Sarah McGrath and Jack Bloom’s love story begins in the hallways of Newark Academy in the fall of 2005. The seventh graders were in the same friend group throughout middle and high school before officially dating their senior year. When Jack went to Boston College and Sarah to Colgate University, they spent the next four years doing long-distance with plenty of road trips in between.
After nine years together, Sarah and Jack vacationed at his family’s home in Bay Head, New Jersey for Memorial Day Weekend. Sarah packed a bright pink Rhode dress for dinner and after getting ready, was surprised when Jack asked her to go on a beachside stroll with him. “I love beach walks and constantly beg Jack to join me, so his proactive ask was a bit of a tell,” she says. As she suspected, he dropped to one knee on the beach and proposed with an engagement ring from local jeweler F. Gerald New. The moment was captured on camera by Jack’s brother, who emerged from behind a jetty to take a few photos.
The very first wedding decision the couple made was hosting the wedding in their home State of New Jersey. “Both of our families grew up and currently live in New Jersey, we met there, and it will always hold a special spot in our hearts,” Sarah explains. The couple only toured one venue because The Mansion at Natirar had everything they could have wanted. “The spectacular views, outdoor space, and ballroom with a living green wall were exactly what we were looking for. It was something timeless and beautiful that we could personalize,” Sarah confirms. But when the pandemic struck, the couple quickly pivoted to an intimate wedding ceremony and dinner with their family and wedding party. They ultimately postponed the larger reception to 2021.
The 14-person rehearsal dinner became a family-wide labor of love. It would now be hosted in Jack’s parents’ backyard and lovingly planned by his mother. She personally designed the table settings and decor, right down to the monogrammed napkins. Jack’s brother Matthew arranged every floral arrangement. And on the day, Sarah joined guests while wearing an IRO jumpsuit from Intermix with Stuart Weitzman heels.
When Sarah slipped on her silk flower-covered Mira Zwillinger dress from Mark Ingram, it was love at first sight. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law immediately started crying. Sarah complemented the dress with a pair of diamond studs that her parents gave her for her college graduation and Aquazzura shoes that she ordered online during the pandemic.
With nearly every aspect carefully thought out and planned, Sarah forgot to have a “something blue.” But luckily, the morning of the micro-wedding, a vintage light blue Porsche pulled in front of Natirar. The driver kindly let Sarah take pictures in front of the car for an ultimately serendipitous something blue moment.
Sarah’s bridesmaids wore dark green Amsale dresses of their choosing, which complemented the landscaping hues of the venue. “I gifted each of the girls a pair of gold flower earrings from F. Gerald New,” Sarah notes. “Many of them still wear the earrings every day!”
Meanwhile, Jack and his groomsmen wore suits from beloved local business John Hyatt. The groom paired his Peter Millar suit with a patterned green Ferragamo tie, which he also gifted to his groomsmen.
For the September 2020 micro-wedding, the couple paid homage to their newly shared last name “Bloom.” Throughout the day, there were floral motifs interspersed around the ceremony. Jardiniere Fine Flowers arranged the beautiful blooms. “We were incredibly lucky with great weather, which was even more important, as all events had to be outside due to COVID restrictions,” Sarah explains. “Because it was a micro-wedding, we were surrounded by only our closest friends and family, which created an incredibly intimate feel and calmed my nerves quite a bit. It’s much easier to walk out to 50 people than 250 people!”
Jack and Sarah delivered personalized vows. They spent weeks deliberating over their vows and did not show each other the final versions. Sure enough, their vows were nearly exactly the same. From the anecdotes to the jokes, the similarities were so obvious, guests laughed out loud. By the time Jack and Sarah exchanged their first kiss, all the couple can remember is feeling pure joy and being ready to dance the night away.
Guests adjourned to the outdoor floral-covered tent for cocktails, formal sit-down dinner, and dancing. The menu consisted of comfort foods like a tomato soup shooter and mini grilled cheese, little gem salad, and a choice of halibut or New York strip steak. Then, the meal was made complete with a vanilla and chocolate wedding cake.
Because the micro-wedding was so intimate and the couple’s families are so close, no introductions were needed. In fact, it reminded Sarah of a family reunion. Sarah’s father delivered the welcome toast, including plenty of references to the couple’s sports rivalry between the Jets and Giants. And the fantastic acoustic duo, John and Ricky, created a fun musical atmosphere that allowed plenty of dancing. When reflecting on this day, Sarah simply states, “Our micro-wedding was a night of fun, freedom, and a hopeful look to the future.”
On July 24, 2021, the Blooms had a chance to celebrate their love once more with all of their nearest and dearest. Sarah refers to this event as the “Wedding 2.0.”
She chose a short Mira Zwillinger ready-to-wear dress with Gucci platforms. The length of the ensemble allowed easy swaying and flitting while dancing that evening. “When planning our larger party, we thought about the things we wanted to re-do, re-use, keep special, or make new,” Sarah explains. They collaborated with Splurge Bakery to design a cake that would match her dress and the floral motif. They also reused their previous signage.
Instead of hosting another ceremony, the couple created this second wedding celebration as a look to the future, not necessarily a repeat of the past. “We wanted to take the time to speak directly to our guests, thanking them for their support over the past two years of wedding planning and [giving] special shout-outs to all of our guests that made it possible,” Sarah adds. “We wanted the guests who could not be there in September to have a chance to see our ceremony, so we brought in a production team to display our wedding video on repeat throughout the night on a TV.”
Guests arrived and drank a rum punched concoction called “The Killer Bloom,” named after Jack and Sarah’s favorite drink at a bar in the Caribbean, The Killer Bee at Sunshine’s in Nevis. After dinner, dancing ensued with music by Silver Pro Entertainment and Eclipse Events.
“Not many people can say they married their high school sweetheart, but we can,” Sarah shares in reflection. “We were kids when we first met—I used to dream about our wedding, although not necessarily a wedding among a global pandemic.”
