Reed and Matt's Wedding
September 13, 2008
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General Information
Reed Morano and Matt Walker will be married Saturday, September 13, 2008 in Ocean Beach, on Fire Island, New York. The wedding ceremony will take place at four o'clock in the afternoon, on the beach at the end of Surf View Walk in Ocean Beach, fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Though a public beach, this area will be sectioned off for the purposes of the wedding. A limited number of chairs will be provided.
The reception will be held immediately following the ceremony at Reed's family's restaurant, Matthew's Seafood House, 935 Baywalk(631) 583-8016, on the bay side of Ocean Beach a short walk away. There will be cocktails at five o'clock followed by appetizers and a buffet-style dinner.
In the unlikely event of rain, the ceremony will take place at Matthew's, rather than the beach.
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Fire Island
For those of you who have never been to Fire Island, it's uniquely remote for a place so close to New York City. Located off the southern coast of Long Island, Fire Island is a barrier island about 31 miles long and less than a quarter of a mile wide. Ocean Beach, the village in which the wedding will be held, has a permanent population of less than 200. Reed's family has spent the summer on Fire Island since 1974 when Reed's father, Casey, along with his two brothers and parents, first opened their restaurant, Matthew's Seafood House. Though Reed has lived in several other places in the successive years, Ocean Beach is the one place that has remained a constant home to Reed's family.
Ocean Beach is the largest community on Fire Island, but visitors for the wedding may find accomodations in the neighboring villages, which include Seaview immediately to the east, and Ocean Bay Park just beyond that.
General information about Fire Island can be found on the island's travel guide site.
Getting There
No cars are allowed in Ocean Beach or the neighboring villages and so it is for the most part accessible only by private boat, water-taxi, or public ferry. The latter is the most reliable and inexpensive method of transportation to the island; ferries regularly depart Bay Shore, Long Island for various destinations on Fire Island and take about half an hour.
Please note that this is not the type of ferry which can transport cars; it is a small passenger-only boat. Since communities on Fire Island are so small, most destinations on the island are accessible via a short walk, bike ride, or by taking the occasional water taxi between towns.
Most visitors to Ocean Beach, Seaview, or Ocean Bay Park will drive to the ferry terminal and leave their cars parked there; travelers from New York City usually take a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train to Bay Shore (which takes only an hour and a half), followed by a very brief taxi ride to the Ferry.
The Fire Island Ferries
Schedules and detailed information about the Fire Island Ferry can be found at it's website at www.fireislandferries.com. or by calling (631) 665-3600. Ferries leave one of two destinations in Bay Shore for Ocean Beach, Seaview, Ocean Bay Park, Kismet, Saltaire, Fair Harbor, and Dunewood/Atlantique. The ferry ride currently costs $15/adult and $7/child for the round trip and takes approximately 30 minutes. Please consult the schedules on the website and note their dates: the current schedule will no longer be valid as of Sept. 2, but very soon a new end of summer/fall schedule should be posted. If you are staying in Ocean Bay Park (two towns east of Ocean Beach) you may prefer to take the Ocean Bay Park ferry so you don’t have as far to walk with your luggage.
Getting to the Fire Island Ferries Via Train
Timetables for the Long Island Railroad from various stations in New York City to the Bay Shore station can be found at http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/bayshore.htm. The trains operate on a different schedule on weekends, accessible from the same page. Unfortunately, the offical timetable for the month of September will not be posted until that month begins, but the schedule should be almost identical to August's schedule. The ride to Bay Shore from Penn Station lasts about an hour and a half; the first train out on Saturday arives at 8:30 AM, and the last train out on Saturday evening departs Bay Shore at 12:55 AM. Also please note that most LIRR trains from the metro area require a transfer at either Jamaica or Babylon.
Once you arrive at the Bay Shore stop, taxi service is available to take you directly to the ferry: just tell them which ferry you want to take (Ocean Beach, Ocean Bay Park, etc.) since there are slightly different Ferry stations for these different locations on Fire Island. The best local taxi service is David's Taxi (formerly known as Tommy's Taxi) at (631) 665-1515, (631) 665-4800, or (631) 665-0670 - http://www.davidbroscarservice.com/. Call ahead to make sure they will have a taxi at your train! It is usually around $4 to get from the train to the ferry terminal, and should only take about five minutes.
Getting to the Fire Island Ferries Via Car
The Ocean Beach Terminal of the Fire Island Ferries is located at 99 Maple Avenue, Bay Shore, NY 11706, on the left hand side of Maple Avenue; the Seaview/Ocean Bay Park Terminal is on the right side.
Directions to the Fire Island Ferries (from the company website):
From the Long Island Expressway:
- 1. Take Exit 53-Sagtikos Parkway South to Southern State Parkway/Eastern Long Island (left fork).
- 2. Take Southern Parkway to the first exit (Exit 42 South-Fifth Avenue), make a left at the stop sign, and then turn right onto Fifth Ave. South.
- 3. Take Fifth Ave. to the first traffic light after the LIRR tracks. Make a left onto Union Blvd.
- 4. Turn right at the 3rd light onto Fourth Avenue.
