Craig and Shannon Platt knew they wanted to get married on Cape Island, but some of the other venues in the area were more restrictive and required locked-in catering and vendor options. They wanted to plan much of the wedding themselves; the Beachfront Ballroom offers flexibility to plan a wedding, but couples aren’t on their own. Rachel Ertle, the Ballroom’s wedding planner, can help you bring all of the pieces together.
The Platts found romance in a place many shy away from love: the workplace. They shared cheeky glances for the first year they worked together and finally connected at a work gathering.
Sexy, right?
Well – their connection was so strong that they got both engaged and married in Cape May and chose to tie the knot on Shannon’s parents’ anniversary. Shannon told Weddings by the Beach that she wouldn’t change a single detail about her wedding, and that the easy-going nature of the Convention Hall staff made the venue flexible and unrestrictive.
She said: “The Cape May Convention Hall speaks for itself with its gorgeous beachfront views, floor to ceiling windows, and a show-stopping private deck space where the ceremony was held. The venue allows you to put your own personal touch on everything involved in the wedding planning process.”
The Convention Hall is located right on the Cape May Promenade, which overlooks the beautiful white sands of the beach on one side and historic Victorian mansions and shops on the other. The entire city is walkable; guests staying nearby can likely walk to their accommodations and check out the sights of historic Cape May while they’re at it.
“We did not have a hotel block/transportation so we loved that our guests were able to pick different hotels or Airbnbs right across the street from the venue,” Shannon said. “We also wanted an after party at Carney’s which was walkable from our venue. It made our lives incredibly easy when it came to planning.”
Craig and Shannon split the wedding planning duties and kept much of it low-key but deeply personal. The bridal shower was in Shannon’s sister’s backyard in Williamstown, New Jersey. Flowers were custom-ordered online from Etsy. And at no point did the venue require Shannon and Craig to use an in-house vendor; they had every option in the world available to them.
The reception was backlit by wall-to-wall windows that let light in from the ocean. The front of the Convention Hall is a photo-op in and of itself; it has a massive presence in the heart of Cape May and is styled like a regal courthouse. The Beachside Ballroom space inside accommodates 380 guests, the most of any venue in Cape May. It can also accommodate smaller weddings by sectioning off the space.
It’s the perfect place for a DIY wedding in Cape May.