Wedding Party

from Ocean House - Spring 2021

Hilltop Lodge Opens

SPECIAL OCCASIONS by JAMIE MARSHALL

Two Couples Reimagine their Big Day with Spectacular Celebrations

Left: Jonathan Shockley (left) and Taylor Mawhinney celebrate at Ocean House. Right: Bride Dakota D'amato loves the "homey feel" of Weekapaug Inn.

As the Group Meetings & Special Events Manager for Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn, Lauren DiStefano is no stranger to wedding day curveballs—hurricanes, blizzards, windstorms, she’s seen it all. So, when a global pandemic threatened to upend the resort’s 2020 wedding season, she took it all in stride. “The first couple of months were crazy,” she says. “But then we were given a set of concrete rules to follow. I found that very supportive and enlightening. After that we were okay.” For the two couples featured here, the process was more than okay. Though each had to make some adjustments to their original vision, in the end, thanks to DiStefano and her team, they got the wedding of their dreams—and then some.

DAKOTA D’AMATO AND NICK OLSEN photography by SHANNON O'NEIL PHOTOGRAPHY

Dakota D’Amato and Nick Olsen met three years ago at a Halloween party when they were both living and working in Austin, Texas. Even then they knew they would eventually move back to the East Coast, to be closer to their families. So, it was only fitting that when it came time to plan their 2020 nuptials, the couple immediately thought of Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, where Nick’s family had a summer home. “We were both very adamant about it,” says Dakota. “We are laid-back people, and the Inn has a homey feel that appeals to us.”

They envisioned a weekend affair with 200-plus guests and all the trimmings, including a 10-piece band from Boston. They chose October 3, booked the entire Inn, contracted the vendors and sent out invitations. And then—in March, Rhode Island went into lockdown. “That’s when everything started going up in smoke,” says Nick. “We went back and forth. We’ll call it off, we won’t call it off. At one point, we threw up our hands and Lauren said, ‘I got it.’” Indeed, with Lauren as a steadying influence, the couple moved forward with a modified version. By then, most vendors had been released and new ones had to be hired. "I contacted people I knew who would deliver a really great experience,” says DiStefano.

Friday evening’s rehearsal dinner set the tone with a casual clambake at the Weekapaug Golf Club. The next day, backdropped by an autumn-hued floral arch, the couple exchanged vows on the Guest Lawn. After enjoying cocktails and a raw bar by the pool, guests made their way into the tent, a collaboration between Ryan Designs and Broadview Florists. The bridal party and spouses were seated at a long wooden farm table, while smaller round tables were set for groups of six. The couple had fun with the dessert menu, which featured mini apple pies, chocolate mousse shooters, cookie dough lollipops and apple cider donuts.

One Love Band kept the mood upbeat; for the after-party OHM Food Truck showed up with breakfast snacks. “The whole weekend was perfect,” says Dakota. Adds Nick: “For me the best part was everybody saying how much fun they were having. Everyone had been locked in their homes for months, and they still turned out for us. The Inn helped make it all happen in a safe, yet very memorable way.”

Below:

Crisp fall colors and casual elegance set the perfect tone for this Weekapaug Inn wedding.

JONATHAN SHOCKLEY AND TAYLOR MAWHINNEY photography by MAGGIE CONLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Soon after they got engaged in 2018, Jonathan and Taylor started planning their June 2020 destination wedding in the Bahamas. “We had been going to Harbor Island every year since we first met,” says Taylor. “We fell in love with the island’s aesthetic and pink sand beaches.” In March, just as invitations were about to go out, COVID-19 shut the island down. “At first we thought we would postpone, but then we realized this virus wasn’t going away quickly,” says Jonathan.

He immediately called Ocean House, a Watch Hill landmark he had known from childhood and where he and Taylor had their first local date. “We loved Ocean House and had already talked to Lauren about doing a post-wedding party for our local friends there,” he says. “That turned into our wedding.” Both men have a background in fashion and design, and they formulated a new vision to match their change in venue. “We wanted to incorporate a hint of the islands, while paying a nod to the New England setting. Lauren got it immediately,” says Taylor. “They were inspired by Ralph Lauren and that upscale causal American lifestyle,” she says. “We really pulled from that.”

On Friday night, guests enjoyed cocktails and croquet on the South Lawn, before meandering down to the beach for a traditional lobster bake. Before finding their socially distanced seats at the ceremony on Saturday, guests stopped for welcome bags filled with hand sanitizer, his and her face masks, and macarons from Sift Bake Shop. Jonathan’s mother walked the couple’s dog, William, down the aisle, and the couple exchanged vows as their best friend, Chelsea, officiated.

Afterward, everyone gathered on the Seaside Terrace for Veuve Clicquot champagne served in chic orange flutes. A seated dinner followed, with tables arrayed beneath a Ryan Designs canopy of hanging basket lanterns edged with little white lights. Each table sported a fun blue and white ikat linen; Hana Floral centerpieces were a mix of peony and hydrangea accented with palm and monstera.

A trio, featuring the resort's own pianist, Al Copley, played background music throughout the dazzling meal, capped off by a three-tiered carrot cake.

“He does fun upbeat oldies and jazz standards,” says Jonathan. “It made the reception feel like a big dinner party, intimate and festive.”