Martha Stewart Magazine Festures St. John Destination Wedding Spread in March Issue

 

Samantha and Peter Ostrega exchanged vows before friends and family in an intimate and stunning wedding at Hawksview Estate in July 2013.

St. John continues shining in the national spotlight thanks to a beautiful three-page destination wedding feature in the March issue of Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine.

The statuesque couple Samantha and Peter Ostrega — a musician in the Marine Band and a management consultant from the Washington, D.C. area — wed at Hawksview Estate last summer with plenty of Great Gatsby-style lace and glamour, explained Island Style Weddings owner Mary Bartolucci, who designed and planned the jaw-dropping event along with couple.

“They got engaged down here and contacted me because they wanted to get married here,” said Bartolucci, who has been planning and designing destination weddings  on Love City for more than a decade, and was in the event planning and coordination business long before that.

“We found them a place to stay at Hawksview Estate and starting working on their wedding,” Bartolucci said.

The Ostregas had a clear vision of their wedding and the result is nothing short of breath-taking. Taking clear cues from the sensual Great Gatsby style of the roaring 20’s, both bride and groom looked plucked from a movie set.

From the flowers, designed by Roses Too of St. Thomas, to the hair, created by Grapevine Salon, Samantha Ostrega was a vision of beauty on her big day.

The bride wore a custom-made long-sleeve lace wedding gown with a dramatic open back and designer blue heels. A a train of flowing lace followed her down the aisle to meet her groom, who was equally stunning in a white three piece tuxedo with white suspenders.

The couple exchanged vows before about 27 family and friends in the courtyard of Hawksview Estate with its commanding view of the Windex colored waters of the North Shore.

The reception at Hawksview Estate followed featuring food by East West Catering, a specialty bar by Kim Holland and music by Lemuel Callwood and Rich Greengold. Following dinner, the couple shared a piece of wedding cake prepared by Lori Dudkin of Creative Cakes by Lori.

It was the Ostregas’ photographer New York and Paris-based Fiona Conrad who got the couple noticed by the Martha Stewart team, explained Bartolucci.

“Fiona’s blog, Mademoiselle Fiona, was noticed by someone from Martha Stewart Weddings and they approached her,” she said.
Bartolucci had a blast planning and designing the Ostregas wedding and especially enjoyed working with a couple who knew exactly what they wanted, she explained.

“Everyone who worked on the wedding did a beautiful job and the couple was wonderful,” said Bartolucci. “They were just very sweet and very specific about what they wanted. They had a clear look they were going for.”

“It’s fun to have someone who knows what they want and we can put it all together,” she said.

The March issue of Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine is on sale now. Part of the feature can be seen online at www.marthastewartweddings.com/272506/destination-weddings.