By the water
Two Manhattan designers made a personal statement at their Vineyard wedding with their own creative flair, from the save-the-date cards to the getaway car. Jamie Hoyt-Vitale, a graphic designer, and Adam Barnum, a Web designer, knew from the start that they wanted an intimate wedding, and as designers, they wanted to create as many details as they could.
Adam’s family started vacationing on the Island about 15 years ago, and he and Jamie first visited four years ago, so it was a natural place for their wedding last September.
Jamie used an anchor motif for the stationery and printed the save-the-date cards on the back of different lighthouse postcards they picked up on a previous trip.
With just 36 guests, they could put more effort into every detail than they could have with a larger number. “Because every person there meant something special to us, we asked everyone to be a part of our wedding party — that’s right, there were 20 ladies and 16 guys,” Jamie said. She made long wooden necklaces for all the ladies to wear. “At the time I thought it was a brilliant idea to string the beads on and knot them like pearls, which ended up taking hours and hours to get through. Everyone who helped me with them wanted to kill me!”
They chose the Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah for the ceremony, and taking advantage of the state’s one-day certificate allowing anyone to perform a marriage, had a family friend officiate. Knowing that local justice of the peace John Alley wears a top hat to perform ceremonies, Jamie ordered one online for their friend.
Jamie wore a simple gown and borrowed earrings from her mother. Her grandmother made the bridal bouquet and 20 more for all those ladies in waiting. She carried a hankie that was originally the bonnet she wore home from the hospital when she was born.
After the ceremony it was off to their Aquinnah rental home for a lobster feast catered by Bill Smith’s Martha’s Vineyard Clambake Company and dessert pies from West Tisbury’s roadside attraction, Eileen Blake’s Pies & Otherwise.
They made their getaway in vintage style. “In the months leading up to the wedding, Adam had been restoring his ’64 Ford Thunderbird so we could bring it up with us and use it in the wedding,” Jamie said. “We just barely got it back from the shop in time and actually had to have it towed up since it still wasn’t ready when we left for the Vineyard.” It meant much more to them than a rental car. “Plus, it looks super rad in all the photos,” she said. Cans tied onto the back had their own drawings and good wishes on them from each guest.
“With the amount of DIY projects we took on, we would have never been able to get through them all without the help of our awesome — and patient — family and friends,” Jamie said.
Jamie’s parents fell in love with the Island and plan to come back this summer. “There’s just something special about going and being on Martha’s Vineyard; the ferry ride, the laid-back lifestyle, the fresh seafood,” she said. “It’s a place that’s so close to home but once you’re there makes you feel like you’re a world away. What’s not to really love?”
[Originally published in the May 14, 2010 issue of the Vineyard Gazette's Wedding Planner; reviewed for updates in 2012.]