A Fashion Designer's Summer Wedding on Shelter Island

It may be commonplace now, but back when Jillian Shatken and Elias Mablekos met in December of 2013, a married couple who met on Tinder was almost unheard of. “It was pretty early on in the dating app scene, but we had a friend in common so that made us a lot more comfortable with meeting up in person,” says Jillian. In the end, Elias and Jillian are both glad they swiped right!

After that first meeting, the pair spent the next four and a half years exploring New York City, then escaping on summer weekends to Jillian’s parents’ house in Shelter Island. “I grew up sailing and going to the beach, and getting to share that place with Elias made it even more special,” she explains. So after Elias popped the question in April of 2017, selecting the nearby Rams Head Inn as the venue for theirJune 9, 2018 wedding was easy.

Shelter Island is known for its low-key vibe, which played right into the couple’s wedding vision. “It was bright and colorful, with some ‘60s inspiration,” Jillian describes. The bride, who is the co-founder and designer of SAYLOR, put her fashion chops to use. “I often produce photo shoots, and am so hands-on with the business that I figured planning a wedding wouldn’t be too much more complex,” she says. “In the end, though, I would not have minded a little extra help!”

This vibrant yet minimalist beach wedding is fresh, airy, and full of inspiration. Check out the photos by Sasithon Photography below for more!

Printerette created a colorful invitation suite that nodded to the beach venue and Jillian’s ‘60s inspiration. As guests arrived on the island, they were greeted with welcome bags full of Tate’s Cookies (a Long Island classic!) and North Fork potato chips.

Adding to the retro vibe, Elias and Jillian had cameras on hand so guests could snap photos and, in effect, create a custom guest book.

“Elias’ family is Greek, so I knew that if I didn’t design my own wedding dress, I’d be wearing a Greek designer,” says Jillian. The bride headed to Moda Operandi’s bridal salon in search of her gown, and fell in love with a guipure lace gown by Costarellos. “Shopping for a wedding dress is the way shopping used to be, with someone truly helping you from the moment you arrive and bringing you items you might not have tried otherwise,” the bride describes of the experience. She paired her dress with a braided updo and white sandals, which she swapped for chunky gold Loeffler Randall mules for the reception.

To match Jillian’s fashion-forward, high-low dress, Elias donned a custom Hall Madden suit and Doucal’s shoes.

To match the wedding’s relaxed ambiance, Jillian carried a gathered bouquet of daisies, snapdragons, mums, and allium.

The couple’s minimalist chuppah was built with bamboo from Jillian’s parents’ backyard, then topped with intricate fabric she sourced from India. The couple's florist, Wildflower Floral Events, hung colorful astilbe and yarrow from the beams.

Jillian’s parents escorted her to the chuppah, leading her down an aisle decorated with white daisy heads. “Our flower girls were my one- and three-year-old nieces,” says Jillian. “My sister carried the younger girl down the aisle, but the older one walked on her own. She was afraid to step on the flowers that had already been laid out, so she took a long and meandering walk to sidestep all of the daisy heads!”

The couple chose to exchange traditional Jewish vows. “We followed the Jewish tradition of spending a few minutes in private directly after the ceremony, and used that time to share wedding notes we’d written to one another, which included more personal vows,” Jillian recalls.

“We decided against having a wedding party, but invited our closest friends to stay at Rams Head Inn with us for the weekend,” says Jillian. “I put in a soft request for the girls to all wear floral dresses, and was pleasantly surprised when they all showed up in flower prints!”

The reception took place at long tables arranged on the inn’s lawn, set with white chairs and tablecloths. “There were already lights strung over the tables, so our florist hung flowers to add a bit of color,” says Jillian.

A scalloped eyelet runner, also sourced from Jillian’s sample room in India, topped each table. “We asked our florist to create bright and non-traditional arrangements,” she says of the vibrant clusters of tulips, allium, astilbe, billy balls, and banksia. Cut-paper table numbers were tucked into glass bottles, helping guests find their seats.

“We wanted dinner to be as fresh and local as possible,” says Jillian. The menu included oysters, local bass, and seasonal vegetables, as well as a classic summer cocktail: an Aperol spritz!

Jillian changed into a white SAYLOR jumpsuit of her own design for the reception, which she admits is the the closest she got to a DIY project. “I was so happy I had something comfortable and fun to dance in!” she says.