- 5. Continue approx. 1/3 mile past the second set of traffic lights (Fourth Ave. becomes Maple Ave.) The Main Terminal (Ocean Beach) is the first terminal on the left; the Seaview/Ocean Bay Park Terminal is on the right side of Maple Avenue.
Parking is conveniently located adjacent to both of the Fire Island Ferry terminals, although it is usually expensive during the season and we recommend to take a train if possible.
Water Taxi Service
A fast way to travel from town to town on Fire Island (and a more expensive way to get to Long Island after the last ferry of the night) is via water taxi. Although Ocean Bay Park is about a 25-minute walk from Ocean Beach (just under a mile), you may want to consider this option. The same company that runs the Fire Island Ferries also runs Fire Island Water Taxi, http://www.fireislandwatertaxi.com/ - (631)665-8885. Calling for a water taxi is much like calling for a cer service in New York City; you'll call head and tell the operator your destination as well as your current location, and the operator will let you know how long the wait will be.
"Lateral" fares -- from town-to-town on Fire Island -- are very reasonable. The trip from Ocean Bay Park to Ocean Beach costs $6/adult and $3/child. Fares across the bay to Bay Shore after 9:00 PM cost $175 for the first six people, plus $15/per additional passenger; so it's clearly best for groups.
Directions on Fire Island to the Wedding Site
View Larger Map
The map above shows the village of Ocean Beach.
- A. - the Fire Island Ferry dock
- B. - the wedding site, at the southern end of Surf View Walk
- C. - the reception site, Matthew's Seafood House, at 935 Baywalk
Lodging
By now, most of you should have found lodging already for the weekend of September 13th, but a few choices are detailed below. At this point most of these options are probably booked up, but you may find a free spot due to a last-minute cancellation.
In Ocean Beach:
468 Dehnhoff Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770
Contact: Harvey or Ian know about the wedding!
Seven bedrooms with shared baths. There is an emphasis on healthful, natural foods and cooking. Breakfast includes fresh- squeezed orange juice, homemade muffins, lox, bagels, cream cheese, eggs and omelets. Afternoon tea, at 4, includes a light meal of salads, pizza, pasta and sandwiches. Saturdays, they throw a barbecue of salmon, london broil, hamburgers and more. Young children are not permitted here.
The owners not only have the wonderful B&B described above they also informed us that they have six 1, 2 and 3 BR apartments for rent, as well as two 4 BR houses available that weekend! So if you're interested in getting a group together to share a house or an apartment, they would be good to call! Call the B&B directly for pricing (make sure you mention you're with the Morano- Walker wedding) and if you need further info about houses or apartments, just tell them Harvey mentioned these other options to Reed Morano...
785 Evergreen Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770
Contact: You can speak with Mike Rodgers or Kina, but everyone there should know about the wedding.
More of a bed & breakfast than a hotel in the fact they only have 11 rooms with bathrooms, but I believe the showers are shared. Open since 1921 this is the oldest hotel on the island. Don't expect to find many amenities, however. "If you're looking for more than air conditioning, ceiling fans and color TV, this is not your gig."
987 Surfview Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770
We don't know much about this establishment, so the information here is from the internet:
Two-night minimum stay on Friday and Saturday nights: double occupancy with shared bath, $250. Sundays through Thursdays, $75 a night.
478 Bayberry Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770
168 Cottage Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770
In Ocean Bay Park (about a 25-minute walk from Ocean Beach):
78 East Bayview Walk, Ocean Bay Park, NY 11770
Contact: Talk to Victor or Frank, mention that Reed spoke with Victor. His rates are different than those listed on his website; we were quoted $295 for both Friday and Saturday night!
All rooms have air conditioning, private bath, color TV, and Kitchens. Amenities include, BBQ grills, gas and charcoal, view of the bay, two blocks from the beach and 1000 feet from the ferry.
25 Cayuga Walk, Ocean Bay Park, NY 11770
Contact: Talk to Patty, the manager.
They have a pool and 42 rooms; though they may not be the nicest accommodations, you will probably not spend much time in the room anyway! They are giving guests of the wedding a small discount so ignore the prices on the website.
Wedding Attire
This is a semi-formal/casual beach wedding. Guests are encouraged to wear something comfortable to dance in, for instance a sundress, a light summer suit, khakis and a button-down, etc. This is not a black tie affair! However, please bring layers as Matthew's is on the bay and it can get chilly at night. A light cardigan, pashmina, shawl or jacket should suffice.
On Fire Island the right shoes are very important! Since our ceremony is on the beach and you will be walking on sand, it is advised that you when you get to the beach you take your shoes off! You can also feel free to bring a pair of flip-flops or sandals for the beach and another pair of shoes for the reception.
At the reception, the outside dance floor at Matthew's is a deck with small cracks in it, so please do not wear skinny heels -- your shoes will get stuck! If you would like to wear heels or high shoes, I recommend wearing wedges. Flats of any kind should be fine!
September can be a bit rainy, so please remember to bring an umbrella. In the event of rain the wedding ceremony will take place indoors at Matthew's rather than on the beach, but it is always best to be prepared.
Bridal Registries
If you're interested, our bridal gift registries can be found online at:
