PHOTOS: Stone Harbor’s Reeds at Shelter Haven Is Ready for Your Shore Wedding

The Sweet Grass Ballroom at the Reeds at Shelter Haven in Stone Harbor.

This past weekend, I finally got myself over (you know, from faraway Avalon) to the Reeds at Shelter Haven, the new hotel in Stone Harbor that is both right on the water and, I had heard, booking weddings out the wazoo.

Well, it was absolutely delightful. Like, so lovely. Shot right up to the top of my list as far as ambiance goes at places on that island to get a drink, and because of that, I can confidently say that if you are considering the Shore for your wedding—and if you would especially like if your Shore wedding were possibly right there on the water with the option for some outdoor partying—you should probably grab your groom and your mom and whoever else is in your venue-investigating posse and check this place out.

As far as both ceremonies and receptions go, the hotel has several options for both. They’ve got a Roof Garden Sundeck, from which 150 of your guests can see both Stone Harbor’s downtown and the actual harbor while you say your vows. They can arrange for you to tie the knot on the beach just about two blocks away, providing transportation for your guests. And there’s also an outdoor lawn on the water in the outside portion of the Water Star Grille restaurant (that one can fit up to 220 guests) if you want to say your I dos right there. (And yes, if it rains, they’ll scurry you into the ballroom.)

Ceremony set-up at the Water Star Grille.

The Sweet Grass Ballroom, which can also fit up to 220, is one of those spaces that feels like it’s outside. It’s got a glass wall that can completely retract to literally bring the outside in, and it leads out onto a covered veranda (which is safe to be on even if it’s raining) that looks out over the lawn and harbor. Catering is done in-house by Reeds executive chef David Utley, whose farm-to-table cooking philosophy means that almost all of the ingredients for your wedding will come from area farms and dairies. They’ve got a list of preferred vendors, but you’re free to bring in whoever you want as far as florists and the like; if you book there, the hotel’s wedding consultant will help you put it all together.

And, happily for your guests, there are 37 guest rooms on-site so that their trip home from your Big Day (and night!) only means pressing an elevator button. (You and your new hub get a complimentary bridal suite the night of your wedding.)

Talk to them about details and pricing—but instead of calling, I’d recommend doing it in person! The coastal-chic decor, the light and airy sense that you’re really at the Shore—it’s as much about a feeling as it is what it looks like. You needed an excuse to get down there one last weekend this summer anyway, didn’t you?

They’ve got a bunch of weddings already on the books for next season. Are any of your one of their brides?

With reporting by Amanda Wolkin.

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