Peri Schaut and Jared Tokarz headed out for an evening walk on Nantucket with their dog, Baker, when Jared dashed back to the house, claiming he’d forgotten something. “When he came back out, I noticed the ring box peeking from his pocket,” Peri recalls. “He must’ve seen the look of surprise on my face because we both just started laughing.” They sauntered to Steps Beach, where Jared’s sisters had set up a picnic blanket and Champagne for the couple. There, he dropped to one knee. Once engaged, they took the ferry back to Boston, where another surprise awaited them—Peri’s mother had planned a celebratory soirée with both of their families.
“I took some of my first steps on Main Street in Nantucket with my dad and have been coming to the island ever since,” Peri notes. “As a little girl, I always dreamed of getting married on Nantucket.” The couple knew they’d wed on the water and celebrate with an exceptional lineup of seafood. “White Elephant was the perfect choice.” As for the ceremony, Peri and Jared said, “I do,” in the same church where Peri’s parents married in nearly 38 years earlier.
After her engagement, Peri settled on a timeless dinner-party aesthetic for her day-of. While she and her mother took to all of the planning themselves, she enlisted Jimmy Jaksic to coordinate the specifics for the weekend and had Hannah Alyssa photograph. Julie King Studio set the tone with a custom invitation suite and a custom wedding crest.
The bride worked with Over The Moon Head of Style Grace Givens to curate her wedding wardrobe. The lineup of looks began with the rehearsal dinner at Cru on the wharf to which the bride wore a Khaite halter look and accessorized with Brinker + Eliza pearl drop earrings as well as a Jennifer Behr eyelet bow. “I love bridal fashion, but when it comes to picking pieces out for myself, I can get so overwhelmed,” Peri admits. “Luckily, Grace curated the most timeless and chic rehearsal look of my dreams, all while taking my personal style into consideration.”
For the ceremony, Peri got ready with Darya and Paolina Doycheva and then put on her Wisteria dress with an Oscar de la Renta veil. And after getting ready in Hill House Home Ellie Nap Dresses, bridesmaids complemented the bride in the Lorr dresses in Light Lagoon by Fanm Mon. Peri’s mother looked elegant in Markarian’s Eveline dress.
During the reception, Peri switched into a Clio Peppiatt embellished mini dress—fit for the party. All the while, the groom donned a shawl collar tuxedo and loafers by Stubbs & Wootton.
Although the forecast showed rain, Peri and Jared woke up to sunshine on June 8, 2024. “We felt so lucky waking up to sunshine the morning of our wedding!” she exclaims. “We started our day with a bike ride to Jetties Beach and a pre-wedding morning dip before going our separate ways to be with our bridesmaids and groomsmen!”
‘The ceremony was beautiful, short, and sweet. It was surreal walking down the aisle with my dad, down the same aisle my mom had walked down almost 38 years ago,” the bride says. The couple exchanged vows, and after sealing it all with a kiss, they exited as newlyweds as Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be” rang out. Their getaway car was a stylish 1970s Land Rover Defender.
During cocktail hour, guests sipped passion fruit martinis and noshed on a raw bar of Nantucket oysters, little neck clams, shrimp, and passed appetizers. The celebrations began when the newlyweds danced to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”—“And yes, after months of practice, Jared nailed the dip at the end!” Peri exclaims.
For the seated reception dinner, delicious roasted halibut was served alongside lobster and grilled corn. Montilio’s Chantilly wedding cake topped it all off before dancing the night away with The Dukes.
