Long Island is home to some incredible wedding venues, with a little bit of something for every wedding style. It’s also a place that’s personal to me because it’s where I grew up. I know the coastline, the towns, and the familiarity of this place not just as a photographer, but from years of calling it home. Now, getting to return and photograph weddings here feels a little like bringing two parts of my life together.
As a Long Island wedding photographer, there are a few venues that get me especially excited when I see them on an inquiry form. These six Long Island wedding venues create the kind of atmosphere that gives you space to stay connected to your people and present in your celebration for a day that feels elevated and fully lived-in.
6 Long Island Wedding Venues to Consider
Gurney’s Montauk Resort
Gurney’s Montauk is a resort wedding venue on Long Island that I love. It’s great for weddings that let guests settle in and feel close throughout the entire weekend, even in a space that feels expansive and grand. Whether you’re planning a wedding weekend packed with events or an understated wedding, Gurney’s has an open atmosphere that makes it easy to enjoy.
This is one of those places where you can wake up slowly, take a deep breath, and take in the entire coastline all by yourself before you even think about the timeline of your day. From the time you start getting ready all the way through the last dance of the night, there’s zero pressure.
As a Long Island wedding photographer, I see how that kind of flow makes couples settle into the day. Nothing ever feels staged or forced; everything feels completely honest and in-the-moment. The result is a gallery that feels totally personal, filled with the small moments that you didn’t even realize were happening.
Gurney’s is also a little personal for me; it’s where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. There’s something really special about getting to return to a place that’s part of my own story and experience it now through the weddings and memories my couples are creating there.
If this is the kind of Long Island wedding venue you’ve been searching for, here’s everything to know about Gurney’s Montauk:
Maximum guest capacity: 300 for a ceremony on the Sky Terrace, with other spaces holding fewer people
Indoor and outdoor options: Yes
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: Yes, including catering, bar services, and event staffing
Montauk Yacht Club
Montauk Yacht Club is coastal charm and understated elegance at its best. A waterfront hotel situated right on Lake Montauk creates a Long Island wedding venue that feels quiet, but still beautiful and thoughtfully designed.
This is a venue that works great for both grand weddings and very small, very intimate ones. It’s one of those that will adjust to your day – not one that you have to adjust your vision to fit.
If you have out-of-town guests coming in, Montauk Yacht Club is a great Long Island wedding venue. There are so many experiences nearby (think: sunset cruises, paddleboarding, and pools), and if you plan a wedding weekend, you can end every night with your favorite people, laughing around a bonfire on the beach.
From a photography perspective, Montauk Yacht Club is incredible. I love capturing portraits on the waterfront, your guests gathering outside, the movement between spaces, and everyone spending the weekend together.
Here are all the main details to know about Montauk Yacht Club:
Maximum guest capacity: Up to 1,000 on the Cottage Lawn, with other areas holding 70-250
Indoor and outdoor options: Yes
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: Yes, including catering, bar services, and event staffing
The Reform Club
For closeness and intimacy, The Reform Club is a great fit. When I picture weddings here, I picture the two of you, seated at a family-style dinner table, laughing with your people long after the sun goes down. There’s never too much noise, and there’s never any pressure, which is one of the things I love most about it.
The Reform Club is a resort that feels completely tucked away from the rest of the island, right in your own little quaint, cottage-style manor.
For photos, there are gardens, polished lawns, and coastal-inspired architecture that create beautiful backdrops for portraits. My favorite moments to capture here, though, are the ones of you and your people hugging at your welcome party, you slow-dancing with your grandpa during the reception, or you resting your head on your new spouse’s shoulder with tears in your eyes during toasts.
This is a Long Island wedding venue that holds the little moments like that well and makes sure that your weekend is full of them. Here’s what to know about The Reform Club:
Maximum guest capacity: 200, depending on the space you choose
Indoor and outdoor options: No, but tented receptions are available
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: No, catering and bartending must be booked separately
Baker House 1650
Baker House 1650 brings the kind of experience that feels luxurious from the moment guests arrive to the final send-off. An English-garden-inspired bed and breakfast creates a setting and an atmosphere that feels like you’re across the ocean without ever having to set foot out of New York.
