If you asked Jackie’s friends at Alemany what color wedding dress she would wear, they would never say white. “I’m a bit of a contrarian at heart,” explains Jackie Alemany, a Washington Post investigative reporter.
So when Alemany and her fiancé were planning their summer Montauk wedding, they had only one thought in mind: “How fun and lovely can we make this weekend?” For Alemany, the wedding dress was the key to making this dream come true. “Choosing a colorful dress became a little support for the whimsical kaleidoscope of colors we wanted to create, making sure I didn’t go astray,” Alemany explains.
However, after wearing several classic white gowns to please her grandmother, Alemany felt the desire to wear a more traditional bridal look. “I thought, ‘I see how people get caught up and choose things they don’t like at all,'” Alemany said. But she stuck to her gut and continued her search for the perfect, playful gown. Beautiful.
After several trips to New York bridal shops and trying out various shades of gray-blue and pink tulle, Alemanni saw Alexa Buckley’s wedding in Esquim (her friend and former colleague) and was inspired by Mark Ingram’s designs. “I’ve always been a fan of Mark Ingram, but I didn’t really include him in my New York travels. I came back to New York and asked him if he could do something for me—and he said yes,” Alemanni recalled. “It feels like a coincidence. They were so excited about it, whereas my other conversations with designers had not been.”
Alemany and Ingram worked together to select the right fabric and the right shade of blue, then ordered samples from manufacturers in Italy. During the design process, Alemany kept a few references in mind: Fellini’s 1956 fantasy epic “Juliet of Souls” and the Disney classic “Alice in Wonderland.” “When I got the dress, I felt it fit perfectly,” Alemany recalled. “I felt like a princess from a fairy tale.”
The wedding was a success: blue dress and all. “The weekend was flooded with permits, so people didn’t think it would be a serious wedding,” said Alemany. “We want people to have a good time.” The groom’s childhood friend and rock star Geordie Kiefer performed the first night, and the couple had already created a carefree atmosphere for the wedding weekend. “People come in thinking it’s just a normal rehearsal dinner, but it’s actually an open event for the whole wedding,” Alemany said with a laugh. “And Jodie’s got nothing.”
Alemani’s fantasy became reality when she walked down the aisle barefoot, wearing a sky blue strappy dress and a short veil embroidered with sequined hydrangeas at the back of her hair. She also added some classic bridal touches with her mother’s diamond earrings and Khaite sunglasses. (As it turns out, the sunglasses are white.)
As the night progressed, Alemany replaced her favorite blue dress with a classic white sequined number. “We were recreating Dirty Dancing, so I needed to wear a dress where he could pick me up,” Alemany explains. Her only regret? “I hope the blue dress lasts a long time…how often do brides say that to you?”
