Glen Island Harbour Club Wedding Photos

In today’s blog post I’ll be sharing with you Marissa and Guy’s beautiful Glen Island Harbour Club wedding photos. Their wedding was one of the most elegant events I photographed all year. Even more special was the fact that this was my second time working with Guy’s family as I photographed his brother’s wedding in 2018. So, let’s get this family reunion started and dive in to all the details.

Meet Marissa and Guy

Marissa and Guy are such a lovely couple. They met at work nine years ago on Marissa’s first day of employment: ‘I started working at PepsiCo on September 3rd, 2013. A coworker, George, walked me through the building to show me around and introduced me to my new colleagues. Guy was walking towards us from the other side of the lab when George stopped him to introduce us. I laughed at the thought that his name was Guy.’

So how did the proposal take place? Again, I’ll let Marissa tell their love story. ‘In October 2015, we took a trip up to Warwick, NY, for Columbus Day weekend. We hiked the Pochuck valley Creek Trail called Stairway to Heaven. The hike is 7.5 miles out and back. Five years later, we decided to hike the same trail. On October 17th, 2020, I remember it was the perfect fall day. The air was warm yet crisp, not a cloud in the sky. We started the hike later in the day since I had CPR training in Manhattan that morning. ‘

‘First, we hiked the Pochuck Valley portion of the trail then braved the very steep stairway to heaven. The sun started to set on our way back through the Pochuck Valley trail. We knew we were coming towards the end as we got to a bridge that crossed a stream. Guy wanted to stop there, and I figured why not? The sun was setting, and the sky was glowing over the high grass. I was, of course, taking a picture when I turned around, and Guy was down on one knee.

We spent some time on that bridge alone together. This was special. The trail, which was super busy all day, was now empty. No one was around but us, soaking in the excitement, hugging, and freezing because it was getting cold. We finished the hike, ran to our car since our fingers were numb, and then sat in the car and told our families.’

The History of Glen Island Park

I took a trip to the Glen Island Park about a month prior to Marissa and Guy’s wedding for their venue check. While there, I read up on the island, and found it fascinating. Glen Island was created in 1879 by former U.S. Congressman John Starin as a vacation destination for wealthy New Yorkers. The park, then called ‘Starin’s Glen Island,’ was actually a series of small islands, each with its own international theme. The attractions included a bathing beach, natural history museum, zoo, and Chinese pagoda. Of particular interest was a German beer garden that was built to look like a castle. While the structure has seen much better days, the ruins of the beer garden buildings still stand today and serve as an interesting backdrop for photos in the park.

When the resort began to fall in popularity in 1923, Westchester County bought the property. All the islands were connected with landfill to create the park we have today. This leads to the history of the Glen Island Harbour Club itself. Situated at the northern end of Glen Island Park, the Glen Island Harbour Club is the site of the former Glen Island Casino. The casino was built in the 1930s and was one of the most popular music venues of its day. Big Band era musicians including Ozzie Nelson, Charlie Barnet, Claude Thornhill, Les Brown, The Dorsey Brothers and Glenn Miller all played here. As time went on, the casino was transformed into a popular catering hall in the 50s and 60s, and then into a nightclub in the 70s. Recently the club underwent a $10 million renovation.

Getting Ready – New Rochelle

For Marissa and Guy’s wedding day, we started the day at the Marriott Residence Inn in New Rochelle. Marissa and her girls occupied an expansive suite which took up one whole floor of the hotel. And while we didn’t spend much time in the city itself, I can say that New Rochelle is definitely an up-and-coming place. The city is undergoing lots of improvement projects currently, complete with city art. The area where the hotel is located had a fun mural on the wall that we just had to take advantage of for photos.

Glen Island Harbour Club Wedding Photos – The Bridal Suite

With makeup and hair in place, Marissa finished getting ready in the stunning bridal suite provided at the Glen Island Harbor Club. The bridal suite looks like a page out of Architectural Digest. The excellent lighting and magnificent mirror made for the perfect set up to display Marissa’s dress. The groom’s suite was equally nice, and I appreciated being able to get similar photos of Marissa and Guy getting ready in their respective suites.

Glen Island Harbour Club Wedding Photos – The Portraits

Portraits came next. After taking several photos of Marisa lit with just natural light and that beautiful mirror, it was time for the first look. The path leading to the Glen Island Harbor Club has a beautiful view overlooking Long Island Sound. I wasn’t about to waste this waterfront view, and set up our first look just a few steps away from the front entrance of the venue. The sweeping views added to the magical moment when Guy saw Marissa in her dress for the first time.

We next headed to the remnants of the ‘Starin’s Island’ German castle at the southern end of the island. While the buildings are currently under construction due to damage caused by a summer storm, what remains of the historical structures is enough to add a definite ‘wow’ background to any photo. Note, however, that it is a pretty hefty walk from the Glen Island Harbour Club to the ruins, so I recommend driving from the venue to the other end of the park.

With the bride and groom portraits complete, it was now time to bring in the entire family and bridal party. Marissa wanted to capitalize on the natural beauty of the park, so all of the remaining photos were taken outdoors. It was a bit windy, but everyone had fun in the process.

Glen Island Harbour Club Wedding Photos – The Ceremony

The next step was the walk down the aisle. The large windows of the ceremony space at Glen Island Harbor Club’s make it easy to take good photos here. The highlight of the space was the hand-painted chuppah crafted by Guy’s mother. She is quite a talented artist and also created the chuppah for brother Ben’s wedding.

Glen Island Harbour Club Wedding Photos – Cocktail Hour & Reception

Finally, it was party time for Marissa and Guy. Cocktail hour was held on the outdoor terrace. The sweeping views of Long Island Sound were wonderful at sunset.

This is a dancing crowd, and the guests lived up to every expectation I had for a fun reception. Case in point: the bride and groom danced both a hora and a tarantella to honor Marissa’s Jewish and Italian ancestry. And in case you couldn’t tell, Marissa in particular had a great time on the dance floor with her swirling skirt.

I have one final shout out to the staff at Glen Island Harbor Club. This is an old school club, and it is very clear that this was not their first rodeo. The staff are incredibly professional and it’s clear they know what they are doing. Every detail was taken care of, and the club looked beautiful inside and out.

Enjoy the images, I’ll have more photo adventures for you next week!

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