Katherine Abbott Rehnert and Geoffrey Scott Rehnert, Jr., owners of East Bay Leads, met in 2012 at his fraternity house at Elon University during the end of their senior year. They bonded over growing up outside of Boston and having “crazy” families. “Most people wouldn’t start a relationship at the very end of college, but we were both moving home to Boston and figured we would give it a shot,” she says. After six years together, he proposed while walking on Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, Massachusetts.
For their #ReelingInTheRehnerts late June wedding, the couple always knew they’d get married at Scott’s family home in Osterville on Cape Cod. “The perfectly flat front yard with views of East Bay and the Nantucket Sound was just begging to have a tented reception,” Kate says. “Walking out of Scott’s childhood home with my dad ready to give me away was truly a surreal experience.”
Aesthetically, Kate and Scott wanted to keep things simple, and the burgee, designed by Cami Monet, was an anchor of the style and vibe for the weekend. To help plan everything, the two hired Stephanie Diaz Eldredge of Cape Cod Celebrations.
Kate always knew she’d get married in a simple, classic dress and finally located the Pronovias gown she’d been eyeing at La Reine Bridal in Waltham. Once she put on the Amaya, the bride knew it was the one for her.
The veil was actually Kate’s favorite part of her look. She found a cathedral-length one and had a seamstress customize it with lace from her grandmother’s dress. “My mom and I are extremely close, and we lost my grandmother suddenly when I was young,” she says. “We talk about her all the time, and having her as a part of my wedding day was unbelievably special.”
Bridesmaids complemented the bride well in the Gogo dress by Camilyn Beth and gifted pearl-esque earrings. And Scott wore a custom, navy blue J.Hilburn blazer with their wedding monogram stitched inside, a Nantucket red Otaa bow tie, and a Bonobos shirt. He also worked with Artemis Design Co. to design loafers for himself and his groomsmen that were created from Turkish carpets.
In a hedged garden, it was drizzling, as the bridesmaids processed down the aisle, but as soon as the doors opened for Kate and her father, the sun came out and stayed out for the rest of the day. “Walking down the aisle to ‘Canon in D’ with my dad and seeing everyone I love so much surrounding us was an unbelievable feeling,” the bride remarks. Once the short ceremony concluded, the reception began under the gorgeous, white tent on the grass.
After the wedding party was introduced, the newlyweds had their first dance to “Millionaire” by Chris Stapleton and invited everyone for pre-dinner dancing. “This was one of my favorite parts, as it was still sunny out, it was hot, and everyone was just loving being on the dance floor,” Kate remarks. “It was really hard to leave the dance floor to sit down for dinner, but we managed.”
Following the seated dinner by Russell Morin Catering, the ice cream-loving couple served sweet, cold treats out of their club’s “ice cream bike.” And then Kate changed into a Bardot cocktail dress and monogrammed Jack Rogers, which her bridesmaids gifted her, for more dancing with The Sultans.
At the very end of the reception, Scott’s mother surprised everyone with an epic fireworks display. “Our photographer was in on it and kept trying to get us out of the tent under the guise of getting some nighttime shots, but she couldn’t get us off the dance floor,” Kate says. “She finally got us out there just in time for the first firework to go off.”
To kick off the after-party, the band’s horn section led guests from the tent through the yard to the pool. “My bridesmaids all jumped into the pool fully dressed,” the bride remembers. “Scott followed them shortly after, which led to me jumping in as well! The after-party was in full swing until 4:00 a.m., when I finally dragged Scott out.”
