The Bride Wore Custom Vera Wang for Her Classic Summer Wedding in the Hamptons
In 2014, Quinn Jackson and Dexter Zimet met at a Disclosure concert in Central Park. Their first date, however, took place three years later, involving a performance of Sunday in the Park With George followed by dinner at Russian Samovar. Still, the future couple did leave that initial night in the park with a foreshadowing (and fun-loving) memento. “We have a photo of me on Dexter’s shoulders,” Quinn recalls, laughing.
Dexter later proposed in the summer of 2020 during a walk on Cryder Beach in Southampton. After the private moment (although they weren’t as alone as they thought, as “my best friend was hiding in the dunes taking photos, which was both hilarious and special,” Quinn says), the two returned to Quinn’s nearby family home, Blue Haven. Both their families were waiting there to surprise them, along with a picnic lunch.
Originally, Quinn, an actor, and Dexter, the president of the highly anticipated Manhattan restaurant Coqodaq, wanted to wed in Napa Valley. Yet, all roads kept leading back to Blue Haven. “We toured properties there but everything kept pulling us back to my family’s home—a place where every celebration had taken place over the years,” Quinn says. “Once we made that decision the rest felt like it fell into place.” One thing, however, that they took with them from California? Their wedding planner, Bash Please. “Bash Please was able to plan the perfect weekend for us in the Hamptons and their aesthetic and vibe still was the right fit,” she says.
They wed the weekend of July 22, 2022—the hottest one of that summer. On Friday night, Quinn and Dexter held their rehearsal dinner on the very beach where they got engaged. The bride wore a Simone Rocha dress and shoes, as styled by her mother. “My mom played a huge part in what I wore, as she always has. She definitely had the final seal of approval,” says Quinn.
The next day, she walked down a hydrangea-lined aisle to a cello-and-guitar rendition of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” while all their friends and family looked on. Quinn’s godmother, Vera Wang, custom-designed her dress, complete with lace gloves, a veil, and a statement train. “Going to her for my dress was always my dream and Vera and her wonderful team so graciously made it a reality,” she says. “I loved so many dresses but when I eventually tried on the dress, I just knew. Everything else was just trusting the process.” Quinn’s sister-in-law served as an officiant and the couple wrote their own vows.
The bride says she originally felt a few nerves—but they soon turned into pure excitement. “I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be, doing exactly what I should be doing, with the person I should be doing it with,” she says. “I took in how lucky I was to be in our very special place celebrating such a happy occasion.” After saying their vows, they walked out as husband and wife to “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure. (“Cliché but true!” Quinn says.) Then, everyone headed off to a cocktail hour by the pool where guests cooled off with mezcal margaritas and gin and tonics.
Quinn and Dexter knew they wanted to make a fun entrance to their reception tent, which was adorned with florals by Sophie Felts. “I’d gone to a friend’s wedding in France where they have the tradition of the bride and groom entering the reception while people wave their napkins above their heads. I knew I needed to do that,” she says. “Unconventionally, we picked ‘Genesis’ by Justice, but it set an electrically vibrant tone for the rest of the evening.”
Indeed, once the dance floor started, it never stopped: even amid Southampton’s strict noise ordinance. Quinn changed into a second, shorter Vera Wang dress for the occasion. It was truly the most fun to run around in once the party part of the festivities commenced,” she says.
Eventually, they transitioned to a silent disco where enthusiastic guests dropped down and did the worm, while Happy Meals from McDonald’s fueled the guests in the oppressive heat. “The night kept going,” Quinn says. “Some of us even made it to the beach at 8 a.m.”
Looking back at it now, the couple says they wouldn’t have changed a thing—even the sweltering weather. “That made for a very fun, sweaty, committed dance floor,” she says, laughing.
Photo: Samm Blake1/57Before our rehearsal dinner, wearing Simone Rocha.
Photo: Samm Blake2/57Simone Rocha sandals for the rehearsal.
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