At one point, the couple considered marrying in Hyannis Port. “But my love of the countryside – and the sense that the venue should be the bride’s choice – led us to the farm,” Teddy explains. “I have no doubt we’ll spend a lot of time in Hyannis Port, though.”
Once the venue had been decided, Rose and Teddy jumped into planning. At first, it was harder than they both anticipated. “Rose has tremendous project-management skills, which I wish I shared,” Teddy jokes. “I contributed by taking on ceremony design, seating charts, music and lighting.”
In the months leading up to the wedding, Rose’s parents, Ted Esselstyn and Anne Bingham, devoted countless hours to planting, painting and beautifying the farm. Ted also sketched the intertwining tulips that became the wedding emblem, appearing everywhere from the invitation suite to Teddy’s wedding band. “The easiest part of the process was that Rose and I had shared visions for the day from the beginning,” Teddy says. “The harder part was executing on that vision. Neither Rose nor I like superfluous details. We like things classic and simple.” The two worked with Amanda Serroukas for event planning and Main Course for catering.
The couple worked with stylist Michael Smith on their wedding weekend wardrobes, and the bride reimagined her mother’s wedding dress for the rehearsal dinner. A welcome party followed later that evening at the Maker Cafe in Hudson, for which she changed into a dress by The Row paired with Jimmy Choo shoes.
For the wedding ceremony, Rose chose a dress by Oscar de la Renta, who dressed Jackie Kennedy in several custom looks throughout her life. The bride wore family heirlooms, including pearls from Teddy’s grandmother and sapphire jewellery gifted by Teddy and his mother.
Teddy wanted something classic and chose a morning coat. “It’s a traditional style worn by my great-grandfather, grandfather, and many uncles and great uncles,” he says. “It was an easy choice, especially for a countryside wedding.” He accessorised with a black-leather banded 1956 Omega Seamaster. “The Seamaster is understated and belonged to my grandfather,” Teddy notes. “My tie clip is an amethyst set in platinum and gold, which belonged to my grandfather and is our shared birthstone.”
He finished his look off with mismatched “EMK” and “RFK” Cartier cufflinks. “Before my uncle Bobby Kennedy was lowered into his grave at Arlington, my grandfather took one of his own cufflinks and replaced it with one of his brothers, each now sharing a piece of the other. I remain in awe of my grandfather’s own perseverance, still speaking of visions of hope for the future despite experiencing so much personal tragedy.”
