Ashey & Alex | The Mansion at West Sayville | NY

"Timeless and Elegant”

Alex and I went to high school together in East Hampton and while I always had a crush on him, we did not officially meet until 2011 when I was working as a lifeguard at a local camp and he was a camp counselor. One night we were at a party and I finally had the courage to talk to him and eventually was convinced by a mutual friend to text him the next day. (Whoever said women shouldn’t make the first move?)

We chatted non-stop for weeks and had our first kiss at a work bonfire later that summer. He asked me to be his girlfriend a few weeks later but sadly, I had to leave for my sophomore year of college and distance got the best of us. So we decided to call it quits that fall. I was super bummed, but we kept in touch. Both of us continued to work at the same camp year after year and somehow we always ended up together.

My last year of college, summer of 2014, we got together again. We dated long distance for that first year, but since I was only in Rhode Island we were able to do a lot of weekend trips and soon became inseparable. Alex and I dated for eight years before he proposed to me in December of 2021, the day after my 30th birthday.

We were in the Poconos with family and friends and on the first night of our vacation he popped the question. We were alone, but when I walked out I was greeted by my brothers and closest family and friends and we celebrated the whole night. My parents came up the day after to surprise me and we spent the next few days celebrating.

When it came to wedding planning, we’re both pretty laid back, but we did want something special. Luckily, I work in the hospitality industry, so after reaching out to a few clients, we landed on The Mansion at West Sayville and we’re so happy we did. As soon we walked into the venue I experienced a sense of relief and calmness and knew it would be the perfect venue.

I wanted something timeless and elegant that I could look back on in 30 years and think, “Wow it was beautiful the day we got married and I wouldn’t change a thing to this day.” Planning a wedding is stressful enough and I did not want to reach out to dozens of different vendors for quotes, so having a wedding package also really helped with our search.

The general manager, Bob Kneisel, and the whole team at The Mansion at West Sayville were incredible to work with from the day we toured the venue to the day we said “I Do.” The weather wasn’0t perfect on the day we got married and the maître d’, Ann-Marie, was on her hands and knees scrubbing my dress with seltzer to remove the stains from the rain after our first look.

Dinner started with a salad of grilled marinated chicken breast served with shaved parmesan cheese and seasoned croutons over romaine leaves. We offered our guests a choice of three entrees: grilled shell steak with sautéed onions and mushroom demi-glaze, French cut chicken with lemon rosemary sauce, and potato-crusted halibut with a garlic butter sauce. We sampled each dish and loved them all! Our wedding cake was a yellow cake with strawberry mousse filling and vanilla buttercream icing. Delicious!

Our wedding was incredible and we believe it was because our vendors worked so closely together and really helped carry out our vision to perfection.

None of this would have been possible without our loving parents and amazing bridal party. There aren’t enough ways to say thank you for a day we will never forget and we owe it all to you! We are still on a high and wish we could relive it every year! 

The Mansion at West Sayville, West Sayville, NY
631.589.0022, lessings.com