About this vendor
Thank you for your interest in celebrating your special day at The Breakwaters at The Dunes! Located in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, The Breakwaters is available year-round and can accommodate between 150-165 guests for a seated meal. Host your cocktail hour on the Patio, and dance the night away in our Breakwaters Ballroom. Sip our signature cocktails, taste our fresh, local-inspired cuisine, and when the night has come to an end, head upstairs to our luxurious rental accommodations in The Dunes. No matter your vision, our versatile venue is sure to make your wedding a memorable day for all. We look forward to helping you celebrate and can’t wait to SEA you down the ISLE!
Images:
Copyright © Tami & Ryan Photography;
Amoura Productions
Amenities + details
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Liability Insurance
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
- Beach
- Restaurant
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Destination Weddings
- Food & Catering
- Planning
- Service Staff
Reviews
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4.6
out of 5.012 reviews
The Breakwaters at the Dunes and their staff did an exceptional job for our wedding. The Event Coordinator, Sarah Mormello did an outstanding job bringing our special day to reali...
ty. My wife and I appreciate your help in creating unforgettable moments that will last a lifetime. If I didn’t know any better, I’d thank Sarah for arranging the perfect weather.
We appreciate your attention to every detail, especially the beautiful beach arrangement, the arbor, and especially the reception. The venue/reception’s appearance, food, and staff were a perfect blend of professional and down-to-earth/comfortable every step of the way. My wife and I are grateful for the upgrade you gave us for free and your help with our onsite living accommodation during our stay. With no exaggeration, all of our guests complimented everything. A couple of people commented on how much it must have cost. Honestly, it was absolutely a very fair/reasonable cost. We. are deeply thankful for your communications and your ability to take every situation in stride. Thank you, Sarah and The Breakwaters at The Dunes, we are happy to recommend you and your establishment.
Our experience at the Dunes was beyond anything we might have imagined! At the height of the season, Sarah was able to plan an unbelievable post wedding celebration in under a mont...
h! As a mature second marriage, her attention to detail timing and our specific needs went well beyond our expectations. Her presence on-site during the event, the team she put together in service to our guest absolutely amazing! Writing this review three months post event, I can still feel the ease and energy of that day. The food was fabulous, and with another event overlapping ours, the professionalism and personal attention we received was first class… and ours was the smaller venue!! Above and beyond is all I can say, a beautiful forever memory made at the Dunes. Highly recommended for your upcoming event!!!
This was the perfect beach wedding venue for us! We did a ceremony on the beach and could not have asked for a better location. The venue was set up beautifully, and the food was a...
mazing! Sarah was so easy to work with and helped make our day memorable. This is the perfect place for a beach wedding with a great location and amazing food and staff. Thank you Sarah and the team for your hard work!
My husband and I couldn't have asked for a better venue. We knew we wanted to get married in a beach town, and this venue was perfect. Even though it was indoors, it still have tha...
t beach vibe, with cool neutral colors, lots of natural light and one block away from the beach! Sarah worked with our wedding planner to ensure every detail was taken care of. they were able to take my vision and execute it perfectly. She was so involved, knowledgeable and responsive. Having cocktail our in the bar area made for a great area for guests to hang out before moving into the main reception area. Now let's talk about the food....so damn good. The cocktail hour passed appetizers were a huge hit with everyone and the plated dinner was outstanding. This venue is a gem and we are so happy we found it. Thank you Sarah and team for making our wedding an unforgettable weekend.
My husband and I can't say enough good things about the staff at The Breakwater's at The Dunes. We are regulars at Beachwood because you can't beat the friendly staff, great drinks...
and delicious food. When it came time to plan a reception to celebrate our marriage we knew this would be the perfect place for us! Sarah, the event coordinator and Patrick, the general manager made sure the night was perfect! The room was beautiful, the food and drinks were amazing and everyone had a truly amazing time. Planning the event was completely stress free thanks to the two of them. Our guests had such a wonderful time that no one wanted to leave! I highly recommend The Breakwaters at The Dunes if you are looking to throw a wedding reception or any event for that matter. We could not be happier with the way the evening turned out.
