A Seaside Chic Wedding at Congress Hall in Cape May, New Jersey
Kristen McCaney (30, an advertising professional) and Ken Trombetta (31, a hedge fund analyst) dated for over six years – two of them long distance – before Ken proposed on the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, informing their wedding venue from the start.“After we got engaged, we knew we wanted to get married at the Shore,” Kristen said. “Ken’s grandparents had a house in Ocean City, New Jersey, and he spent many summers there. My parents have a house in Avalon, New Jersey, and it just has so many memories. We also wanted a location that was accessible to our friends in New York, his family in Pittsburgh, and my family in the Philadelphia area. The Shore was the perfect spot and also made it feel like a destination. We went to visit Congress Hall in Cape May, New Jersey, a few days after our engagement, since we were already at the Shore, and fell in love. It was unique, fun, glamorous, luxurious and historic, plus we could have all of the events in one place. It was beyond perfect and it felt like us.”Their bright seaside venue naturally called for cheery, nautical colors, which the bride has always loved.“We decided that the theme for the wedding would be ‘Seaside Chic’. The wedding décor and flowers would have a lot of navy and white stripes with pops of persimmon and gray,” Kristen said. “I’ve always been drawn to and inspired by the sea and nautical looks. It just seems so classic and timeless. We had navy and white striped décor throughout. Each of the bouquets was tied with navy and white striped ribbon. The cocktail tables were covered in navy and white striped tablecloths and topped with lanterns. My mom made navy and white striped pillows for the rocking chairs that lined the Veranda at Congress Hall. The theme was carried into the ballroom with the cake and napkins tied with navy and white striped ribbon. Our flowers were gorgeous and tied the whole look together. We had arrangements throughout made of lush selections of white hydrangea, persimmon roses, white garden roses, blue thistle, blue nigella, white and dark blue delphinium, seeded eucalyptus, and dusty miller.”Kristen and Ken also made sure to make their guests’s getaway weekend extra fun with custom welcome bags filled with goodies like Philadelphia soft pretzels, Johnson's Popcorn caramel corn, Sarris chocolate covered pretzels, water, Advil, and beer koozies. “We hope our guests felt as special and loved as they made us feel,” Kristen says.