A Simple Nautical Wedding at The Columns in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey

After meeting and falling in love at the Jersey Shore, Katherine Richards (32 and a senior manager in wholesale operations) and John Carey Jr. (40 and a sales representative) knew they just had to have their wedding there. They created their perfect wedding at The Columns in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, using nautical inspiration with a blue and yellow color palette. "The Columns had the nontraditional, 'fun night out at the beach' feel we were going for," Katie says. Vanessa Joy Photography took the photos for the simple wedding, which started with a beach ceremony and ended with a live band, New Power Soul, at their indoor reception. "The band truly turned the reception into a party," Katie says. With a nautical theme, anchors played a heavy role in much of the wedding decor. Working with their invitation designer, LM Weddings, they created a logo design pairing their initials with an anchor. "We both loved the anchor wedding 'logo' that was designed for us, and we tried to incorporate that into everything from the invitations to the reception signage," Katie says. Allowing the nautical inspiration to take precedence, Katie opted for simple, yet beautiful, flower arrangements. The couple's florist, Wall Flowers, created small centerpieces using white hydrangeas and stock with various greens. For Katie and John, their wedding was all about enjoying the day and making sure their friends and family felt how much they appreciated them. For all of the guests who chose to spend the wedding weekend at the Jersey Shore, Katie and John planned a fun couple of days filled with events and provided them with some goodies. "Having both been to and been in many weddings, we wanted everyone to know how much it meant to us that they were sharing in our special day," Katie says.