Winter Wedding

from Weekapaug Inn - Fall/Winter 2021

Culinary Destination

SPECIAL OCCASIONS by KIM KAVIN

Two couples create events that are small and spectacular

Left: Anthony Manzo and Lyndsay Bennett celebrate with Ocean House fireworks. Right: The Ferrari-Currie wedding included 25 guests at Weekapaug Inn.

As Director of Catering and Events for the Ocean House and Weekapaug Inn, Rachelle Lachica is used to accommodating last-minute requests. But that took on a whole new meaning during the winter of 2020. “Every week, there was something new that we did not think of from the week prior,” says Lachica. “When Covid started, you could have 50 people. Then it was down to 15. It adds so much stress. And people were still scared to travel, too.” Even in that environment, she and her team were able to help couples create scaled-down but memorable weddings. More than ever, she says, the pandemic further proved the capabilities the Ocean House Collection team offers: “Tell me what you’re looking for. We can make it happen for you.”

LYNDSAY BENNETT AND ANTHONY MANZO photography by DANI FINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Lyndsay Bennett and Anthony Manzo went from meeting on the Bumble dating app in early 2018 to planning a 125-guest wedding on Nantucket during summer 2020. But as the pandemic exploded, it became apparent the event they envisioned was not going to happen.

The cancelation was particularly painful, says Lyndsay, because getting married in 2020 was important to them. Most of their parents were celebrating 40th anniversaries that year. The couple wanted to share in that “big anniversary” for years to come.

“Our venue ended up not even being open,” says Lyndsay. “We just kind of waited it out. We tried to plan something small a few times, and it didn’t really work out.”

Lyndsay, who is in corporate real estate, and Anthony, who works in private equity, had been to the Ocean House for drinks. They sat on a deck overlooking a wedding, which provided inspiration for their own special ceremony.

Looking through photos from previous Ocean House weddings, they loved images with fireworks in the background. So, they decided to hold an intimate ceremony on the Sea Glass Suite's private balcony, with their parents and 1 ½-year-old daughter in attendance.

“They have an amazing fireworks display, so that was captured in a lot of our photographs,” says Lyndsay. “It looks like we have our own private, $100,000 fireworks display. We strategically had this amazing suite with a deck that would overlook the fireworks show.”

Lachica's team found the photographer and violinist, and Ocean House’s resident officiant, Bob Elmer, agreed to perform the ceremony on short notice despite the New Year’s Eve holiday.

“I was a little worried about the fireworks— that was very important to them,” says Lachica. “You have the weather to worry about, but it all worked out. The fireworks went off, they kissed, and it was a great photo opportunity.”

After enjoying a wedding dinner cooked in the suite by an Ocean House chef, the family went to the property’s scaled-down New Year’s Eve gala, which served as their reception.

“I didn’t have to do any of the planning,” says Lyndsay. “There was this beautiful room already decorated, we were all socially distanced, and there was a band and some great food. We made that part of our time there.”

Below:

Held on a private balcony, this Ocean House wedding concluded with fireworks and a New Year's Eve party.

LYNNE FERRARI AND MARK CURRIE photography by CARLA MCELROY PHOTOGRAPHY

Lynne Ferrari and Mark Currie had already been a couple for 15 years when they decided to wed in late 2020.

As Chief of Perioperative Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital—responsible, in part, for keeping patients safe from the coronavirus—Lynne was enduring a trying time professionally. Mark was doing his work as a scientist and biotech entrepreneur remotely, at their Weekapaug house.

“We just decided that it was the right time,” says Lynne. “Sometimes, with something as life-changing as Covid, people just reassess what’s important in their life.”

Mark would regularly head over to the Weekapaug Inn, and what he saw happening there gave them both the idea for where to host their ceremony. They knew they could only invite 25 people because of Covid-19 rules, but new construction at the Weekapaug Inn inspired them, because they could invite those people to a space where they would be among the first ever to make memories.

“Mark was working remotely and stayed in Weekapaug for a good deal of the spring. That’s when the new MeetingHouse structure was being built,” says Lynne. “He would go to the hot tub every day and watch the construction. The inside is exquisite. It has vaulted ceilings, beautiful wood, there’s an incredible fireplace— it’s a breathtaking space, even though it’s small. It’s not like a ballroom. It’s an absolute little jewel of a building.”

With no dancing, bars or buffet service possible due to health guidelines, they hired a three-piece string quartet and served a plated dinner with drink service at socially distanced tables. Lynne requested that guests, including children, show a negative Covid-19 test to attend, and she ordered custom masks that were given as favors at every place setting.

The groom wore blue jeans and a tuxedo jacket, while the bride chose a full-length lavender Halston couture dress. They lit the dramatic fireplace for ambience and hired a fireplace valet to keep the logs going strong.

“The wedding was on a Saturday, and it snowed on Thursday. It was an afternoon wedding, so we had the beautiful snow outside, the sun shining—it was magical,” says Lynne. “It turned out to be just perfect.”