Real New England Weddings: Kerry Holleran & Paul Bailey

August 14, 2010

Chatham and West Harwich, Massachusetts

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

Until Paul got down on one knee, the only time he and his future wife, Kerry, had managed to stay in the same ZIP code was during their four-year stint at Connecticut College. After graduating in 2001, the two were constantly on the move, but they found a way to keep things together despite the distance. “Sometimes it was New York City to D.C., sometimes New York City to California,” says Kerry. After all that traveling, the peripatetic couple decided to come home to tie the knot. “No place really felt as nice as home,” says Kerry, whose parents agreed to hold the wedding reception at their West Harwich summer house following the ceremony in Chatham.

To ensure that Kerry’s parents could play host and still enjoy the party, they hired a wedding planner – a decision that definitely paid off. “My family really loves Bill Murray comedies,” says Kerry, “and in my dad’s speech he referenced the movie Groundhog Day. He said that if there were any day he would want to relive again and again, it would be this one.”

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

A photo booth at the reception—a last-minute addition–was a huge hit. “You couldn’t drag our friends out of it,” says Kerry with a laugh. “Even Paul’s 83-year-old uncle was in there taking pictures of himself!”

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

Beribboned flower buckets hung from the aisles during the ceremony.

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

Kerry knew she wanted patterned bridesmaid dresses, and when she found these cranberry and white numbers from J.Crew, she designed the whole color scheme around them. “It really seemed to fit—cranberries and Cape Cod,” she says.

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

Four tiers of pastel-colored cupcakes were arranged in the shape of a cake.

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

In honor of a donation they made to the Northeast Animal Shelter, the place they adopted their dog from, the couple gave each guest a dog-bone-shaped chocolate bar from Chatham Candy Manor.

Photograph by Brea McDonald Photography

The File

Gown Melissa Sweet, Priscilla of Boston

Hair La Sirena Hair Lounge

Jewelry Tiffany & Co.

Bridesmaids J.Crew

Menswear Hugo Boss

Catering & cupcakes The Casual Gourmet

Flowers Soiree Floral

Music Sultans of Swing