I love this space so much. It’s absolutely beautiful with the tasteful beach décor that isn’t over the top. The color scheme is really pretty and perfect for a beach-inspired wed...
ding. The adjoining condos that you can book with the venue were perfect for our group.
To be perfectly honest, it started out very rocky after we signed the contract. We were working with a woman who is no longer there, and it always seemed like we were majorly inconveniencing her when asking basic questions (like when we could set up a tasting or when we could see the space). We had trouble getting responses and there were inconsistencies for a long time. I don’t think this will be an issue going forward because that woman isn’t there anymore and they were going through a transition period.
After Sarah was hired, things got much better. I’m sure my mom and I drove her crazy with all of our questions, but she was always pleasant. We’re very detail-oriented people and had questions about every little thing, but Sarah was on top of everything. The day of the wedding, all of the décor looked absolutely perfect and how we’d imagined it to. They are really experts at making things look beautiful and put together (centerpieces, cookies, etc). Breakwaters worked with our DJ and photographer to make sure everything ran smoothly. My husband actually sought Sarah out after our reception ended and told her what a great job she did with the whole night.
We can’t recommend the chef enough. The food was unbelievably good. We are still getting compliments on our wedding food, especially the salad and the entrees. We had several people tell us it was the best wedding entrée they’ve ever had. A couple of other people said their meat was the best cut of meat they’d ever had. And we got A TON of compliments on the Caribbean-inspired salad with mango. The first woman we worked with told us that we could choose any of the options on the wedding menu at the time we signed the contract, even if it wasn’t on the seasonal wedding menu when we got married. That turned out to not be the case. My husband is Haitian-American and we wanted the Jamaican jerk salad that was on the original menu, but were told later that we couldn’t get that salad anymore. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the chef created the most amazing Caribbean-inspired salad with mango that everyone loved.
The bartenders kept everyone’s glasses full and got drinks out quickly. We wanted to have signature cocktails (his and hers) and Breakwaters did a great job of creating cocktails for us based on our tastes. They even added cute chalkboards with our cocktails written on them for guests to see when ordering drinks.
Now that Sarah is on board, I really recommend this venue. The only complaint I have about the entire night is that the AC wasn’t working properly in the reception area. People had to keep leaving and going to the lobby to cool down, and it was a very hot night. We still had a great time and loved the food and décor. The night would have been perfect if the air was working, but I imagine this was a freak thing that doesn’t usually happen. We loved this venue and will definitely be heading to Beachwood at the Dunes for dinner & drinks next time we’re down the shore.
**I will add photos once we get them back from our photographer.**
First and foremost I have to say thank you to everyone at the Breakwaters for helping make our wedding day truly amazing and a dream come true. Patrick the general manager may be t...
he hardest working man in SIC. Patrick was awesome from day one! The instant I saw the Breakwaters and met Patrick I knew immediately that this is where we HAD to get married. Patrick and his staff were so kind, flexible, and accommodating. Pretty much any idea I had, they made happen. To put things into perspective for future brides looking to have their wedding at The Breakwaters, we had 160 guests, had our ceremony in the ballroom where the reception was also held, and had a 6 piece band.
The Venue & space: You can see the second you walk into the Breakwaters how beautiful it is. Its natural decadence took the stress off of having to “dress up the room.” Not to mention the natural light was to die for! Let me tell you how amazing our pictures came out because of it. Our ceremony was done in the ballroom, cocktail hour was over in the restaurant, and then returned to ballroom for reception. The way the staff turned that room over in just 1 hour from a ceremony space to a beautiful reception space was amazing! The best part was our guests had no idea it was even happening! It was better than I had even envisioned. We received constant compliments on how beautiful the space was.
The condos: I mean rooms above your wedding, it doesn't get better than that. It made the weekend that much more enjoyable, not having to transport people and things all over the island. Not to mention the rooms are SO NICE! All of my guests were very impressed and happy with their stay at The Breakwaters at The Dunes. It truly made for a great weekend of partying and celebrating.
