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Chelsea and Joe at Mallard Island Yacht Club

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Chelsea and Joe at Mallard Island Yacht Club

How did you meet?
We were both living in NYC and swiped right to each other on Hinge. I was fresh out of a long-term relationship and Joe was about to take a break from dating after a few unsuccessful dates. We met at a wine bar near my office and hit it off immediately. Joe had mentioned early in the conversation that he likes to keep it to drinks only on the first date since he had been locked into dinner in the past and had to awkwardly sit at dinner with someone he wasn’t necessarily interested in. I knew it was going well when I mentioned I was getting hungry and he offered to take us to dinner at The Spaniard, which has become one of our favorite NYC spots that we visit when we’re back in town.

How did you get engaged?
When the world shut down in 2020, so did all of our travel plans. After we had to cancel all the trips that we had planned, I was so excited when Joe had the idea to take a trip to Newport, Rhode Island in November of 2020. I love road trips and it was drivable from where we were living in Stamford, Connecticut and Fall in the Northeast is my favorite time of year. It happened to be one of the hottest days of the fall and while walking the cliff walk, he proposed at the 40 steps. We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating and getting complimentary champagne everywhere we went!

Details of the day!
Being at Mallard Island Yacht Club, there isn’t a whole ton that needed to be done—the venue itself is incredible from top to bottom. Keeping that in mind, we wanted to simply accentuate some details and really make it unique to us. We both love the color navy and that felt fitting being on the water so we tried to incorporate that through linens, the bridesmaid dresses, the groomsmen’s ties/pocket squares and Joe’s tux.

Why did you choose your venue?
When we got engaged in November 2020, we knew that we needed to book ASAP based on talking to some other friends who had to move weddings due to Covid-19 and knowing that dates were going to be hard to come by. We had narrowed it down to a few venues that were either vineyards or waterfront. On our second weekend of venue tours, we hit Hotel LBI, Bonnet Island and Mallard Island (all owned by the same company). Joe had originally not wanted to check out Mallard because he disliked the red roof, but when we walked in, we knew it was where we were going to get married. Between the waterside chapel, the abundance of outdoor space, the elevated ceilings on the dance floor, the onsite accommodations for our bridal party and the absolutely insane bridal suite, there was nothing else like it. Besides the venue itself being incredible, we fell head over heels for the coordinator, Gianna Verdoni, there as well.

What was on your menu?
For our passed hors d’oeuvres: spinach and artichoke risotto cakes, creole shrimp and grits, steakhouse bites, seared ahi tuna, lemongrass chicken and cilantro dumplings, petit bayou crab cake, mini Cuban sandwiches, lobster bisque soup shooter. We also had delicious stations: a charcuterie table, freshly shucked oysters, Peking duck, sushi, a pasta station and a slider bar. Our dinner options (all served with dauphinoise potatoes and haricot vert): Chateaubriand with classic bearnaise, horseradish and chive encrusted salmon with a dijon glaze served with roasted garlic and cucumber yogurt sauce, pan-roasted chicken fresco with a garnish of artichoke hearts, capers and sundried tomatoes with a California sauterne and Meyer lemon veloute, grilled vegetable Napolean presented over spaghetti squash finished with aged balsamic reduction and house-made chive oil. For dessert, our cake was lemon cake with blueberry filling. We also had a gelato station!

All about your gown!
I wore a relaxed A-line Martina Liana (style #1137) that my MOH had actually suggested I try on when we were at our Kleinfeld’s appointment. It was so different from anything I had been trying on. I always envisioned myself in something simple and classic. The dress has beaded spaghetti straps, a beautiful plunging V-neckline with a sheer bodice and an open back, which was a must have. It was covered in vinelike and floral patterns with under layers of sequins and beaded tulle.

What was your favorite moment?
During our ceremony in front of all our guests, we sang a song that we sing at home about our dog, Luna. It was something Joe and I had joked about for months and he said there was no way he’d sing it. Our videographer team made it the opener of our teaser video and makes us giggle every time we watch it.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I honestly can’t pick out one detail we loved the MOST because we loved them all! We really wanted to make this wedding as personal to us as possible. I hired a live painter as a surprise for Joe. His mom had passed away a year before our wedding and I had the artist paint our first dance with our parents (including his mom) standing alongside us. We are big foodies so instead of table numbers, we picked 20 of our favorite restaurants and those were how our guests found their seats. We are also big wine lovers so instead of a guest book, we did 10 wine bottles that everyone could sign and we’ll open one every year on our anniversary for the next 10 years. I was adopted at 6 months old and when I came to America, my dad had given my mom a charm of a little girl that I wore on my bouquet. I got Joe a pin that had pictures of him with his mom as a baby and as an adult, I wanted him to remember she was there that day, even if not physically (I got one for his dad as well). We had a single white rose on a chair at the front of our ceremony for her.

We were able to have our dog, Luna come for a few photos and we loved having her there to celebrate part of our day. With our new last name as Pizzolato (and Joe being called “Pizza” for years), we really leaned into that. Joe had a pizza fabric sewn into his jacket and we had late-night pizza served at the venue for the after-party alongside espresso martinis and a cigar roller. Our signature drinks were one for our dog, Luna (The Luna Tuna – an elderflower french 75), and for Joe’s mom, Linda (The Linda – Ketel One botanicals with club soda and a splash of lemonade). Joe’s family is obsessed with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and our entire dance floor was belting it out at the top of their lungs!

Did anything go wrong?
We had a whole table cancel the morning of due to Covid and my veil slipped off as soon as I got to the altar. Thankfully, those were the only two mishaps (that I knew of)!

First dance song?
We narrowed it down to 10 songs and listened to that playlist on repeat for weeks leading up to the wedding. Once we decided on “Conversations in the Dark,” by John Legend. We practiced our first dance (and dips) in our living room every night leading up to the wedding.

Any advice for future brides?
Don’t make planning your whole life! I know it’s much easier said than done, but don’t drive yourself nuts over little details or get caught up in things that won’t matter at the end of the day. The day will be perfect regardless when you remember why you’re there.

Honeymoon location:
We decided to take a little break between the wedding and honeymoon so that we could ride the wedding high for a little, also glad we did because we were exhausted and had a social hangover for weeks afterward! We’re heading to South Africa (Cape Town, Winelands, Safari) and Seychelles in October! We chose this trip because it was a perfect mix of adventure and relaxation.

wedding details

Hometowns

Orlando, FL

Reception Location

Mallard Island Yacht Club

Photographer

Lauren Ashley Photography

Officiant

Brian "The Rev" Schleper

Bride’s Gown

Martina Liana (Via Jaehee Bridal)

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Chelsea and Joe at Mallard Island Yacht Club

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