Sections

Elizabeth Cecil

1.1.12

Paige & Jenny

Ceremony + Reception: Featherstone Center for the Arts

Growing up, Paige Gould spent every summer at her parents’ house in the Oak Bluffs Camp Ground. After meeting Jenny Tierney during her senior year in college, Paige introduced her to the Vineyard, and they’ve vacationed here ever since. So when the couple, who now lives in Concord, decided to marry, the Island was a natural choice.

They planned an elegant yet relaxed celebration for their June wedding, which came with a few surprises, from rain and mud to an impromptu wedding-dress dip in the ocean.

Many of the 120 friends and family who attended took the opportunity to make a vacation out of it. “Most guests opted to rent houses and stayed on the Island anywhere from two nights to a full week,” Jenny says.

At Paige’s parents’ home, the rehearsal dinner had an authentic Vineyard seaside flavor with lobster rolls from Grace Church and clam chowder from the Net Result, both in Vineyard Haven. For the wedding, caterer Jan Buhrman of Kitchen Porch prepared seasonal Island foods. Highlights included an oyster bar and “wedding cake” cookies served with shots of milk.

The expansive lawn at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs was the site of their ceremony, followed by the reception there under a tent, which proved most welcome once the rain began.

Paige says, “Even though we were under the tents for the reception, the mud slowly crept up the crisp white edges of my dress. At first I was dismayed, and then I thought – what the hell. I’ll never wear this again! So I just enjoyed the night, mud and all.”

The couple selected two favors for their guests: Chilmark Chocolates and a donation on the guests’ behalf to Marriage Equality USA, an organization that works to end discrimination in civil marriage so same-sex couples can enjoy the same legal privileges as heterosexual couples.

After brunch the next day, Paige suggested a plunge into the sea. “Everyone loved it!” she says. “A bunch of us jumped into the ocean. I walked into the ocean with my dress, and then dunked in. It felt amazing. We spent the rest of the afternoon sipping mimosas on the porch, huddled in towels, swapping stories about the evening. I can’t imagine a better way to end the weekend – and to begin the honeymoon.”

Details

Photographer: Elizabeth Cecil
Caterer: Kitchen Porch
Flowers: Krishana Collins of Bluebird Farm
Rentals: Tilton Tents and Party Rentals
Spa Services: Maggie’s Salon
Favors: Chilmark Chocolates