An Elegant Farm Wedding in the Berkshires

Jackie Egan and Jim Doolin had the quintessential office romance. They first met at a consulting firm in Boston in September 2010, becoming fast friends as they worked on a project together, and then took things to the next level after the company's ski trip in March 2011. After that, their office romance turned into a long distance one when Jackie moved to New York City for business school (Jim was in medical school in Massachusetts). Finally in February 2016, after years of traveling back and forth, Jim surprised Jackie with a proposal in Boston (the place where it all began) and even organized an engagement party with their families and friends to follow.

After that, Jackie and Jim decided to look outside the city for a wedding venue, ultimately deciding on the Berkshires, a place they often visited when they were long-distance. "We really loved how it had a relaxed, farm-to-table vibe," she explains. "It also helped that it was equal distance between Boston and NYC, where most guests were coming from." They booked an intimate chapel, St. Joseph's, for their Catholic wedding and an actual farm, Gedney Farm, for their rustic-meets-elegant reception. "We wanted it to feel refined, clean, and classic, but also welcoming to our guests and not too stuffy," Jackie says.

Based on these photos by Jacqui Cole, we'd say that Jackie and Jim succeeded in creating an understatedly elegant celebration—but keep reading to see for yourself.

Jackie says selecting her wedding dress was surprisingly the easiest part of planning. "It was the second dress I tried on and it just felt right," she says of her Carolina Herrera lace gown. "I loved how it was classic, yet modern, and that it was comfortable. It also fit well with our wedding vibe, which was clean and elegant, but also understated." She completed her "classic minimalist look" with a custom lace veil, nude Stuart Weitzman block heels—"I've worn them several times since the wedding," she says—and diamond studs that she fittingly describes as "simple and classic."

The groom wore a suit by Brooks Brothers, while the bride carried a lush bouquet of garden roses, quicksand roses, and white majolica roses to match her Carolina Herrera gown.

Jackie wanted her bridesmaids to feel comfortable in their dresses so she considered letting them choose their own—that is, until she realized she was "too type A to not have everyone in the same color." So she came up with a solution: The same designer (Monique Lhuillier) and color (blush) but in whatever style they wanted. The groomsmen all wore their tuxes—in classic black, of course.

At St. Joseph's, the bride's father walked her down the aisle as "Trumpet Voluntary" played. She and Jim then exchanged traditional vows in a Catholic ceremony. "Although we didn’t have much latitude being married in a Catholic ceremony, we also really liked the idea of sharing vows that millions of other couples have already shared with one another," Jackie says.

After making it official, everyone headed to the nearby Gedney Farm for cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. The couple took portraits during cocktail hour, while everyone else enjoyed dry rubbed pork ribs and Brazilian sliced sirloin cooked on an Argentine grill. "We liked that the grill created a lively, relaxed setting with the chef cooking up food in real-time," explains the bride.

When they entered the barn, guests were greeted by a statement escort card display. Cards were placed on a long farm table at the foot of the stairs, and it was decorated with a tall glass urn filled with wild cut Russian olive, wild cut prunus, white delphinium, and red charm peonies. "I loved the pop that the red charm peonies added," Jackie says.

For the night's decor, the couple looked to the property's two-story barn for inspiration, even including a custom illustration of it on their guest book, gift bags, and favor bags. They kept to a neutral color palette for florals and decor items, but also made sure to add pops of burgundy to coordinate with the barn's red exterior.

"We wanted to elevate the barn setting, while keeping it very clean and refined," says the bride of the reception's overall look. To accomplish that, they filled the space with a mix of round and farm tables (imagine that!) and red-hued Chiavari chairs that coordinated perfectly with the wood beamed ceiling and floors.

The bare farm tables were lined with a sheer runner and topped with tall taper candles and small arrangements of red and cream florals in mercury glass vessels.

A big band was a must for Jackie and Jim so they hired Nightshift Entertainment's Soho group at the recommendation of a friend. "They were terrific and had everyone dancing to Top 40 hits and Motown classics," Jackie says. A few standout numbers? “Blame it on the Boogie” by the Jacksons (a favorite at Dartmouth, where Jim went for undergrad) and "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. "Katy Perry is my sister Caroline's absolute favorite," says the bride. "We ended up doing karaoke to it and it was a total blast."

True to their farm setting, the couple served assorted farm jars in key lime, s'more, and apple pie flavors—as well as wedding cake and mini donuts.

Looking back on the big day, Jackie had this to say: "First, have so much fun and be present—it goes by in a flash. And second, try to finish all remaining things on your to do list before the wedding week. You won’t have time that week!"