We hired a day-of coordinator which was so, so worth it; no staying up prepping the night before the wedding, and our family and friends were able to relax and enjoy the morning of while Lauren made the magic happen.

During our 75 years of being engaged, I had added on an overskirt with Jacki in a moment of indecision of fitted vs. flowy. Luckily, when your bestie is making your wedding dress, you can have it all!

Our guests started to arrive! Katie McNally and Neil Pearlman, dear pals of mine (and my fiddle/piano teachers!) blessed us with great tunes.

I heard Da Unst Bridal March and knew it was go time!

Our officiant was Larry Brickner Wood. He was the campus chaplain at UNH during my time there and director of the Waysmeet Center, a community space that I have many happy memories in. Larry is a preacher, but we kept our ceremony short, sweet, and agnostic. My favorite moment was beginning with a centering meditation with everyone; it had finally cooled off, the waves were crashing against the shore, and we could just FEEL all the love and support that surrounded us.

After some technical difficulties getting rings on fingers, we were wed!!

Our families followed us up in front of the castle. I had gone full operations professional with a spreadsheet and designated gatherers for family pics… and while eyebrows may have been raised, we quickly got GREAT pics and still had plenty of time to enjoy happy hour!

*I FORGOT DOYLE AND I AM SORRY ABOUT IT*

Cocktail hour was inside the castle, where our guests braved the heat and humidity in exchange for alcohol and snacks.

We got help from more friends for music: Julie, Austin, and Clay joined Katie and Neil for our first song, “Such Great Heights.” And Kevin was the MC!

Celtic music has been a huge part of my life since I was in utero. When we started wedding planning, I knew I wanted to have it as part of our day… but I also wanted to be part of the music making. That said, I was pretty scared to play in front of so many people; I knew it would stress me out. I kept thinking about it though, so I ripped off the bandaid and asked Katie and Neil. They were totally down, and then I couldn’t take backsies, so it was happening!!

First I played for Chris and his mom’s dance. We did a tune called “My Cape Breton Home” by Jerry Holland, a classic that paid a nod to the McKenney Nova Scotia roots!

Then Katie and Neil played “Bonnie at Morn” for me and my Dad, which had magical Harry Potter Great Hall vibes.

Finally, the big anxiety inducer. I went back and forth on this for months, but realized I really wanted to do a tribute to my mom. I lost her unexpectedly when I was 15, and many of the people at the wedding didn’t have the opportunity to meet her. Everything mom-related can be an emotional minefield for me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to open up that door on our wedding day. But I decided to do it, and to do it not in a sad way, but in a happy way. So, I gave a little toast and invited everyone to share a dance in memory of Marie McPartland-Conn.

Katie, Neil, and I played a cover of Veronica’s by Beolach. So, to top off an already high-stakes emotional moment… I added in a piano solo!! Luckily everyone was laughing and dancing and chatting, so it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.

It was one of my favorite moments of the day, and as always I am so glad I sucked it up and pushed aside the anxiety gremlins to follow my lil’ heart.

So! With our major wedding duties complete, it was time to chill out, eat dinner, and pahtay.

*Welcome speech from my dad- he did a great job :)*

Unfortunately, whatever adrenaline high I was riding took a dip around dinner. I crashed a bit and had absolutely zero appetite. This happens to me sometimes when I’m really overheated or overstimulated, and I was most certainly both that day. I was bummed, but know the food was good from our tasting :)

Jill and Pete crushed it with their speeches!

We successfully cut our cake without any major frosting calamities!

The last wedding to-do was the bouquet toss. I swear I did not intentionally toss it to Jill… I was just concerned about taking out the light system ;) She fought for it though!!

Party On Productions filled the dance floor shortly after, and it went strong the rest of the night.

One of my favorite moments of the night: a surprise fireworks show courtesy of the Town of Gloucester. Yes, we had rainbows AND fireworks at our wedding! (and paid for neither!)

And just like that… it was over!

These were definitely my longest blog posts ever (and are a few months late teehee), but this was an experience I want to remember. After three years of craziness, I’m still in shock that we finally DID THE THING and it turned out so amazing. I highly recommend all of the vendors below, and am happy to talk wedding planning with anyone since we basically planned three of them lol.

Having 110 of our loved ones together in one place was incredible. Thank you to all of our family and friends for making this such a perfect day for us!!

On to the next adventure!

where: hammond castle, gloucester, ma //ancestral lands of the pawtucket and the agawam peoples
when: august 6 2022 :)
how:
photos by katie kiely photography
video by embark films
dress + veil by jack attackk clothing
hair by romina hairstyles
flowers by mellow botanical
makeup by blush portsmouth
day of coordination lauren wilson events
food + bev TSH Catering
dj party on productions
invite design by susan bergeron-west and illustration by paine design
fiddle & piano katie mcnally & neil pearlman
officiant rev. larry brickner-wood
bridesmaid dresses azazie, birdy grey, and adrianna papell
suits giblees
cake jenny’s wedding cakes

our wedding part II

surprise: it’s switzerland

our wedding part I