Real Wedding: Scott Ehlen & Zachary Robbins
With help from Nicole Simeral & Company, a couple’s Provincetown wedding becomes a glowing, jubilant affair.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
THE STORY
At a celebratory gathering the night before their August 2018 wedding, grooms Scott Ehlen and Zachary Robbins gave their guests a 10 o’clock curfew, gently reminding them that “Saturday is a big day.” But as the evening progressed—and the couple’s phones buzzed with videos of their friends dancing at nearby bars until the wee hours—it became abundantly clear that “everyone had completely disregarded it,” Zach says with a laugh.
Nevertheless, everyone brought their A-games—and their umbrellas—to the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown the next day for the celebration. Although the week prior had been beautiful, “not a cloud in the sky,” says Zach, who vacationed on the Cape as a child, their luck didn’t hold: “It poured,” he says. “I had a minor meltdown. I was worried it wasn’t going to look the way I’d always imagined.”
Thankfully, Zach’s fears were short-lived. Despite the storm, his grandmother, Myrna Robbins, officiated the ceremony in front of 173 guests. “The rain was sort of an afterthought,” Scott recalls. And when the couple stepped inside the reception tent, transformed by Nicole Simeral & Company, Zach cried out in delight at the scene before him. “Our photographer said she wished she could have captured that sound in a picture,” Zach says. Loosely translated, he adds, it meant: “This is perfect. It all came together, and I’m having the best time.”
THE DETAILS
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Scott and Zach chose the Pilgrim Monument for its gorgeous views and historical significance.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
After a workout on the beach with Barry’s Bootcamp, friends helped the couple get ready at the Cottage at Eben House.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
When it rained on their wedding day, “we had to default to plan B,” Zach says. Yet “seeing how beautiful it all turned out and how happy everyone was—and we both were—made it okay.”
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
The grooms’ fathers draped Zach’s prayer shawl—a gift from his great-great-aunt for his bar mitzvah—over their shoulders during the ceremony.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Florist Table & Tulip incorporated some 60 varieties of white flowers into its design.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Throughout the weekend, the couple’s friends and family congregated in Eben House’s backyard.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
The couple wanted the evening to feel like “we were hosting 175 of our best friends and family at our house for a dinner party,” Zach says. Low-hanging custom lanterns from Drape Art Designs contributed to the cozy feel.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Most of the food, including the Wellfleet oysters served at the raw bar, was locally sourced.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Despite the torrential downpour during the ceremony, the skies brightened for cocktail hour and a rainbow appeared. Friends “began yelling for us to come outside,” says Zach, who dubbed it a “picture-perfect moment.”
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
“Not a single person was sitting at the tables when Ripcord played,” Zach says of their band. “The wedding planner had to tell them to sit down and eat.”
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
A peacock statue from Table & Tulip lent a touch of whimsy to the festivities.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
The bar had its own tent with drapes and lighting, which gave it a “super-chic, intimate” vibe as the sun went down, Zach says.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
The couple’s beloved cockapoo, Flo, joined in the celebration.
Photograph by Lisa Rigby Photography
Instead of traditional paper place cards that could blow away in the ocean breeze, Scott and Zach used hand-lettered oyster shells to guide guests to their seats, which included a menu designed to look like the Pilgrim Monument.
THE FILE
Band Ripcord
Cake The Casual Gourmet
Calligraphy Magnificent Milestones
Caterer The Casual Gourmet
Flowers Table & Tulip
Grooms’ Shoes Belgian Shoes (Scott); Stubbs & Wootton (Zach)
Grooms’ Tuxedos Ralph Lauren
Invitations Bella Figura; Magnificent Milestones
Lighting Drape Art Designs
Planner Nicole Simeral & Company
Rentals Peak Event Services
Tent Sperry Tents
Transportation Mayflower Trolley
Wedding bands Tiffany & Co.
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