Very cute article on Vanessa Kerry's wedding planning - Senator Kerry sketched an idea of a dress???

[karynnj]

When Dr. Vanessa Bradford Kerry and Dr. Brian Vala Nahed were making plans to marry, she received a sketch of a wedding dress done by her father.
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“He drew us a sketch of what he thought I should wear on my big day, and until this day, we have no idea what it was,” said Dr. Kerry, laughing. “Though my father is a busy man, he has been very generous with time spent helping us plan our wedding. It’s really just been the three of us, and we have had a great time putting it all together.”

<snip>

It is difficult enough to start a relationship in a hospital,” Dr. Nahed said. “And Vanessa was going through a tough time with her mom being sick. But we kept getting closer, I think, because each of us had an intellectual curiosity about the other. I found her to be unbelievably witty, and she was sort of challenging at the same time. I connected with her in a way that I had never connected with a woman before.”

They became engaged in May 2008. Dr. Kerry described her stepparents, her sister, Alexandra, and her in-laws as being “part of an incredible family effort to plan this wedding.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/fashion/weddings/11KERRY.html

(There is a really cute story of how their first conversation was interrupted by a very attractive nurse, who offered Nahed coffee - he handled it by suggesting that she also get one for Vanessa. ) I really like his description of Vanessa - and it kind of reminds me of one of JK's on Teresa.

[ProSense]

1. That is really a cute story.

What happened to the sketch?

[wisteria]

2. Swet. I would love to see some pictures. n/t

[wisteria]

8. I meant sweet. Sorry. n/t

[beachmom]

3. Heh, this part is funny:

“I’ve made some choices, only to hear her say ‘no’ to some of my idiosyncrasies,” Senator Kerry said with a chuckle.

Dr. Kerry described her father’s “willingness to embrace this whole situation” as “amazing.”

“I was very close to my mother, and her death, which left a gaping hole in my life, has been very difficult for me and my father in a lot of ways,” she said. “But my father has very actively and openly tried to wear both hats. When we went to pick out invitations, I could see his eyes glazing over as if he were thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m sitting here.’ I understand that what he has to do in Washington takes precedence over most everything, but he has managed to make this whole process very comforting for me.”

That sounds about right to me. (eyes glazing over, lol).

[MBS]

4. Delightful!

Also wonderful to see that both of them are people of real accomplishment. A testimony to their parents as well as themselves.
Not to be nosy or greedy or anything, but I'd love to see how the dress came out!!! . . plus a picture of bride with her father, or the couple with their families, would be awfully nice : )

[ObamaKerryDem]

5. Aww, thanks so much for posting this! Really enjoyed it! :)

I think it's so sweet how involved JK was in helping to plan the wedding,especially the impressive job he's seemed to have done, filling both roles in her mother's absence. That couldn't have been easy (though I'm sure he was glad to do it), but I think it's so nice how there for her he (and Teresa) is and how close they seem to be (And Vanessa looks SO much like him!). :)

Congrats to Vanessa and Brian. They make an adorable couple! :loveya:

[Island Blue]

6. What a great story!

Congratulations to the happy couple.

[wisteria]

7. I came across an older article that has even more information on Sen. Kerry the wedding planner.

"My dad tasted a lot of cake,” said Vanessa, “and he was very methodical about it: He’d try just the cake first all by itself, then just the frosting, and then he’d try a combination of cake and frosting together"

LOL, I love it! A great excuse for having your cake and the icing too.

There is more. (Half way down)

http://thehill.com/capital-living/in-the-know/57987-sensenbrenner-on-bureaucrat-watch

[karynnj]

9. That is a really cool article

It sounds like he really was a huge help. I can imagine that he enjoyed tasting the various cakes - and the decision sounds like what he has tried to do on the climate bill - to create a solution with something for everyone.

I thought it nice that Vanessa said that he was a big help on picking the music:
"But according to his daughter, Sen. Kerry’s biggest contribution may be in the music department. Vanessa told ITK that her dad has “gone way above and beyond with every aspect of the music, from interviewing potential bands to listening to songs to adjusting various playlists on everything from all-out rock ‘n’ roll to dinner music.”

She also pointed out that her father brings a unique expertise to the musical element: Sen. Kerry has played the bass guitar since he was a teenager, so “he really knows what he’s talking about.”

Vanessa's comments here are absolutely lovely.

"Contrary to the experience of many brides-to-be, Vanessa said that planning her big day has been “so much fun,” thanks in large part to her father’s participation. “He’s solved so many problems,” she gushed, and his presence is “a great way to keep a sense of humor about an extraordinary industry that neither of us knew much about.

“We’ll both be standing there, trying to pick a tablecloth, which is neither of our fortes, and we’ll just start laughing.”

Somehow, there is the sense that in reality, the important thing was that he was there for her - just as he was as he commuted weekly to MA when she was growing up.

[karynnj]

10. Guess who made sure there were chocolate chip cookies?

From the Boston Globe:

Wedding day approaches
Vanessa Kerry doesn't want to disclose too much about her wedding, which will be held tomorrow at a private home in Brookline. But she'll say this: There will be cookies. ‘‘My father has a chocolate-chip cookie addiction,'' Kerry said, of her dad, Senator John Kerry. ‘‘He has arranged for chocolate-chip cookies to be available for people all night long.'' Kerry is marrying fellow Mass General resident Brian Nahed, who's originally from Los Angeles. Nahed tells us that when he first met Kerry, he had no idea she was from a prominent political family. ‘‘I just didn't associate Ness with any of that,'' he said, adding that by the time he found out, ‘‘We were sort of smitten.'' After four years, Nahed says he's learned what it means to be a Kerry in Boston. ‘‘Things are very, sort of public,'' he said, laughing. ‘‘I'm from a super-private family.'' Kerry and Nahed, who are both 32, wouldn't disclose their guest list for tomorrow's affair, but said that everyone invited is someone they know well — no big names just for the sake of it. The couple tells us they're excited about their honeymoon. After all, it's not easy for two doctors to find quality time. ‘‘You get excited when you happen to see each other in the elevator,'' Kerry said.


http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/10/09/hes_making_it_on_broadway/

Right wing version - Doctor says that John Kerry is an addict.

[wisteria]

13. LOL, a chocolate chip cookie addiction.n/t

[Inuca]

11. Fun reading, thanks all! n/t

[karynnj]

12. Picture (not Wedding) from the Boston Herald, titled "Doctors in Love"

[wisteria]

14. Very nice picture. n/t

[ginnyinWI]

15. I think JK's grandkids will be really cute, don't you?

They better be planning on some--JK has waited long enough! ;)

[karynnj]

16. Joe Biden attended

from a BG "around town" article

"We’re told Vice President Joe Biden was in town over the weekend to attend Vanessa Kerry’s wedding. Biden is buddies with the bride’s father, Senator John Kerry. (Kerry was seen at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons after the ceremony.) Vanessa married fellow Mass. General resident Brian Nahed, who’s from LA. "
http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/10/12/cruise_along_the_charles/?page=2

[ObamaKerryDem]

17. Aww, cool! :)