capture Photo
A customized Anne Barge gown, a coastal palette, and a ferry full of loved ones: Kendall and Demetri’s wedding at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club was personal down to the last detail.
Kendall and Demetri’s story began at Lehigh University in the spring of 2019, when a mutual friend introduced them. A first date over sushi in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, brought an immediate connection and the unexpected familiarity of someone she had only just met. Years later, a Lehigh University flag at their wedding would honor the place where it all began.
“It felt like I had known him my entire life,” Kendall recalls.
After graduation, they began dating, spending summers between New York City, the Jersey Shore, and the East End. Shelter Island became part of their story, and for their wedding, they invited nearly 300 loved ones to share it, with a ceremony in Greenport and a waterfront reception at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club.
A Setting with a Story
Long before the proposal, Kendall and Demetri could picture their wedding at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club. Summers on the water, weekly Pasta Nights, and friendships with members and staff had made it part of their story. The views were beautiful; the connection was personal.
The invitations set the tone. Created by Arni Paperie, they offered guests their first glimpse of the celebration to come. Before anyone stepped aboard the ferry, they set the scene for a destination wedding on Shelter Island, building anticipation for a weekend in a place Kendall and Demetri loved. The welcome bags Kendall and Demetri created added that extra special touch!
Friday on the Island
The celebration began Friday at The Chequit, where a rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks introduced guests to one of the couple’s favorite places.
They had also filled their wedding website with recommendations across Shelter Island and the North and South Forks, encouraging friends and family to make the weekend their own. Stops at Claudio’s in Greenport and time at Sunset Beach gave guests a glimpse of the places Kendall and Demetri loved.
The First Look
Kendall’s bridal wardrobe balanced coastal ease with classic silhouettes. At Anne Barge’s flagship, she found her answer in the Newport gown. With the straps removed, the silhouette took on a new simplicity, while a shawl added a layer for the church ceremony.
She paired the gown with Manolo Blahnik shoes.
Her accessories carried family history. Kendall wore earrings that her maternal grandparents had given her mother on her own wedding day. With both grandparents since passed, the earrings offered a meaningful connection to them.
Before the church ceremony, Kendall and Demetri shared a first look and exchanged handwritten vows, with their closest friends and family watching from afar. The intimacy lay in the words themselves: promises written separately, now shared with the person they were meant for.
Across the Water
On the way to the church in Greenport, Kendall traveled with just her parents, listening to their first dance song as they crossed the water. Before joining their guests, she had a few quiet minutes to reflect with them.
“It was such a simple, quiet moment, but one I will never forget,” she shares.
Family and friends gathered inside Sts. Anargyroi, Taxiarchis & Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church in Greenport for the ceremony. Having exchanged handwritten vows in private that morning, Kendall and Demetri now celebrated their marriage in the company of everyone they loved.
After the ceremony in Greenport, Kendall and Demetri joined their guests aboard the ferry to Shelter Island for the reception. Kendall had always envisioned wedding portraits on the water, and the crossing offered the perfect setting.
“Having all of our guests together on the same ferry as we traveled to and from the church and reception created such a special and memorable experience,” Kendall shares.
A Moment for Two
After cocktail hour, Kendall and Demetri had 15 minutes to themselves before the reception. They practiced their first dance, now as husband and wife. Two years of planning had brought them here, but it was this brief moment together that Kendall would treasure.
“It is something I will hold onto forever,” she reflects.
A Reception to Remember
Beneath a Sperry tent, the design took its cues from the waterfront: blue and white, rattan, woven textures, and clamshells. With nearly 300 guests, Kendall and Demetri created a reception rich in coastal texture and thoughtful detail, as beautiful as the waterfront that surrounded it.
Textured and patterned linens dressed the tables, alongside woven vases, basket flowers, and miniature clamshells. At the bars, rattan lampshades, personalized cocktail napkins and matches, and a clamshell floral arrangement carried the coastal details through.
