Sharon Naylor is the author of over 30 wedding books, including 1000 Best Secrets For Your Perfect Wedding, 1000 Best Wedding Bargains, Your Special Wedding Vows, Your Special Wedding Toasts, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom, The Groom's Guide, The Essential Guide to Wedding Etiquette, The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, and more. She has appeared as a wedding expert on Nightline, Lifetime, Inside Edition, ABC News, Fox 5 News, and on hundreds of radio stations nationally and internationally. Read more about Sharon Naylor here. Sharon is also happy to asnwer your wedding-related questions in her forum. 
“We both love beaches and had many special moments at a small beach near my old apartment. It just made sense to work that in somehow.” Maggie Hall (now LeVine), a 31 year-old aspiring standup comic, took a favorite place and turned it into their wedding theme for her September 26, 2004 wedding to Steve LeVine, a 33 year-old technical support specialist. With a budget of $12,000 they set out to create a beach-y atmosphere and tie in all of their wedding plans to reflect a place and mood that’s very special to them.
Their 60 guests enjoyed a beach-themed reception that made the most of their location at the Harborview Room at Captain Bill’s in Bay Shore, New York. From the island-style menu to the seashell motif, every detail of their celebration came from their love of the beach.
Why They Chose Their Wedding Location
Maggie says that since she isn’t a huge fan of excessive décor, she wanted a place that looked nice on its own and had a great view. She had family coming from across the country, and she wanted to provide some change of scenery for them.
How Steve Helped
Maggie describes how her groom Steve was a full planning partner with her on the wedding, which is the overwhelming trend right now. “He went shopping with me for every aspect of the wedding (except the dress) and had lots of input. He also made all the favors by hand. I can honestly say this was a 50-50 effort with us.”
How Their Parents Helped
“They paid for the wedding, but they were of the mindset of setting a budget and letting us do what we wanted. If we went over, we would pay the difference ourselves.”
Maggie’s Gown
“I think the gown was around $400… it was off-the-shoulder with little rosettes on the skirt. I had a tough time finding a gown I liked because I really wanted off-the-shoulder, and that was so hard to find! I only went to three places. The first one had a sale but didn’t have anything I really liked. The second place had a dress I liked but I wasn’t thrilled with the sleeves. And the third -- the one I ended up getting -- was perfect. Ironically, I was out looking for bridesmaids’ dresses at that point. Later I had a couple of bridesmaids come with me to try on their dresses, and I decided to try mine on then too… talk about two birds with one stone!”
What the Bridesmaids Wore
Maggie’s bridesmaid wore two-piece outfits. “The top had short sleeves and sparkling beads across the midriff, which reminded me of the sun shining on a fairly calm sea, and the bottom was a long, full A-Line skirt.” The bridesmaids wore light pink, with the maid of honor wearing a dress that was a couple of shades lighter.”
What the Groom Wore
Maggie says, “Steve bought a new tux, with a platinum tie and vest. The guys also wore platinum.”
Our Bridal Party
Maggie names their bridal party of close friends and family:
MOH – Sheryl (my cousin)
BM#1: Toni (her husband is Steve’s best friend, and the four of us spent a lot of time together)
BM#2: Heather (Steve’s SIL)
FG: Alexia (Toni’s daughter)
Best Man #1: Ken (Steve’s best friend – practically a second brother)
Best Man #2: Jeff (Steve’s brother)
GM’s – Nathan and Brian (Steve’s cousins)
RB: Gregory (Ken and Toni’s son)
Our Ceremony
“It was at the same location as the reception – short (30 min.) and non-religious. My uncle’s a minister, so he performed the ceremony.”
Our Reception
Maggie describes their reception as, “a great celebration with close friends and family.”
Our Menu
“Mahi-mahi w/ pineapple mango salsa, blackened chicken… and some kind of beef dish (sorry – I don’t even remember what!). I know I had the chicken and Steve had the mahi-mahi.”
Our Cake
Maggie and Steve’s three-tiered cake reflected the popular trend of selecting different flavors for each layer. The top was vanilla with key lime filling, the middle was chocolate with mocha filling and the bottom was vanilla with chocolate filling. Overall, the cake was covered in white fondant and pretty fondant seashells. Maggie says, “We opted for more shells instead of a topper.”
Our Centerpieces
“We had flat glass bowls filled with sand and seashells arranged on top. I also took giant clam shells, wrote table names on them in gold pen and stuck them in the centerpieces with bear grass arranged behind them (it was the closest I could get to dune grass).”
Our Favors
Steve made the favors himself! “They were coasters made out of resin with small seashells imbedded, and in the middle was a sand dollar with our names and date written in gold pen. We also glued crème-colored organza to the back.”
Our First Dance Song
“Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel
Our Favorite Parts of the Wedding
Maggie says her favorite parts were:
1. “Saying I Do.”
2. “Knowing this may be the only time I’ll have everyone from all parts of my life in a room together.”
Our Favorite Photo
The Honeymoon
Maggie and Steve took an 8-day cruise to San Juan, St. Thomas and Tortola.
Maggie’s Advice To You
“It’s your day – do what works for you. Don’t make yourself nuts trying to please everyone – it’s nearly impossible.”
Our Pash DIY Projects
Pen & Pen Holder (February)
Coaster Favors (March)
Beach-Themed Centerpiece (April)
Beach-Themed Card Box
Conch Shell Bouquet
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