Posted on August 21, 2023 by Jacqueline Larcara
Engaged New Jersey couples looking for laid-back coastal vibes can take a cue from celebrity couple Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley, who tied the knot on Long Beach Island on Saturday.
The Bleachers frontman, who grew up in Bergenfield and spent his summers on LBI as a kid, exchanged vows with the Maid actress at Parker’s Garage, a restaurant and events venue that boasts stunning views of the water, according to multiple reports.
The venue, which fits up to 180 guests and is part of the Shore-based Tide Table Group, aims to bring back “a golden age of Long Beach Island,” according to the hot spot’s website. From an oyster saloon to boat slips, Parker’s Garage keeps the nautical history of Beach Haven alive while boasting customized menus, strings of soft lights and a laid-back beach style.
Shore-based photographer Ann Coen, of Ann Coen Photography, has shot several weddings at Parker’s Garage and calls it “one of my favorite venues on LBI.” The reason? “Perfect sunset views, excellent food, a cozy coastal vibe and also two blocks from the beach—it pretty much has it all,” she tells New Jersey Bride. She notes that Parker’s Garage does not offer an outdoor ceremony space so many people opt for the beach or a local church for their ceremony location.
In recent years, New Jersey Monthly named Parker’s Garage one of the Jersey Shore’s best raw bars, so the menu for Antonoff and Qualley’s wedding likely featured great fresh seafood.
As for the vibe that Parker’s Garage couples exude, Coen says they’re “usually laid-back but appreciate great food and atmosphere.”
The back part of the venue overlooks the bay, “so you are always guaranteed a sunset,” says Coen. “They have the boat slips out back, they kept the wood floor and walls, and all of the decor is real antiques and photos from local baymen of the last 100 years.”
Couples searching for a Shore wedding venue may want to consider touring Parker’s Garage.
Hopefully, anyone who does opt for Parker’s Garage as a venue will have as gorgeous a day as Antonoff, 39, and Qualley, 28, had—though likely without all the paparazzi.
Long Beach Island was teeming with celebrities, including Antonoff’s frequent collaborator Taylor Swift, who sparked a frenzy among fans who spotted her the day before the wedding, according to videos circulating on social media. Less public was her 15-minute toast to—and roast of—the couple inside the wedding reception, according to Page Six.
Other high-profile guests reportedly included couple Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum, Lana Del Rey, and Qualley’s mother, the actress Andie MacDowell.
Antonoff and Qualley, who were first linked romantically in 2021, held their rehearsal dinner at Black Whale Bar & Fish House, which is also part of the Tide Table Group, People reported.
Antonoff has a special relationship with LBI. Growing up in North Jersey, the “We Are Young” rocker “spent every summer on Long Beach Island,” he told the Asbury Park Press in 2017.
And during a 2022 interview with W Magazine‘s editor-at-large Lynn Hirschberg on her podcast “Five Things with Lynn Hirschberg,” Hirschberg asked Antonoff if there is a place that “has particular magic” for him. The musician pointed to Long Beach Island.
“It’s like the only place where I can really, if I’m, like, on my bike riding around in the summer, it’s the closest I get to some level of centered happiness,” he said. “That’s just a place where I can kind of go in my mind. I’m listening to music. I’m really happy.”
“The closer to salt water I am, the better my whole body functions,” he added.
During the interview last year, Antonoff said that his family still owned the summer house they stayed in on Long Beach Island when he was growing up. Antonoff said that he also had a house on LBI located just two blocks from that childhood home.
[RELATED: Still searching for your dream wedding venue? NJB’s “Ultimate Guide to Wedding Venues in New Jersey” has all the essential information—including prices!—on 200 venues in NJ.]
