Intimate DIY Beach Wedding Inspiration at The White Whale Motel
Rustic Drift, a boutique rental company out of New Jersey, has a hidden gem of a venue they want to let all beach lovers know about! The White Whale Motel has the perfect vibe for your intimate DIY wedding, without all the hubbub of the bigger beach towns along the Atlantic!
This beautiful shoot certainly sold us on this quaint location. Check out all of the fabulous details from this vintage VW backyard wedding, photographed by Ann Coen Photography by visiting the full gallery here.
Not Your Typical Beach Town
From Rustic Drift: Long Beach Island, NJ has always been a popular beach wedding destination for couples looking for beautiful estates and yacht clubs to get married at along the Atlantic. What many couples are unaware of is the unique, out-of-the-box venues that exist right on the same barrier island, just a few beach towns away, like The White Whale Motel in Barnegat Light.
When designing this shoot we wanted to find a venue with a relaxed beach atmosphere that played off the natural beauty of this quaint fishing town. With a 30’ x 100’ green grass backyard and 10 guest rooms, The White Whale Motel offered the perfect blank canvas for our hand-built rentals and is the kind of stuff an indie couple’s wedding dreams are made of.
Flowers Make It Fabulous
This wedding inspiration would not be completed without the floral designs of Petal + Paper. Accent pieces included gold metallics, long stem candles and geometric terrariums. It was the perfect balance of bohemian and elegant with so many other styles shining through.
Rustic Rentals You'll Love
Rustic Drift is a husband and wife owned, boutique rental company specializing in hand-built rustic + vintage rentals. Custom items for this styled shoot included a vintage door entrance to the backyard, a reclaimed lumber bar cart, a lounge area with a handmade sofa, coffee table and bench as well as a hanging cake stand, birch arbor and a ten foot farm table.
A Playful Beach Theme
With a bohemian influence, the goal of this shoot was to play off of the couple’s free spirited personalities. Since the couple grew up on Long Beach Island we threw in some surfing vibes with the ’78 Volkswagen Bus, bottles of Flying Fish Pale Ale and Longboard Vineyards Pinot Noir for the groom and dreamcatchers, bare feet, seaglass earrings and a floral crown for the bride.
- Rentals: Rustic Drift
- Beauty: Scissor Sisters Salon
- Bride's Earrings: The Wandering Gypsea
- Cakes & Catering: Moester's Bakery
- Dress: Sequin Jacket
- Flowers: Petal + Paper
- Groom's Tie: Original Penguin
- Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Charlie Whiskey Lettering & Design
- Venues & Officiants: The White Whale Motel
- VW Bus: Woodies Burgers