European Elegance on Nantucket

McLean marries a Dane! #mccleanmarriesthedane

June 22,2019

The White Elephant / Nantucket, MA

It was an honor and pleasure to assist my “marble jar” friend and mother of the bride Jody Lonergan, with the June 22, 2019 wedding of her daughter Katie McLean to Alexander Jacobsen on the beautiful island of Nantucket! Home Gig was there to assist with logistics prior to the event and to ease a mother’s wedding day nerves on the day of.

A Danish infused wedding, this 3-day fun-filled weekend celebrated family and friends from near and far including Denmark, throughout Europe and the US. Guests were treated to Danish traditions, entertaining toasts, singalongs and lots of love, admiration, and respect.

The White Elephant was an ideal setting for the wedding and the attractive island scenery provided a stunning backdrop for the outdoor reception. The event management team, Sarah and Rachel, made everything seamless - they even worked swiftly to move guests inside when an unexpected hail, wind and rain storm passed through. The venue’s hospitality team provided white-gloved services throughout the event and Instax cameras served as the Polaroid guestbook.

“Parties and Petals” floral designer Stacey Perry and staff created the flower arbor, bridal bouquets, boutonnière and centerpieces of vibrant blue hydrangeas and pink roses. They also created created the “Gate of Honor.” In Denmark, there is a traditional custom called the “Gate of Honor” which is an arch of pine branches built in front of the home of the bride’s family. The Gate can be attached to the doorway or somewhere freestanding across the path leading up to the house. The Gate of Honor is erected once again for the couple’s silver anniversary. https://www.ackpartiesandpetals.com/

Guests raved about the delicious 3-tiered buttercream frosted cake, created by award-winning pastry chef Rebecca Moesinger and her daughter Portia (formerly of Konditor Meister). For the welcome dinner, they created the bride’s favorite carrot cake and for parting guest favors they crafted white chocolate starfish in the sand (graham crackers). On Sunday morning they laid out a wonderful brunch buffet of bagels and accoutrements at Brandt Point lighthouse. Rebecca’s award winning cakes, pastries and prepared foods can be found at 45 Surfside - https://45surfside.com

“Parchment” of Nantucket designed the Invitation suite: a water washed powder blue with grey pallet adorned with sprigs of freesia completed the invitations, Escort cards, table cards named after the island beach locations, and table menus. http://www.parchmentnantucket.com

Meanwhile in the bridal suite:

As the bride and her bridesmaids were made up and styled by Melissa from Melissa David Salon, Katie gifted her bridal party with freshly pressed white JCrew cotton pajamas, monogrammed with each of the bridesmaides’ initials and a Nantucket Red island footprint on the cuff. by https://nantucketmonogram.com

The Flower girls dressed in white Jacardi dresses and shrugs, their hair adorned with flower crowns.

A reception to remember:

From first dance waltzes to signature party hits, Jeff Ross and the Atlantics kept guests on their feet until the very end. To close the night out, guests said farewell to the newlyweds with a pyro sparkler send off.

Here are some of the many Quirky Danish wedding reception traditions that were celebrated:

~ The ‘Brudevals’, or bridal waltz, is a couple’s first dance and happens before midnight on the wedding day. Guests stand in a circle and clap while the couple dances. As the music continues, guests move in closer and closer until the bride and groom are surrounded by their family and friends.

~ Also, guests gather around the groom and use scissors to cut his tie and socks. Our Danish friends explained that this tradition is so that the bride’s first chore as a married woman is to darn her husband’s socks.

~ Speeches and songs for the bridal couple are a personal and touching part of the reception.

~ At some point during the reception, the groom will leave the room. Male guests take this as a cue to kiss the new bride. Similarly, at some later point the bride will also leave the room and all of the ladies will give the groom a kiss.

~ If all of the guests tap their knives or forks on their plates, the bride and groom must kiss.

~ If all of the guests stamp their feet on the floor, the bride and groom must dive under the table for a kiss.

~ If all of the guests tap their knives on their glasses, the bride and groom must balance on their chairs or simply stand up.

As a lasting tradition and parting gift, guests received a nautical coaster containing shiny copper pennies with a quote from the Nantucket children’s book titledJenny’s Pennies. This is a traditional Nantucket story told in rhyme about a mermaid named Jenny. When visitors leave Nantucket, they throw pennies from the ferry as it rounds Brant Point. In the story, Jenny collects the pennies thrown off the ferry and redistributes them throughout the island to bring good luck to the finders. “Tossing a penny when out you ride, brings you back on another ride.”

For the after party, guests received wristbands to the ‘Rose and Crown’ pub where everyone gathered to mingle, dance, snack on late night bites and close the place down.

Congratulations to the Newlyweds and their respective families, especially to my dear friend Jody and Tom Lonergan for leaving no stone unturned in this lovely storybook beginning. This wedding dream team of vendors was the best of the best allowing time for all to enjoy the various weekend celebrations. Homegig was honored to be part of all the preparations and celebrations!

References

http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/scandinavian_traditions/danish_traditions.html

Stylegig Blog