Katie Fischer and Scott Cohen
September 13, 2008, Rye, NH

By Rachel Forrest

They almost eloped. Instead, Katie Fischer convinced fiancé Scott Cohen that they could have a wedding that expresses just who they are.

Their seaside wedding and reception—held at the spectacular Seacoast Science Center in Rye—did just that, mixing touching moments with quirky humor and artistic flair. From the unique invitation and response cards made by the bride (who is a graphic designer) to a lively a capella musical parody performed by Scott’s groomsmen, they created a wedding that seemed unrehearsed, natural, and always unique.

Katie wore a scoop-necked dress from BCBG with a daring open back. “I told my bridesmaids to just wear what they wanted and they all came in jewel tones in different colors, which went well with the flowers,” Katie said. “Flower Kiosk did all seasonal wild flowers and each woman wore a different flower on her wrist attached with a ribbon.”

The ceremony began at 5 with Katie’s childhood friend, Matt Silva, officiating. Her brother, Rob, was her “Person of Honor” while Scott’s Best Man was his brother Mitch.

“All my friends walked down the aisle in front of me in groups,” described Katie. Scott’s groomsmen—friends from high school—were transported to the ceremony in an antique trolley from Hampton Beach, each sporting a bright yellow sunflower boutonniere. “We called ourselves The Silver Eagles. We pretended we were a gang—a gang of pale white Jewish guys,” joked Scott.

The couple exchanged traditional vows while sailboats passed behind them. The 120 guests then walked the short distance to a big white tent for a pre-dinner cocktail reception. As a wedding favor, guests took home a CD copy of the reception music with a jacket cover designed by Katie.

For the food, “Julie Dunfey knew just what we wanted—local and in season.” The “cake” was an arrangement of cupcakes from Buttercream Baking Company with edible wildflowers on top.

After the reception, guests were transported to downtown Portsmouth to continue the celebration, and many of the couple’s closest friends stayed at The Governor's House, a B&B owned by Katie’s parents.