Red Jacket Resort Wedding | Mae & Pat

Tamara Merri

Jan 11

Mae & Pat's Wedding Day

In Mae's first message to me, she shared that photography was one of the most important aspects of her wedding (woo love it!!). She mentioned she love detail shots, shots that capture the day as it is, and envisioned some great romantic shots of her an her future hubby Pat on the beach and rock jetty at Red Jacket Resort. Well, say no more I'm already totally invested!!!

Their wedding day details were the perfect shades of white and blue to incapsulate the nautical vibe of their venue to start the theme of their day off right. I love the floral pattern of their invites and it was the perfect backdrop for a ring shot!

Mae had reached out just a short 6 months before her and Pat's wedding day. In addition to sharing what was important for her in terms of photography, she wrote that they were planning a wedding pretty quickly as her mom had recently received a terminal diagnosis. It was really important for her to find a photographer to capture her mom in a multitude of ways throughout the day both posed and candid. There were moments throughout the day that were pretty emotional (like you'll see later during the reception part of the blog), but the day was also filled with so much joy. It was an incredible honor to photograph their family and be trusted to capture this moment in their lives. Wedding days aren't just pretty photos for me - they're sacred memories and heirlooms for future generations to witness.

First Look at Red Jacket Resort

Mae and Pat met in college on a Thursday night college bar night. He caught her eye across the crowded bar, pointed, and walked over to her and my friend. They exchanged numbers and the next night was their first date where they stayed up all night talking before going out to breakfast. They have been practically inseparable since. They now live by the ocean and both grew up summering on the Cape and Plymouth so getting married on a Cape beach is just perfect for them. They even have a dog named Sailor who you can see below!

Red Jacket Resort Wedding Ceremony

Q: What are you most excited for for your wedding?

A: "This is a hard one, because I'm excited about a lot of things! I'm really excited for our first look and private vows. I'm also really excited for when he seems me at the end of the aisle during the ceremony. For Pat, I think he's most excited to be able to wear his wedding band. Throughout the planning process he keeps saying how he wished that guys got something to wear during the engagement period too because he wants an outward symbol of our relationship for others to see in the same way that I get to wear my engagement ring out and about in public and people know I'm engaged and sometimes ask me about it."

The ceremony was held on the oceanfront lawn of Red Jacket Resort overlooking the beach and vast Nantucket Sound and Atlantic Ocean beyond. Their floral arch was an absolutely stunning display of blue and white hydrangeas and ranunculus. A testament to a cape cod wedding! During the ceremony they performed the Celtic Loving Cup Ceremony to honor their Irish roots.

Wedding Party Portraits

Red Jacket Resort Reception in the Driftwood Ballroom

Red Jacket Resort has recently renovated their Driftwood ballroom and so Mae and Pat's wedding was the first to enjoy the reception area! The Driftwood Ballroom offers 3,500 square feet of versatile elegance with Nantucket Sound views fit for events of 50-190 guests. The new ballroom paired with their wedding details, table florals, and candles made it such an inviting space.

Wedding Reception

Before every wedding I send out a questionnaire to learn of their details and plans. Under my "what else should I know" question, Mae answered:

"I am planning a surprise for my Mom. I am saying a quick speech for her and then will be presenting her with a bouquet of sunflowers which she loves. That part is entirely a surprise. I'm then going to ask her to share a dance with me (which she does know we are going to dance). What she doesn't know is that I'm going to have both my brothers step in during the song so that they have a "mother-son" dance moment with her, since it is very unlikely she will be there when they get married one day. We're not announcing that's why they're stepping in and making it a huge deal, it's more for them to know what it means. I'm not entirely sure how this will all go because she's recently gotten weaker, more unsteady, and is in more pain. She is saying as of today she can do it. It will likely be most hugging/swaying to make it work."

Mae's plan went off exactly as she envisioned it. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, including mine. It was a beautiful moment and so, so emotional.

As of writing this blog 6 months after their wedding, I'm happy to share that Mae's mom is still fighting her terminal diagnosis and surpassing the timelines the doctors have shared. May we all be so strong!

Golden Hour Newlywed Photos

After all the reception formalities we snuck out to the beach for golden hour to take some newlywed photos while their guests ate dinner. The light was PERFECT. Mae and Pat were locked in on each other and it was nice to have a moment for the two of them to connect and slow down after so much emotion of the day. Thinking back to Mae's first message about how she was excited about some romantic photos of the two of them on the beach and jetty... I think we nailed it!