A Colorful Beachfront Wedding on the Island of Mustique

Emily D’Antonio and Jordan Wolowitz grew up in the same town—and even went to the same college—but didn’t cross paths until October of 2015. “A close friend of mine gave Jordan my number when we were both living in New York City, and suggested he get in touch with me,” she recalls. When they finally went on their first date, Jordan was hopeful it would go well, but he had a backup plan just in case. They planned to meet for a drink, and Jordan had tickets to a nearby concert in case they hit it off. By the time Emily got home that night, she’d discovered a new band (Tame Impala, which she now loves)—and also met her future husband.

By December of 2017, Jordan and Emily had moved out of the city and were busy renovating their new home in Connecticut. “We had filled our schedules with running errands and entertaining, and Jordan suggested we get out of the house before our New Year’s Eve plans,” Emily says. They headed to a midday movie and lunch, then made their way home to get ready. “I was a few steps ahead of Jordan when we got home, and opened the front door to find the entryway filled with flowers and candles,” she recalls. It turns out the New Year’s Eve plans had been a ruse, and the movie date had been a way to get Emily out of the house so his parents could help the local florist set up a surprise proposal. (Talk about a great way to start the new year!)

Emily and Jordan couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle, and began planning their June 30, 2018, wedding as soon as the holidays wrapped up. The bride, a senior PR manager at Net-a-Porter, has planned a number of events for work, so she took the helm and did most of the wedding planning herself. “A month before, Stefanie Cove and her wonderful team helped with the finishing touches, finalized all the details, and then oversaw every moment on site,”she explains. The sites were both special ones—the Bamboo Church and the Cotton House on Mustique. “I have so many special memories on that island, and it really feels like home to me,” Emily explains. “Jordan and I loved making it a part of our future together.”

In fact, the island’s tropical elegance inspired the couple’s intimate beach wedding, where just 50 guests joined the bride and groom for a celebration full of color, patterns, and playful accents. Photographer Shelby Duncan of Yes Love captured the couple’s island bash and all the fun and inspiring details. Keep reading for more!

Emily only made two dress appointments, and tried the same two gowns at each. “I had my eye on a simple Carolina Herrera slip dress, but spotted this lace off-the-shoulder gown after just a few minutes in the showroom,” she says. “Once I’d tried it on, that was pretty much it!”

As a petite bride, Emily knew she wanted wedding shoes with a lot of height—but still wanted to be able to dance! “I tried on these cream Fendi platforms at Saks on my way to the bridal salon, and they were perfect,” she recalls. Emily borrowed her accessories from her mother, warming up her bridal look with a yellow gold necklace, bracelet, and earrings by Buccellati. The mother-of-pearl clutch was also her mother's and served as her the bride's "something old and borrowed" as it's a piece her mom had found in an antique store in Italy when Emily was child.

Jordan and Emily only invited 50 guests to Mustique, so they skipped bridesmaids and groomsmen—but flower girls were a must! They wore white linen dresses from Jacadi, and walked down the aisle holding hands.

Jordan’s cream linen and silk Brunello Cucinelli suit was an order from, of course, Mr. Porter. He added an Hermès tie and pocket square with a tropical bird print to finish the look. “He’s not a big accessory person, so the suit really did the talking,” Emily explains.

Emily had dreamed of getting married in the Bamboo Church since she was a child, and her wedding day didn’t disappoint. The building is made entirely of bamboo beams, so the couple’s florist accented the natural feel with a variety of palms around the doorway and up above in the rafters. The altar was decorated with white lilies, white ginger, chrysanthemums, and bougainvillea. Emily’s frangipani bouquet was a crisp and fragrant contrast to all that native greenery!

“Jordan and I took our time heading to the reception, cruising around the island in our vintage Moke,” says Emily. “We couldn’t stop talking about all the excitement we’d felt during our ceremony just moments before!”

Guests gathered on the veranda of the Cotton House, sipping Mustique rum punch and spicy margaritas as they nibbled on seared tuna sashimi and chicken spring rolls.

Dinner was served at a single long table topped with whimsical palm, ginger, torch lily, and hibiscus centerpieces. “It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before,” says Emily of the colorful display. Each place setting featured a rattan charger, a woven straw fan, and an illustrated menu finished with each guest’s name. For dinner, guests chose between local beef tenderloin with sweet potato mash or coconut mahi-mahi with sticky rice.

After the couple cut into their three-tiered coconut cake and danced to “Is This Love” by Bob Marley, Emily changed into a silver sequined Chanel mini dress. “We headed to Basil’s Bar for the beachfront after-party,” she says. “The dance floor is under the stars, and we stayed there until the early morning hours—even though it started to rain!” The couple danced to classic rock covers played by Splash, a renowned local reggae band. Jordan is a partner at Founders Entertainment (and is part of the team that helms the annual Governors Ball in New York City), so you know the music choices were on-point all night!

Looking back on their big day, Emily says cutting down the guest list was a challenge, but they loved having a more intimate wedding in the end. “It meant we could focus on each other and not worry about some of the stress that comes with a bigger wedding,” she says. “We could also really relax because we were surrounded by family and our oldest and closest friends! By the time our wedding day arrived, we couldn’t wait to get down the aisle. No jitters here!”