This Vogue Editor Bride Held a Classic New England Summer Wedding on a Rockefeller Farm in Maine
Laura Jackson and Peter Nalle have known each other almost their entire lives. They met in first grade at The Lovett School in Atlanta, and, in February of their senior year, Peter asked Laura on their first date. Come prom, it was official: Laura and Peter were together.
Nine years later, the two got engaged in Gramercy Park. “Peter told me to be ready for an early dinner at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Union Square Cafe, followed by a Broadway showing of Moulin Rouge. As we were walking past the eastern entrance to Gramercy Park, he asked me if I had ever been inside. As he led me in, I was pretty sure the proposal was about to happen. Peter’s friend Katharine, who grew up on the park, kindly lent him a key for the special moment,” Laura recalls. “After I said yes, we made our way to Union Square Cafe where Peter surprised me with both of our families waiting there for us. There were no tickets to Moulin Rouge, but the next surprise was even better, as Peter had rented out a bar off Irving and all our friends were waiting there for us—including some who had flown in for the occasion. It was an incredible way to get engaged: first privately in a beautiful park and then surrounded by the people we love most.”
Laura, a shopping writer at Vogue, and Peter, a software investor, held a classic New England summer wedding in Northeast Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island. The idyllic rocky seaside coast, on the cusp of Acadia National Park, has long held a special place for the couple, as Peter’s family has summered there for five generations. “This August also marked the 10-year anniversary of my first trip there with him in 2014,” says Laura.
The weekend, which was planned by Augusta Cole, began with a welcome party at Windy Willows, the groom’s home. Laura wore a custom red-and-white gingham short set by Patricia Voto of One/Of. “I had the most fun with my welcome-party look, playing into the kitschiness of the party and the preppiness that I love to lean into when I’m in Maine,” says Laura. “We were inspired by the retro silhouettes of the 1950s and Grace Kelly.” She accessorized her look with pearl earrings (a gift from her mother) as well as Khaite x Oliver Peoples sunglasses.
The local bar and lobster pound, The Nor’Easter Pound Market, made lobster rolls that Laura and Peter laid out on gingham linens while string lights and lanterns hung overhead. Just outside the party was Peter’s uncle’s 1957 Ford Fairlane Sunliner, which provided for a scenic photo-op. After toasts and many glasses of rosé, the couple served Whoopie pies and Blueberry cobbler— “more Maine delicacies!” says Laura.
On Friday, the couple held their rehearsal dinner at Islesford Dock Restaurant on Little Cranberry Island. With the help of coordinator Rachel Sisson and Peter’s mom, Tricia, 120 guests sailed from Northeast Harbor to the remote isle where freshly shucked oysters and Aperol spritzes awaited. Laura wore an Elizabeth Fillmore satin tuxedo halter top with a matching maxi skirt and a pair of pointed-toe Prada pumps. Then she added her “something borrowed”: “Since the temperatures in Maine drop significantly at night, I layered in a fur stole given to me by my sister’s mother-in-law. It was her grandmother’s from the 1920s,” she says.
The next day, Peter and Laura wed in a traditional Episcopalian service at the historical chapel of St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea. The bride walked down the aisle to an organist composition by Peter’s father in a semi-custom drop-waist bubble skirt gown by Danielle Frankel. “The delicate lace reminded me of the etherealness and romance of Maine,” says Laura. Upon her head was a cathedral-length train, made with lace from her mother’s wedding gown. Peter, meanwhile, wore a classic black tuxedo by P. Johnson.
The couple notes they will never forget the powerful emotion they felt during the ceremony. “As I entered the church alongside my dad, Peter and I were intently focused on each other, and the happiness that I felt when looking at him at the end of the aisle will stay with me forever,” Laura says. “Peter was crying during my entire procession, and I cried as I recited my vows. We were so excited to finally be married and we couldn’t believe the moment was finally here–we were overcome with love for each other and joy for the moment.” When they left the church, guests showered them with flower petals. Then, they drove away in Uncle Jay’s Ford.
Once golden hour arrived, they held their reception on the grounds of Peggy Rockefeller Farm which was once owned by the Rockefeller family. As guests drank spicy margaritas among the goats and lambs, Laura and Peter snuck away for both their wedding portraits for a quiet moment by themselves “We also took this moment to practice our first dance quietly in the field–we danced to ‘You and Me’ by Penny and the Quarters–a song that has been special to us since high school,” says Laura.
The couple entered their sailcloth tent to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” as dinner began. Guests enjoyed a surf-and-turf feast of a farm fresh salad, lobster, and beef tenderloin as the speeches began. The night hit an emotional pinnacle when Laura’s father gave his speech. “He left very few dry eyes in the house,” the bride says.
Once the dance floor got started, it didn’t stop. “It was important to us that the dance floor be the centerpiece of the night given how much Peter and I both love to dance,” says Laura, who changed into a custom dress by One/Of for dancing. To keep the energy high, they passed out espresso martinis, blueberry pop-tarts, as well as flip flops and bucket hats so guests could embrace their more casual side as the night went on. (Which it did—until midnight, anyway, when local noise ordinances kicked in.)
Now that it’s all over, Laura says that she is of course happy it was a festive weekend for all her guests. But most of all, she’s happy it was a meaningful one: “The weekend was fun and beautiful, and while we are proud that people enjoyed themselves, we are most proud of how many people came up to us to tell us how evident it was that we loved each other. Through all the pomp and circumstance, our love and commitment shined through.”
Photo: Olivia Rae James1/76Peter and I sharing a kiss in the meadow in front of Windy Willows before the Thursday night welcome party kicked off.
Photo: Olivia Rae James2/76A quick photo opp in Uncle Jay’s ’57 Ford, Darlene.
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