Food:The food was AMAZING! For cocktail hour we did the 5 passed hors d’oeuvres and chose to add a raw bar. Everyone kept telling us how good all the food was at cocktail hour and how they LOVED the raw bar. For dinner we chose Filet, Chicken, Salmon & a vegetarian option. The staff at Breakwaters was so accommodating for food allergies & preferences. One of my favorite parts about my day was looking to everyone's tables and seeing how much everyone enjoyed their meals. Every plate was completely licked cleaned, myself included. (Compliments to the chef) The food came out cooked to ordered, fresh and hot (not like it was sitting under a heat lamp for hours). Some of my guests were asking for seconds! We also had a morning after brunch that was delicious and great for giving our guests another thank you and send off before driving home.
The Staff: All the servers and bartenders were really great! Everyone working that day you could see was working so hard, so I couldn’t ask for much more. One thing I loved about Patrick is he was always right there in the trenches with all the staff busting his butt including running food and clearing tables to make sure everything ran smoothly. Special thanks to Shannon (server) & Brian (bartender) for always making sure we were taken care of.
If we had to do it all over again we absolutely choose Patrick & his team at The Breakwaters!
Our daughter had a wedding at the Breakwater this past weekend May 18,2019. It was amazing. The condo's were so beautiful and accommodating to our families. Patrick overseeing ever...
ything went well and working right along with the bride and parents. Sarah ,our wedding planner made sure there were no mistakes made and corrected any issues. The Chef's food was amazing. Every guest stated to me that they have never experienced a wedding like ours. The Breakwaters, how can I say they treated us like family. Thank you so much,Vince D.
Our daughter, Lauren, and her fiancé, Kyle, held their wedding reception at the Breakwaters on April 27, 2019. Throughout the process the general manager, Patrick, was so supporti...
ve and helpful. We had a wonderful tasting two months prior. The food was delicious. Our guests raved about the tasty appetizers, excellent service by all staff, delectable entrees, and the lovely ambiance of the room. Kudos to Sarah for all her help as the tables looked beautiful, the set up of the placecards, the memorial table, and the photo frame area were all lovely! Lauren and Kyle were able to sneak away for a short time to take sunset photos at a dock by the bay. This is the perfect choice for seashore wedding receptions. We highly recommend the Breakwaters not only for the beauty of the venue itself but also for all the attentive staff: Patrick, Sarah, Chef Lucas, all the bartenders and the wait staff. They have all earned ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We can't say enough good things about having our wedding and reception at the Breakwaters. From start to finish it was a stress free and enjoyable experience.
To start I want to ...
highlight Patrick the general manager, he was phenomenal throughout the entire process. Patrick knows the town. He knows the bakers in town, he knows the transport companies (or Jitney owners), and he knows any other vendor you could possibly imagine which allowed him to recommend and connect with them at ease. When it came to planning our menu, flowers, and transportation, Patrick would always have an answer. His recommendations were almost always better than anything we could research ourselves online and he would always reach out to them personally and coordinate details. When planning our menu for the day of as well as our rehearsal dinner, Patrick was highly willing to work with any additions or alterations to the menu that we wanted. He was very understanding and offered many helpful and insightful suggestions so nothing was repetitive. Patrick also went above and beyond for our bar selections, allowing us to choose several local brews to have on tap for our event. Patrick and the venue were always available to chat or around to have us drop by any time we might want to go over a detail or make sure we were on schedule. This really put our minds at ease knowing he was staying on top of everything and checking every detail with us. For us, it seemed that Patrick was the perfect wedding planner we didn't plan on having and it made all the difference.
During the day of our ceremony, between handling and organizing all the set up, food prep, and welcoming guests (as we also rented out the condos on site of the Breakwaters) the entire staff was unbelievable. One of the things that stood out to us was the seamless handling of all the moving parts on the day of. The flow from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception was smooth and relaxed as the portion of the venue where we held our ceremony was quickly transformed into our reception hall. Due to the layout of venue, our guests didn't once notice all the changes happening directly across the hall with it all done without it seeming haphazard or rushed. When it came for the reception/dinner, we again couldn't have been more impressed. The staff was attentive and the chef could not have presented a more impeccable meal that arrived hot and seasoned perfectly.
