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Island Love

The Bride: Jenna Marks
The Groom: Mark O’Donnell
Wedding Date: December 6, 2009
Venue: The White Elephant

Jenna Marks was always something of a hopeless romantic. She collected wedding photos throughout her childhood and always knew that some day she wanted get married on Nantucket since she had spent lots of time on the island growing up. Knowing his bride-to-be well, Mark O’Donnell chose Jenna’s parents’ anniversary of December 6 to propose in the historic Nantucket Harbor during the famous Christmas Stroll. Sticking with her sentimental side, she didn’t take long to decide that, despite the fact it would fall on a Sunday, the first day of advent, and during the extremely busy Christmas Stroll on Nantucket, she would plan their wedding for December 6 the following year. Restaurants laughed at her when she called to schedule her rehearsal dinner on their busiest Saturday since the summer months, and though there is no law preventing it, “The priest on the island made it clear that he did not do weddings on Sundays,” Jenna recalls. That didn’t faze this bride, who brought her own priest over from the mainland.
Venue – Notably Nantucket
After their ceremony at St. Mary Our Lady of The Isle Catholic Church, the couple enjoyed walking through the busy streets in the harbor taking photos en route to their reception at the White Elephant Hotel. An island landmark since the 1920s, the inn’s 64 rooms, suites, and cottages housed their family and friends, while the enclosed heated harborside deck offered panoramic water views and ample space for their long family-style dinner table.
Décor – All Aglow
Countless candles filled the space and made it glow. Swarovski crystals, sprinkled across the cream and gold custom linens, reflected the candlelight. Jenna added a rich color to the romantic décor by choosing deep plum for the velvet napkin rings and chair backs, which were bound by a ring of swarovski crystals.
The Cake – For the Love of Louis
Every birthday, for as long as she can remember, Jenna’s parents gave her something from Louis Vuitton. Her love of the designer and considerable collection became a running joke among family and friends. So it was part humor, part homage that led her to ask Jodi’s Cakes on the island to create a Louis Vuitton–themed wedding cake. The two tiers of alternating devil’s food cake, hazelnut génoise, and bittersweet chocolate ganache resembled a flawlessly wrapped package adorned with orange LV logo
Flowers – Winter White
Large cream roses filled shallow antique crystal vases, which adorned every four settings for the length of the long, glowing dinner table. The bouquets designed by Audrey Waterfield were comprised of the same cream roses with hints of stephanotises and white calla lilies. Swarovski crystals and ostrich feathers made the bride’s bouquet stand apart.
Details – Classic Vintage
Jenna’s mother found several unique items for the wedding at antique shops and estate sales: crystal vases for the centerpieces, a vintage locket in which they placed a photo of Jenna’s late grandfather and pinned to her bouquet, and sterling-silver pocket vases used for the men’s orchid boutonnières, to name a few. “She has an incredibly artistic eye, and her execution is all business,” Jenna says of her mother.
Bridesmaids - Girls-Only Jenna chose to partake in the traditional “girls-only” sleepover the night before her wedding. “My best friend thought I was going to be a bridezilla on the day of my wedding! Especially when I woke up at 4 a.m. that morning,” Jenna recalls. After breakfast, the girls turned on some tunes, and it wasn’t long before the two of them were dancing around like 13-year-olds. “We’ve been best friends since eighth grade, and it was like our last sleepover together. We were celebrating my new life and her being a part of it, on the couch singing into hairbrushes, just being girls,” Jenna laughs. She recalls that this was a great way to get rid of any last-minute jitters. It reminded her to stay in the moment and to just celebrate every step of the way.

Island Love

Jenna Marks was always something of a hopeless romantic. She collected wedding photos throughout her childhood and always knew that some day she wanted get married on Nantucket since she had spent lots of time on the island growing up. Knowing his bride-to-be well, Mark O’Donnell chose Jenna’s parents’ anniversary of December 6 to propose in the historic Nantucket Harbor during the famous Christmas Stroll. Sticking with her sentimental side, she didn’t take long to decide that, despite the fact it would fall on a Sunday, the first day of advent, and during the extremely busy Christmas Stroll on Nantucket, she would plan their wedding for December 6 the following year. Restaurants laughed at her when she called to schedule her rehearsal dinner on their busiest Saturday since the summer months, and though there is no law preventing it, “The priest on the island made it clear that he did not do weddings on Sundays,” Jenna recalls. That didn’t faze this bride, who brought her own priest over from the mainland.
Младенец и мама