When Emma MacDonald and Payton Pritchard began planning their wedding, they knew it would have to take place late in the summer. As the point guard for the Boston Celtics, even early on, Payton had an inkling that his team would be competing well into the playoffs. It was an apt call—on June 18, the Celtics won their 18th championship, a major moment for Payton, Emma, and the city they call home.
The victory made the couple’s wedding a two-fold celebration. The ceremony was officiated by Blake Griffin, who played for the team before he retired in April. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be the best summer ever—Payton is going to get two rings: the championship ring and his wedding band,’” Emma shares. Players like Jaylen Brown, Oshae Brissett, Sam Hauser, Jaden Springer, and Xavier Tillman were in attendance, along with coach Joe Mazzulla, Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck, and his wife, Emilia Fazzalari. The NBA Championship trophy made a special appearance, too. “There’s some sort of map or calendar that documents where they’re bringing it,” Emma says. “They wanted our wedding to be one of the stops for the trophy.” Guests lined up for photos with the hardware.
As far as the location, Emma, who grew up on Cape Cod, always knew she wanted a hometown, beachside wedding that would introduce guests, including Payton’s Oregon-based family, to the area. “They could spend a week out here before or after our wedding to really experience what I got to experience growing up, because the summertime here is my favorite thing in the whole entire world,” she says.
A night out with friends at the tiki bar at the Ocean House in Dennis Port started the weekend off on Thursday. Read on for more details, including the fashion, NBA star power, and Cape Cod chips.
The Venue
Emma looked at three venues, but when she saw the Wychmere Beach Club, she knew it was the one. “They turned a dock into a room,” she says. “When you look out the window, it’s the ocean, which is the coolest thing ever. Boats will go by. When I walked in, it felt perfect. I just love how it has an indoor-outdoor [element]. You can be outside on the water or you can go inside for cocktail hour.”
The Rehearsal Dinner
On Friday, the couple held an all-white rehearsal dinner for their families and bridal parties in their backyard. It was catered by Mahoney’s in Orleans, a town in Massachusetts.
“[It was] more of a sit-down dinner,” Emma says. “I wanted it to still feel a little bit formal. Instead of doing clam bake, when you’re putting on the bib and cracking into all the food, they passed around steak and lobster. It still bought the Cape in, but [was] a bit more formal in the backyard. They also served caviar on Cape Cod chips, an exciting spin on a local favorite.
Later, they went to Ember in Harwich Port, where they were joined by all the wedding guests. “We snuck out early, because we wanted to head to bed and wake up early. We stayed together the night before,” Emma says. “People normally don’t do that, but we’re not very traditional.”
The Next Morning
When they woke up, Emma and Payton exchanged private vows that they had written for each other. A local coffee shop, Lighthouse Keeper’s Pantry, brought over pastries and coffee while Emma and her friends got ready.
The Looks
Emma found a Vera Wang dress that wasn’t anything like what she had expected. “I wanted something super simple, elegant, not crazy at all,” she says. “The dress I went with is a huge, princess-looking dress. It has a corset top, a ton of tulle on the bottom. It’s massive—not at all what I thought I was going to wear.”
She added: “The dress that I tried on before my actual ceremony dress was this beautiful Anne Barge, just an elegant, simple, strapless, mermaid-style dress. I put that on and I was like, ‘This is the dress. I love it,’ but it was just a little bit too simple for my sister. I decided to do a ceremony dress that was very out-there and fun and then switch into a more elegant, easy dress for dancing, dinner, all the things, so that I’m comfy.” She ended the night in a Monique Lhuillier minidress.
The Officiant
Blake Griffin, a former Celtic and close friend of the groom’s, officiated the wedding. “He was there since our third date,” Emma reveals. “He was Payton’s go-to guy when we started talking. He was playing in Dallas a couple days later, so I flew there and he was texting Blake, nervous, being like, ‘What should I do? Should I ask her if she wants her own hotel room?’ Blake was this guy being like, ‘Yeah, this is what you should do,’ helping him out. Then that night, he third-wheeled our date. I got to talking with Blake and he was like, ‘Oh, I know this is the girl for Payton. He’s going to marry her right away.’ Six months after we met, we got engaged. Blake has been there since the start.”
The Ceremony
Emma walked down the aisle to Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” on strings. “The song was kind of a surprise, since it’s one of his favorite songs,” she says. “I hardly even remember the ceremony; I was just so excited.”
The officiant got rave reviews for his performance. “Blake did such a good job,” Emma says. “Everyone in the crowd was laughing, and then he had his times where he was serious. I think everyone enjoyed that.” Payton, who is very much not a crier, did admittedly shed some tears.
“It was a truly an incredibly beautiful wedding,” Blake offers. “Getting to marry Payton and Emma was so special to me. The entire weekend was perfect.”
The Party
Emma and Payton entered the reception to the Tems song “Me & U.” The maid of honor, best man, and Emma and Payton’s fathers each gave speeches, along with Jaylen Brown.
“The after-party was completely different from the cocktail hour, even though they were held in the same room,” Emma says. “The cocktails were very sophisticated and chic-looking, and the after-party was balloons all over the ceiling. There were glow-up lights to [color] the room. We literally felt like we walked into a club...no one stopped dancing. There was a cigar roller outside, and the cigars had a little 11 [Payton’s jersey number] on them.” There was also a nacho bar to satisfy late-night cravings. “We went over to see if there was anything left right before the end of the night,” Emma says. “Completely cleared. Everyone loved it.”
Adrienne Gaffney is a features editor at ELLE and previously worked at WSJ Magazine and Vanity Fair.