Another highlight was the staff attending the bars during our rehearsal dinner and wedding. Somehow they seemed to be having as much fun as our guests which in turn made our guests enjoy themselves that much more. They were friendly, efficient and the life of the party. They seemed to just be there because they wanted to be, not because it was a job. They worked hard but made it seem effortless, not once was there a lengthy line at the bar.
The venue and the condos are beautiful, but it wouldn't have been the same event without the staff. The entire night they were running around making sure every detail was perfect, our champagne glasses full and guests were enjoying themselves. They didn't just help us have a great reception, they helped us have our perfect wedding. We highly recommend this location for your big day!
Simply would not recommend. My fiancé and I fell in love with this space and attempted to have our reception here. It took us 2 months to get an initial response from them. Anot...
her 2 months to answer some of our questions. We attempted to work with the manager setting up a communication plan however after some time that plan fell through as well. After many left voicemails and unanswered emails we decided to sadly part ties with this venue about 5 months later. We deeply regret wasting so much of our precious planning time on them. I would hate for another couple to go through the same.
My husband and I have spent numerous summers in Sea Isle City, a place we love dearly. Having our wedding there was a dream-come-true, and was only possible because of The Breakwat...
ers at The Dunes.
We are the first bride and groom to be married at The Breakwaters at the Dunes. Our wedding was just perfect for us. We booked at a time (off-peak season) that gave us access to the use of the entire building (the Breakwater Ballroom, the Doc Magrogan's Oyster House and The Dunes at Townsend's Inlet, which are the rental properties above the Ballroom). Everything was on-site for our guests, which made for a stay that felt like a weekend celebration with our closest friends and family - exactly what we were hoping for.
Decor: The building itself is just beautiful. We found an elegant lightness in the layout and color design, which lent itself well to planning our wedding. We weren't limited with any of our decor decisions due to existing building decorations. We were able to make the design of our wedding feel personal to us. For example, we played a slide show of photos throughout the entire evening behind the bar, with the help of the Breakwaters staff. We had a wonderful surprise in the middle of the reception when the slideshow my husband and I had created was replaced with photos that our wedding photographer had taken just moments before during the first look and our ceremony! This was only possible through the help of the staff and we were thrilled!
Food: The food was delicious! We did a sit down dinner, and received numerous compliments from our guests about everything on the menu, from the passed appetizers to the dinner options to the dessert. They were amazed at the quality and the presentation. One of our favorite parts in the planning with the venue was the tasting! The food at our wedding was just as great as it was that day.
Bar: The bartenders were just terrific. There was never a line, and I've heard guests say their drinks were never empty. They were so friendly to everyone attending the wedding, along with the entire waitstaff.
Staff: As I mentioned, we were the first wedding at this venue. We were adamant about wanting to book with The Breakwaters. In absence of an events person, when we began reaching out (which was before construction was even finished!) the existing staff members did what they could to answer our questions. A few months after we had made initial contact, they hired Devon, an Events Manager. After that - we were confident everything would run smoothly. Devon was extremely knowledgable and very thorough with her work. She was incredibly helpful in answering our questions and somehow made all of our ideas come to life. Her professionalism was top-notch. It was clear we were in good hands from our first meeting. Our big day would not have been so memorable without Devon. She was responsible for making everything come together on the day of, so we didn't have to worry about anything. She's great!
Our wedding at The Breakwaters was amazing! We would do it again in a heartbeat. Since our wedding, we know at least one of our family members has booked an additional stay at The Dunes for this coming summer and others can't wait to get back to enjoy the restaurant again!
We recommend The Breakwaters at The Dunes without hesitation. If you're thinking about it - book it!
Contact
8600 Landis Ave, Sea Isle, NJ
Wedding Venues