One of the most personal elements came from Demetri’s mother, who created a seating chart that doubled as a guest favor. GBCC tees and golf balls featuring the couple’s wedding crest brought their connection to the club into the design. A custom flag bearing their new last name marked the beginning of their married life.
At each place setting, a bag of koufeta reflected Demetri’s Greek heritage. For the couple, the sugar-coated almonds represented the strength and sweetness of marriage, with an odd number symbolizing an indivisible life together.
Their engaged friends found a handwritten note and a Ring Pop waiting at their seats, a playful gesture with a heartfelt message. Having just navigated wedding planning themselves, Kendall and Demetri wanted to remind their friends to enjoy every moment and let them know how excited they were to celebrate them next.
When Kendall and Demetri raised their glasses, they held a piece of her family’s history. The Waterford champagne flutes belonged to her paternal grandmother, who had toasted her own marriage with them nearly 65 years earlier. Shared with each grandchild on their wedding day, the glasses brought generations of family celebration into Kendall and Demetri’s first toast as husband and wife.
The signature cocktails told their own story. Kendall’s Jersey Shore Orange Crush recalled the drink she loved at the Deauville, a nod to her South Jersey upbringing. Demetri chose a Long Island Gold Rush in tribute to his hometown.
Working with Gardiner’s Bay Country Club’s Executive Chef Sebastian Bliss, they built their menu around dishes they had enjoyed at GBCC over the years, including lamb chops, bacon-wrapped scallops, halibut, and steak. A funfetti wedding cake with strawberry jam filling from Leanne’s Cakes added a playful finish.
Everyone on the Dance Floor
Music was the couple’s great nonnegotiable, with TI Fusion at the heart of a night devoted to dancing. Alongside the band, a Greek DJ mixed traditional Greek music with current songs, bringing Demetri’s heritage onto the dance floor. At one point, all 300 guests were dancing together.
“It was exactly what we had hoped for,” Kendall says.
For Kendall, the set had to include Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” a song that had accompanied her through life’s major milestones. This time, she joined the band onstage with her mother and sister, adding a wedding memory to its history.
During “Pink Pony Club,” she pulled her planner, Rebecca of Lovely Indeed Events, onstage, too. It was a first for Rebecca, and a favorite memory of a working relationship that had become a lasting friendship.
The Final Look, the Last Dance
For her second dress, Kendall traded the Anne Barge gown for a Staud mini she had discovered while shopping for her honeymoon. Short, sparkly, and covered in pearls, it was exactly the mood she wanted for the end of the night. She changed for the last hour of the reception, wearing the look straight into the clubhouse after-party.
The celebration continued with an after-party in the clubhouse, where mini burgers, pizza, fries, and chipwiches fueled the final hours. Then came an unexpected reason to keep celebrating: the Knicks won the NBA championship, turning the gathering into a viewing party. An epic finish to an already unforgettable night.
Sunday by the Water
Sunday brought a last gathering at Wades Beach: bagels, Mr. Softee, and time in the sun before everyone headed home. It was a fitting farewell to a weekend rooted in the couple’s favorite summer rituals, now shared with the people who mattered most.
Shelter Island had been part of Kendall and Demetri’s story long before their wedding. Now, alongside the memories of summers on the water, were others: handwritten promises, family traditions carried forward, and a dance floor filled with everyone they loved. For Kendall and Demetri, the weekend could not have been more perfect.
Photographer: Silent Capture Photo
Planner – Lovely Indeed Events
Venue & Food: Gardiners Bay Country Club
Band: TI Fusion
DJ: Mylos Boutique Entertainment
Florals: Flowers by Lauren Ashley
Photo. & Video: Silent Capture
Hair: Le Brunette & Co.
Make Up: J Fink Beauty
Tent: Sperry Tents
Linens BBJ La Tavola
Photographer Rehearsal: Krystal Rose Photography
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd.
Invitations: Arni Paperie
