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A Pridwin Wedding Story

In her 20s, Molly Barthel enjoyed cruising the waters of Long Island Sound with a group of friends on a small wooden boat called Baby.  “We would ride around Block Island and Shelter Island a lot, but we wouldn’t actually disembark.  We had the time of our lives just going around and around on that boat.  There’s nothing better than that, right?”  Among the passengers was Brian McLoughlin, who Molly had met in a dive bar called The Place in Rockville Centre, Nassau County, New York.  “We had mutual friends who were always telling me we should be dating, or talking.  We would see each other a lot at The Place.  Brian was working as a media researcher in the city and would go there after work.  I was still a student at Hunter College.  After playing eye hockey on a few different occasions, I finally went up and said to Brian, ‘I think we should be talking.’”

There was talking, some glass-clinking, and CD-spinning on what Molly calls “the best jukebox ever.”  So what were her favorite songs?  “Oh, that’s a hard one.  I guess I played Weezer a lot, though I don’t think I want to admit that.  Let’s just say 90s indie rock!”

Around seven years later, on that same boat called Baby, Molly and Brian DID disembark, shortly after tying the knot at St. Agnes Church in nearby Greenport.  They took the boat to Shelter Island from Greenport, along with maid of honor, Molly’s sister Maura, and best man, Nick Chiara.  “That was a pretty amazing way to arrive for our wedding reception,” says Molly.  “That was probably my most dramatic moment ever.”  After stepping on to terra firma, they enjoyed a “picture-perfect” wedding at the Pridwin.

A Man And Woman Standing Next To A Tree In A Park
A Group Of People Posing For A Photo

Shelter Island had provided another landmark for the couple the previous year.  That’s when, after a bike ride around the island—one of the couple’s favorite pastimes—Brian led Molly to the beach overlooking Long Beach Bar Lighthouse and got down on one knee.  Was it expected? “It wasn’t, to be honest,” says Molly.  “And I was wearing a sweatshirt, so I’m thinking, ‘I’m not really dressed for this!’  But it was the perfect spot and a beautiful end-of-summer evening.”

Their wedding, on June 14, 2018, showed Shelter Island at its best.  “It’s a destination but really accessible, and we loved the fact that people had to take the ferry to come to the wedding,” says Molly.

As for the Pridwin, it was—for them—the natural spot.  “We wanted something on the North Fork.  We didn’t want a ‘wedding factory’ and we were looking for somewhere that we didn’t have to worry about the weather.  The Pridwin is on this beautiful little island, with amazing waterfront views and just this special vibe.”

There were around 150 guests at the Pridwin, with music supplied by one of Molly’s four brothers—“all but one of them are in a band, still to this day.”  A highlight of the evening happened on the dancefloor, when the band played ‘Rosalita’ by Bruce Springsteen.  “It got everyone up and moving—I thought the floor was going to cave in!”

What advice would Molly give any bride planning her wedding?  “Just trust yourself. You need to find the place that has the right vibe for you. For us, that was the Pridwin.  And we still love it today.”

More than ever, actually. “We have visited the Pridwin often over the years and during the time it was closed, I was a little worried about how it would turn out.  We always loved the summer camp charm of the place.  But the renovation is just impeccable.  We came here last summer—Brian, our eight-year-old son and my mother—and we were just so happy to see new life breathed in to the place and to see it reaching its full potential.”

The family are planning to return this summer, for a longer stay. “The pool is unbelievable and I cannot wait to be in there!” Molly is also looking forward to experiencing, for the first time, the famous Wednesday night barbecues. “We had always heard about them, but were never there at the right time. That’s something we are excited to see. But actually being able to stay at the Pridwin—that’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”

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