After living in Oregon for the last five years, two native Vineyarders – Luke Pisano and Annie Yuen – headed home for their wedding celebration. They didn’t know each other while growing up on the Island, only meeting after college when they were both back in the summer of 2015. “It’s a very sentimental place to us and just made sense,” Annie said about choosing Martha’s Vineyard for their wedding location. “We had been living off the Island for a very long time, so it made coming back for our wedding even more significant for us. We were able to bring all of our family and friends from all over the country to our beautiful hometown. That was really special.”

After Luke proposed in September 2020, they hesitated to plan a wedding for the following year since Covid restrictions left everything in doubt. But in May 2021 they decided on an October date, hoping that choosing an off-season time would help with vendor availabilities.

They selected a family property in Chilmark overlooking Lucy Vincent Beach as their venue for its connection to Luke, who lived there as a child, but planned other events in different locations to give guests the full Island experience. The welcome party was at The Loft and the rehearsal dinner at The Sweet Life, both in Oak Bluffs. Sunday brunch was at Sailing Camp Park overlooking Lagoon Pond.

As a way to help guests get to know each other in advance, Annie and Luke held a trivia competition at the welcome party that was all about them and their guests. By creating teams of people who hadn’t met, the guests were able to get more acquainted with others before the reception. “Those connections made the celebration feel like one big family,” Annie said.

For those planning their own wedding, Annie suggests making a list of priorities and handcrafting elements as a strategic way to budget. “We did a lot of DIY – designed our own invites, created/built our own décor, thrifted and painted dishes for our centerpieces,” she said. Luke even created a wedding logo – a line drawing of both of them – that was used on stationery, signs, and printed on T-shirts that were handed out at the welcome party.

“The overall feeling of the wedding was one big party – we didn’t want the wedding to feel stuffy, too traditional, or cookie-cutter,” Annie said. “We wanted to bring in playful artistic elements that reflected who we are, and created a fun, interesting environment for our guests.”

Details

Ceremony + Reception: Private Home
Photographer: Mila Lowe
Wedding Planner: Fete MV
Flowers: Morrice Florist + Fete MV + Diane Luckey
Tent + Party Supplies: Seaside Celebrations Tent & Party Rentals + Cash & Carry
Caterer: Herring Run Kitchens
Hair: Talita Destefani Beauty Lounge
Cake: Annie Bilzerian
Music: The Sultans
Transportation: MV Tour and Transport
Calligraphy + Stationery: Olive & Orange Illustration Shop
Libations: Our Market
Printing: Tisbury Printer
Rehearsal Dinner: The Sweet Life
Welcome Party: The Loft
Sunday Brunch: Sailing Camp Park