📸: Ashley Olafsson Photography // @ashleyolafssonphotography

This couple’s extravagant celebration at Glen Manor House in Portsmouth, Rhode Island was off the charts.

The Meet Cute: The couple first locked eyes in 2018 at a mutual friend’s birthday party.

The Bridal Attire: Bailey knew from the very beginning that she wanted to find her dream dress (make that plural) in a major city. “In the 1980s, my mom traveled with her mother to Chicago to shop and prepare for her wedding, so we decided to do the same,” she explains. Over the course of several appointments, Bailey says she tried on more than forty different dresses, but she never quite found “the one.” The fittings did, however, give her some direction: She realized she loved the bottom tiers of one Vagabond Kahlo gown and the corset top look of a Marchesa design. And so, she decided to mix and match the two, as well as add in a few other customizations like spaghetti straps and an off-white coloring. “The team at Lovely Bride was very helpful in ensuring that Vagabond could create the dress in a different color, as well as finding a tailor who could disassemble and recreate my vision using the two dresses,” she says. “Alva Tailors in Chicago painstakingly took the dresses apart and used the pieces to make my dream ceremony dress, as well as a mini skirt from the rest of the Marchesa dress for my rehearsal. I’ve kept the extra fabric from the dresses and hope to use it one day for my future child’s wedding!” Her Louvienne reception dress, meanwhile, also came from Lovely Bride in Chicago. “The dress is called ‘Olivia,’ which is special to me as that is my matron of honor’s name,” Bailey says.

The First Look: The bride and groom chose to shirk tradition and do a first look to ensure a private moment between them before the formal proceedings. “We thought this would be the perfect time to shake out the nerves, give our special gifts and share our personal vows,” Bailey says.

The Highlights: Food played a major role in helping the couple pamper their guests, a factor they say was very important to them. During cocktail hour, multiple stations served local New England cuisine like clam chowder, lobster rolls and fish and chips. Blackstone Caterers provided a raw bar featuring shucked-to-order oysters and other local seafood along with passed hors d’oeuvres like mini chicken and waffles, tostadas, arancini, leek flatbreads and more. The catering company also created the plated dinner menu — braised short rib and Murray’s Farm Statler chicken — as well as the late-night slider bar complete with truffle fries and mini milkshakes. “To top it off, we had a special coffee bar with a barista that made custom espresso and iced coffee drinks. Jason and I love coffee and wanted to share this with our guests,” Bailey adds. “And we had three wedding cakes designed to incorporate details from my wedding dresses.”