This is one of the Long Island wedding venues that guests love. The experience spans throughout the entire weekend with options for afternoon teas, comfortable fire pits, and charming overnight stays. It turns into a full weekend of celebration and closeness, rather than just one night.
That feeling leads to the kind of storytelling in a gallery that feels full, personal, and honest. Of course Baker House is great for portraits with its beautiful gardens and sharp architecture, but I care far more deeply about the kind of photos that can never be posed. And this atmosphere brings a lot of those.
If you love this one as much as I do, here’s the overview:
Maximum guest capacity: 125
Indoor and outdoor options: Outside only
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: No, requires an outside catering vendor
Canoe Place Inn & Cottages
If you’re dreaming of a venue that has a little bit more personality and character, Canoe Place is right up your alley. This is one of those unique Long Island wedding venues that brings you all the charm that the others do, but feels a little bit more vibrant and laid-back.
Couples here always let loose a little bit. It’s best for the kind of weddings that have live jazz music, colorful decor, and a little bit of electric energy. That energy translates through the venue (with its striped awnings, pool, and lush lawns), all the way to my camera. It goes to show that a wedding can be loud, colorful, emotional, and energetic, and the couple can still be completely present in it.
Photos from this Long Island wedding venue always feel just as fun as the lived-in moments were. If you love all things nostalgic, candid, and colorful, Canoe Place just might be your match.
Here are the main details about the venue:
Maximum guest capacity: 325 for the Great Lawn and the Grand Ballroom
Indoor and outdoor options: Yes
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: Yes, including catering, bar services, and event staffing
Topping Rose House
Topping Rose House brings the best of Hamptons energy. With a charming, coastal-inspired estate that feels elegant without ever feeling stuffy, and the kind of experience that makes you and your guests feel waited on and cared for thoughtfully, this makes a strong finale.
This Long Island wedding venue is drenched in natural light that makes every moment feel tranquil and nostalgic, and the attention from the staff creates a wedding you’ll truly never forget. The hospitality creates the kind of ease that gives you space to actually enjoy the day instead of worrying about logistics. And when that’s the case, every laugh, every smile, and every hug I capture here is rooted in honesty and feeling. Those are my favorite kinds of days to capture, and Topping Rose House holds them well.
If this one already feels like the one for you, here’s the overview you need to know:
Maximum guest capacity: 150, depending on the space you choose
Indoor and outdoor options: Yes
On-site accommodations: Yes
All-inclusive packages: Yes, including catering, bar services, and event staffing
How to Choose the Long Island Wedding Venue That Feels Like You
Each of these 6 Long Island wedding venues has the kind of atmosphere that keeps you feeling connected and present all day long, but each one also has its own character and personality. Trying to figure out the one that matches you and your vision for your wedding most closely is the key.
I always tell my couples to ask themselves how they want their wedding day to feel. Are you picturing a wild dance floor with all of your best friends? A cocktail hour with a soft breeze from the ocean? An indoor ceremony where you’re tucked away from all the noise? Some mix of all of these things?
Let that feeling guide you. The right venue isn’t just the one that photographs beautifully, it’s the one that gives you and your people space to experience the day the way you actually want to.
Leslie Carbajal | Long Island Wedding Photographer
At the end of the day, no matter where you hold your wedding, what’s important is what unfolds within it. I want couples to be able to truly experience what their wedding actually feels like, whether that’s quiet, emotional, loud, intimate, energetic, or all of it. The feeling always matters more than the looks, and years from now, the memories in the photographs will matter even more than the setting.
I’m a Long Island wedding photographer who can step back when a moment needs space and offer intentional guidance when it’s needed, so you can stay connected to the people and experience in front of you. If that sounds like the kind of vendor you’re looking for, you can inquire about booking me here.
