Real Wedding
S
ometimes you have to leave home to discover something wonderful in your own backyard. Mackenzie Robb and Ryan Stanley had their first encounter on an o ercrowded train as both were returning from a weekend in the Hamptons. As they chatted, they discovered they lived across the street from each other in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. n their first date, they lingered o er dinner in the West Village till the restaurant closed. “I immediately canceled the other date I had scheduled that week!” Mackenzie says. “I knew Ryan was different.”
Two for Two
The couple spent Mackenzie’s 30th birthday weekend at the Chanler at Cliff Walk, and knew they wanted to return for their wedding. “It’s such a breathtaking location,” Mackenzie says. A self-described beach bum who grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, she says it was important to her and to Ryan, an avid surfer, that they marry by the water. Unfortunately, like so many other couples eyeing a 2020 wedding, they found their plans upended by COVID-19, so they held a tiny wedding with just 11 guests in upstate New York in August 2020. Then they threw the party of their dreams at the Chanler almost a year later. Between the intimate wedding day and the bash with 220 guests, “we had the best of both worlds,” Mackenzie says.
I’m Lovin’ It
Mackenzie & Ryan July 24, 2021
Mackenzie and Ryan envisioned a “coastal garden party” with a sophisticated but relaxed feel. Her silk organza gown from eanne arshall set the tone with its ruffled V-neckline and A-line skirt. Her seven attendants wore dresses from different designers in an array of pale solids and florals yan and his groomsmen wore tan linen suits, white shirts, and pocket squares that complemented the women’s dresses. Guests dined under a tent on the Chanler’s lawn at long tables decorated with simple sprays of blue and white flowers and blue candles. The wedding cake — a carrot cake with a simple white icing topped with hand-painted oyster shells — was augmented with an ice cream selection from Ben & Jerry’s. And guests who worked up a second appetite dancing to the Sultans could snack on Chicken McNuggets and Big Macs, which were served in festively decorated yurts.
Where Are They Now?
The couple vacationed in Greece before returning to New York City, where Mackenzie works in hospitality tech and Ryan is in finance — Paula M. Bodah
