Harbor Club at Prime Wedding: A Photographer’s Guide

Harbor Club at Prime puts the water inside the building. Floor to ceiling glass runs the length of the harbor side, so a couple can marry indoors with Huntington Harbor directly behind them and the pictures still look like a waterfront wedding.

That counts for more here than it would elsewhere. At most waterfront properties the best thing about the place is outside, so a weather call means moving in and giving something up. Here the indoor option is one of the two good ones.

We have photographed at Harbor Club at Prime. What follows separates what the venue publishes from what we saw on the day, and says which is which.

Harbor Club at Prime in Huntington

The address is 95 New York Avenue in Huntington, New York, on Huntington Harbor on the North Shore of Long Island. The venue’s own site prints it without the street type, so it is worth getting right on your invitations. It is an Avenue.

The club belongs to the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, and the venue describes the space as reflecting that group’s style. A restaurant group running the kitchen usually means the food conversation is a real one.

Coindre Hall sits further along the same harbor, where the ceremony happens outdoors on a lawn above the water. The two properties give you the same view from opposite directions.

The Ballroom and the Windows

The main room has floor to ceiling windows facing west across the harbor, hardwood floors, and a clean modern design with the water in view from most of it.

A modern interior can read as cold. This one does not, because the view supplies what the architecture leaves out on purpose.

West facing glass means the light in that room moves a long way across a day, and the season moves it further. Bring it up when you set your ceremony time, though a photographer who knows the room can work it at any hour.

The Indoor Ceremony

Rain comes up in nearly every conversation we have with a couple about a waterfront venue.

Marisa and Thomas married inside, with the harbor framed behind them, and nothing in those photographs looks like a backup plan. The glass does the work that open sky does at other properties.

The venue also lists outdoor ceremonies on the Sunset Deck. Both are real options here, which is the unusual part. Settle the weather process early: what triggers a change, how late the call can be made, and what the indoor setup looks like on your date.

One Wedding at a Time

The venue lists this among its features and it earns the mention.

One wedding means one couple has the property for the day. No other party moving through, no staff split across events, and nobody sharing a bar or a parking lot with another wedding.

For photographs it comes down to access. We could use the room before guests arrived and work the windows with nothing else’s setup in the frame. Ask which specific spaces are included on your date, because that is a separate question from exclusivity.

What the Venue Lists

Everything in this section comes from the venue and all of it can change.

At the time of writing, Harbor Club at Prime lists the Harbor View Ballroom, the Sunset Loft, the Sunset Deck, the Patio and the Waterfront Deck, plus a Bridal Suite and a Grooms Den that come with a personal attendant.

The ballroom is described as comfortably seating up to 225 guests for dinner. No capacity is published for the other spaces. Both indoor and outdoor ceremonies are listed, with the Sunset Deck as the outdoor ceremony space, and kosher events appear as a category.

We worked in the main room and in the outdoor space on the harbor. The rest of that list we have not been in, so ask the venue what each one is used for and which of them you get on your date.

What Marisa and Thomas’s Day Showed Us

Most of what we know about working here comes from their wedding.

They got ready off site, Marisa at home and Thomas at a hotel in Huntington, then came to the club for family photographs. They had no bridal party, and that did more to the portrait session than shorten it.

The time went to the two of them and their families instead of being split across a group.

They married indoors. Later in the evening a clear stretch of weather opened up, we moved fast, and they got the waterfront portraits they had most wanted, outside, with the water behind them. Both versions exist from their day, which is part of why the indoor ceremony gets a section here instead of a footnote.

Two things we would carry into any wedding here. With glass down one side, the decision at each stage is which way people face and not where they stand, which is different planning from a property with a dozen separate backgrounds. And the room reveal is a real moment at this venue, because the harbor is in every wide window, so leave space for it on the timeline.

What to Ask Harbor Club at Prime

The venue is the only current source for anything operational.

Your guest count in the room you actually want. The published 225 is a seated dinner in the ballroom. Ask what your own floor plan and dance floor leave you.

Where the ceremony happens, and what triggers a change. Both options are good here, so decide in advance which you would want in each case and ask how late the call can be made.

