New high-end wedding venue may not have trouble getting customers even with weak economy

Well, high-end, bling-bling, first-class - that's how you could describe the new Mallard Island Yacht Club at the site of what was Margo's Marina.

Plush carpeting, wide-plank Brazilian cherry wood floors and crown molding that resembles frosting on a wedding cake accent the Tiffany blue ceiling in the main ballroom of the area's newest high-end wedding venue.

But in a slumping economy, are people saying "I do" to high-end weddings?

Event coordinator Kathi Evans, owner of All the Best Weddings, Celebrations and Events in Toms River, says yes.

"I already have two weddings booked at Mallard Island for next year," said Evans.


For the discriminating bride and groom, budget is not something to fret over, although there are some brides and grooms who are watching their wallets during this weak economy, Evans said.

"There are some people that the economy doesn't affect, and those people will always get what they want. Other brides out there may be on a smaller budget and try to get what they want," she said.

Evans said, for example, if a bride on a budget wants a venue such as Mallard Island for her wedding, she may scale back on food, guests or flowers. Both couples had already booked the Mallard Island Yacht Club before enlisting Evans' services, she said.

"There really aren't many places to have high-end weddings unless you can rent an estate somewhere. Here there is really no place other than Mallard Island and Bonnet Island where you get that high-end effect when you walk in," she said.

Developer Christopher Vernon owns Mallard Island Yacht Club, Cedar Bonnet Island Estate along the Route 72 Causeway and the Quarter Deck Inn in Ship Bottom.

In a sport coat, pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt and khakis, developer and owner Christopher Vernon was the portrait of the Hamptons on Friday afternoon as workers rushed around him preparing the facility for its big reveal Sunday. Designers joked about his ability to throw great parties, as though he were a New Jersey version of music mogul Sean John Combs, also known as "Diddy."

"It's as high-end as you can get in New Jersey with the water right at your doorstep," Vernon said, leaning on a gold chair at a table with perfectly pressed linens.

His properties have created a little industry within Long Beach Island and the mainland, according to Vernon.

"It will give work to caterers, photographers, hotels and florists," he said.

Vernon referred to the Mallard Island site's extreme makeover as a project of will that took a little longer than two years to complete. This extra time gave his team more time to be creative, he said.

The club, which towers above the west end of the Route 72 Causeway, is reminiscent of "Gone with the Wind," he said. Its red roof, massive columns and wrap-around decking would be fitting on the Mays River in South Carolina, matching the style of the prestigious southern yacht clubs, Vernon added.

"When you're inside you can't see the land; it's all water, so it's like you're in a ship," he said.

Vernon said he traveled to Princeton University and the Ritz Carlton in Boston to draw inspiration for many of the facility's decorative and architectural features. In fact, the men's restroom on the first floor of the club is pulled directly out of Boston's Ritz Carlton.

The facility is chockfull of details, right down to hardware securing the window treatments in the main ballroom that features the Mallard Island Yacht Club's crests. Porthole mirrors inside the gold-doored elevator offer a glimpse into forever as they reflect each other.

They are in the process of naming 10 bedrooms on the second floor that each have individual decorative themes - Barbados-infused, botanical, seashore but feminine - and bathrooms featuring heated towel racks. But most importantly, all have a view of the Barnegat Bay, Vernon said.

An exit off the second floor leads to a walkway a bride will take to the bayside ceremonial boathouse, a renovated bait and tackle shop, where couples will exchange their vows.

"The bride will come down these steps to where she will meet her father and then to the brick walkway," Vernon said climbing down the stairs slowly in his docksiders.

But it isn't all about the bride. To the right of the boathouse is the groom's shack, where the husband-to-be and his groomsmen will hang out until the ceremony begins.

"This was an old army barracks that was purchased for 75 cents in 1935 from Fort Dix. It was brought here and used as a clamshack," he said.

Most recently, the quaint wooden shack was used for Jet Ski rentals. Inside there is an original army barracks sink and 150-year-old pumpkin-pine wood floor. But modernization will come soon with a bar and flat screen television, Vernon said.

"I wanted something spectacular at the gateway to Long Beach Island," he said. "We exceeded the concept as well as our budget."

Pricing for events at the site has not yet been announced.

Sunday, the Mallard Island Yacht Club will have its debut when Vernon hosts a fundraiser for the St. Francis Community Center in Brant Beach, Long Beach Township. Tickets are still available by calling the center at 609-494-8861 or purchasing them at the door. Tickets are $125 and are tax deductible. Yacht club attire is suggested.