Real Wedding: Jessica & Glenn
Chatham, Massachusetts
Coordination: Linnea Tangorra Photographer(s): Kelly Lorenz
When Glenn De Kler surprised then girlfriend Jessica by taking the day off from work, she suggested they take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Glenn and Jessica had met performing opposite one another in a production of the Cherry Orchard when they were seniors at the University of Miami. Despite worries about their impending graduating, they agreed to go "all in" and move to Manhattan together after graduation.
It was grey and drizzling when the couple reached the first iconic tower of the bridge and paused to take in the view. Jessica was shocked when Glenn knelt down on the wooden slats of the walkway and pulled out a ring. Luckily, several women nearby rushed over and, after embracing the couple excitedly, offered to take a photo with the camera Jessica had brought, intending to take photos of the Manhattan skyline.
Jessica grew up spending weekends at her parents' summer home in Sippewisset and when Jessica and Glen were dating, his family would join them in summering there. Sharing the beauty of such a special place, from the landscape to the starry nights ( a welcome sight for the two city dwellers) brought the couple closer. It was in the Cape that, one morning while enjoying coffee on the back porch, Glenn asked Jessica's parent's for permission to ask to marry her, while the bride-to-be slept in upstairs.
Jessica and Glenn knew almost immediately that the Cape was the perfect location for their wedding but also knew they didn't want an overly beachy wedding. They decided that gift bags packed with Cape Cod Cranberry Coffee, Cape Cod Potato Chips and a copy of Thoreau's Cape Cod provided sufficient Cape inspired details and chose to build their wedding around personal memories-- from theater to family, accented by vintage details.
Like the day Glenn proposed on the Brooklyn Bridge, Jessica and Glenn's wedding day was rainy. The misty, gray weather made the Round Cove Lawn look magical. White umbrellas emblazoned with Jessica and Glenn's initials were passed out to guests as they watched Jessica and Glenn exchange the vows they had written themselves.
Jessica and Glenn wanted to be sure that Glenn's Paraguayan heritage featured in the wedding. Glenn's grandmother's performed a traditional Paraguayan blessing and his mother read a famous Paraguayan poem. The couple chose Spanish-influenced menu items like empanada hors d'oeuvres and included dolce de leche layers in the cake.
In the limo on the way to the church, Jessica's bridesmaids, outfitted in dresses trimmed with vintage lace, sang "Going to the Chapel" to Jessica in three part harmony. The bride wore vintage lace gloves that her mother had worn at her wedding and her great grandmother's swallow pin in her hair. Jessica says photographer Kelly Lorenz, Nikki Tedesco from Grettacole (hair) and Laurent Genatossio from Sarra (makeup) were like three fairy godmothers.
The reception was a true party. The dance floor was never empty and Jessica's parents surprised the guests with a swing dance they had spent the summer perfecting. Each table was named for a character from one of Shakespeare's plays and old silver trophies, urns and teapots that Jessica's mother had found scouring antique shows across new England served as vases for the centerpieces. The couple chose 1940's style coupe glasses for their signature cocktail- a lime infused take on a Tom Collins. As the band started to play, the clouds cleared and opened up to a classic Cape Cod starry night.