Where the morning happens. The venue lists a Bridal Suite and a Grooms Den. Marisa and Thomas got ready off site, which is a normal choice at a property this size. Decide early, because it shapes the first half of the day.

What the Sunset Loft, the Patio and the Waterfront Deck are used for, and which of them are included on your date.

How long you have the getting ready rooms, and what time your vendors can begin.

What the menu includes, and how much of it is yours to shape.

How vendor load in works, and where vehicles can stop.

Who Harbor Club at Prime Suits

This suits a couple who want the water in their pictures without betting the day on the sky. That is the property’s real distinction.

A smaller guest list does well here. Marisa and Thomas’s wedding was deliberately focused, with no bridal party, and the room carried it without feeling thin.

Couples who want modern instead of historic will find the interior most of the way there already. Clean lines, hardwood, glass, and no period detail to work around.

It is a harder fit for a couple who wants acreage, gardens, or a long walk between portrait locations. This is a building on a harbor. The water is the view and there is no ground to cover.

If you are still touring, Harbor Club at Prime sits alongside the rest of our list of Long Island wedding venues we have photographed, and our guide to choosing a Long Island wedding venue covers how to compare properties like this one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Harbor Club at Prime?

95 New York Avenue, Huntington, New York 11743, on Huntington Harbor on the North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the Bohlsen Restaurant Group.

How many guests does Harbor Club at Prime hold?

The venue describes its Harbor View Ballroom as comfortably seating up to 225 guests for dinner. No figures are published for the other spaces. The real number depends on your floor plan, your ceremony arrangement and how much dance floor you want, so confirm it with the venue for your date.

Can you have an indoor ceremony at Harbor Club at Prime?

Yes, and it is the thing this venue does that most do not. The main room has floor to ceiling windows along the harbor, so a couple marrying indoors still has the water directly behind them. Marisa and Thomas did exactly that and the photographs look like a waterfront ceremony. The venue also offers outdoor ceremonies on the Sunset Deck.

Does Harbor Club at Prime host more than one wedding at a time?

The venue lists one wedding at a time among its features, so a couple has the property to themselves for the day. For photographs that means better access to the room and the windows, because no other event’s setup is in the background. Confirm it for your own date.

Is Harbor Club at Prime good for wedding photos?

Yes, and the reason is the glass. Floor to ceiling windows along the harbor put the water into the room, so the interior photographs as a waterfront space and not as a room near water. Hardwood floors and a clean modern design keep the frame uncluttered. The planning here is mostly about which way people face and at what hour.

Is Harbor Club at Prime good for a small wedding?

It suits one well. Marisa and Thomas built theirs that way, without a bridal party, and the room carried it without feeling thin. Because the venue runs one wedding at a time, a smaller group still has the whole place to itself. Ask what their smaller configurations look like.

Where do you get ready at Harbor Club at Prime?

The venue lists a Bridal Suite and a Grooms Den, each with a personal attendant. Getting ready off site is also a common choice, and it is what Marisa and Thomas did. Either way, decide early, because it changes the shape of the first half of the day.

About the Photographer

Stephen Mayo is the founder and lead photographer of Heritage House, a boutique wedding photography studio. We serve Long Island, New York City, Westchester, New Jersey and the East End. Stephen is a member of Fearless Photographers, and his work has been featured in Sophisticated Weddings and hamptonBRIDE.

We plan the photography around the shape of a wedding well before the day arrives. At a venue where the windows are the asset, most of that planning is about orientation and hour.

A Real Wedding at Harbor Club at Prime

Marisa and Thomas got ready off site, shared a first look, and married indoors with Huntington Harbor behind them. The evening went to a small group of people they had chosen carefully.

Read the full feature: Harbor Club at Prime wedding photos for Marisa and Thomas.

Planning a Harbor Club at Prime Wedding?

The decision to settle early here is the ceremony, indoors or out, and which you would want in each case. Both are good, so the choice comes down to what you want and not to what the forecast allows. If you are touring Harbor Club at Prime, or you have already booked it, we can tell you what that room is like to work in and where the photographs actually come from. Contact Heritage House to start the conversation.

Venue Contact

Harbor Club at Prime
95 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743
harborclubatprime.com