Plan A Fairytale Wedding In Stony Brook Village

There are few places where you can plan a story-book wedding with everything that you need to create a perfectly magical day. Romantic Stony Brook Village on Long Island’s scenic north shore has stunning photo locations, historic reception hall venues, accommodations for out-of-town guests and plenty of things for visitors to do.

And there are several options for bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners and pre-wedding spa and beauty treatments. The shops at the Village Center in Stony Brook also include a florist and jeweler, as well as several shops for party favors or bridal party gifts.

You’ll find some of the most scenic places on Long Island for wedding photos in Stony Brook Village, including the Village Green overlooking the harbor; the historic Grist Mill, Avalon Park and Preserve and T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond and Park (where you might have some graceful swans swimming in the backdrop). You can call ahead to the Ward Melville Heritage Organization to schedule and coordinate photos at any of these locations(631 751-2244).

Stony Brook Village is the perfect location for a magical ‘destination wedding.’ If guests arrive by train they can take a quick taxi or Uber ride to the Village, where they won’t need a car for the rest of their stay since everything is within walking distance.

The historic c.1751 Three Village Inn, with its warm and cozy atmosphere, has 21 guestrooms and country cottages, along with reception seating for 200.

“We have guests come from all over because they can stay for the entire weekend,” said Dan Lafitte, general manager at the Estate at Three Village Inn. “We do over 100 weddings a year, including destination weddings where the brides and grooms plan an extended experience.”

The Three Village Inn garden area, ideal for wedding ceremonies and photos, recently won the award for Most Ornamental Garden by the local Historical Society. The understated elegance of the entire estate “makes it feel like you’re getting married in your own country home,” Lafitte said.

Other hotels and accommodations are available just a few miles from the Village Center.

Weekend Guest Activities

If guests will be staying the weekend there are several things for them to do while other preparations are going on. You could arrange a Discovery Wetlands Cruise on the Ward

Melville Heritage Organization’s 27-passenger pontoon boat, which cruises through the 88-acre wetlands preserve for a 1 1/2-hour tour. Or they can take a self-guided bicycle tour with TEB Bike Rentals in the village, or go paddling in the harbor with Stony Brook Harbor Kayak & Paddleboard Rentals.

Guests will also find plenty of shopping in the charming Village Center with shops that include Ben’s Garden, Stony Brook Chocolate, Chico’s, Mint, Loft, Madison’s Niche, Rocky Point Jewelers West, Crushed Olive and Village Coffee Market.

They’ll also be able to explore history at the c.1751 Stony Brook Grist Mill; take a scenic walk through Avalon Preserve; or visit the Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages, known for its collection of over 200 carriages and its extensive array of work by famed painter William Sidney Mount, and over 4,000 other paintings, sculptures and prints. According to legend, a visit to the Hercules Pavilion near the waterfront will ensure that your wish to be married within the year is granted.

They can also check ahead for evening performances at the Jazz Loft and the Staller Center for the Arts or arrange visitation to some of the other historic properties in the area, including the c. 1665 Brewster House and c.1709 Thompson House, both tied to the ‘Washington Spy Ring’ (depicted in AMC’s Turn series).

Rehearsal Dinners and Bachelorette Parties

Rehearsal dinners can also be planned right in the Village. The Country House restaurant, voted ‘Most Romantic Restaurant on Long Island’ by AOL City Guide is always elaborately decorated, and is a beautiful location for rehearsal dinners or small weddings with reception seating for 100 guests.

There are several other restaurants in the Village Center, including Pentimento with its beautiful garden in the back and Mirabelle Tavern at the Three Village Inn, that are ideal for rehearsal dinners.

Bachelorette parties or luncheons can also be arranged at several unique venues. For example, Robinson’s Tea Room offers prearranged luncheon events, along with British High Tea served with fresh baked desserts, scones or a savory assortment.

For a unique experience you’ll find gourmet cheeses from around the globe paired with high-end micro brewed craft beers, among other specialties at Brew Cheese. Or Sweet Mama’s in the Village Center offers guests a warm but modern, country cottage atmosphere.

For a musical party, arrange to go to the Jazz Loft, featuring a treasure trove of memorabilia including instruments, diaries, autographed pictures, original sheet music, and even an orchestra stage that was constructed from the original Roseland Ballroom, along with performances Thurs. to Sun.

Or you can treat your wedding party to salon and spa treatments at Blue Salon and Spa. They offer facials, massage, hairstyling and make-up services. Some of the women’s clothing shops in the Village, including Loft, Mint and Chico’s, will also arrange small bachelorette shopping parties.

Wedding Favors and Pre-Wedding Arrangements

Tasteful and useful wedding favors and bridal party gifts can be found at several local shops in Stony Brook Village. Crushed Olive can create custom gourmet favors including olive oil from around the world, balsamic vinegar, sea salts, jams, jellies, mustards, olives and olive related products.

At Stony Brook Chocolate, you can have custom favors created with many different shapes and molds to choose from. Chocolates can be individualized with your own imaging or messaging, including your photograph replicated on chocolate using sugar paper.

CCTS-Camera Concepts and Telescopes offers a unique, one-of-a-kind bridal party gift idea: Your photography printed on aluminum. Ranging in size from 4×6 to 12×18, the look is sharper and more dimensional than a standard photo, according to CCTS owner Jeff Norwood, and makes for a lovely keepsake.

Local couples will be surprised to find all the services they need to plan a perfect wedding in Stony Brook Village.

Open House Country Flowers and Interiors, which has consulted with influential clients and celebrity patronage and has had work featured in several media outlets, offers brides romantic, one-of-a-kind floral and interior decor to create a magical wedding day setting.

The Village Center even has something for the littlest members of the bridal party. Cottontails children’s shop has the most beautiful flower girl dresses, complete with wreathes and headdress, purses, hair pins and sashes that can be changed to match the wedding party colors. They also have catalogs to easily order other styles, along with little suits and shoes for boys in the wedding party.

Choose your wedding or engagement rings at Rocky Point Jewelers, and create the perfect bridal bouquets and floral arrangements at Village Florist. Village Florist also creates fabulous floral wedding ceremony and reception decor.  Stony Brook Village has everything needed to create a memorable wedding experience.

For more information, visit www.stonybrookvillage.com

By Kristen Matejka