When your mother is the owner of Fatima’s Bridal in New Bedford, finding the dress of your dreams becomes the easiest part of planning your wedding.  Especially when she happens to have custom gown making down to an absolute science.  And when this darling bride found the prettiest lace ever in NYC, she knew it was just the fabric she needed to create her dream gown.  The result?  A seriously gorgeous work of art that shines bright in this classic meets vintage stunner of a wedding.  See the dress (and every last breathtaking detail) captured by Jennifer White in the full gallery.

 

From Jennifer White Photography… Sandy & Ben planned an amazing wedding day that perfectly captured their unique style and incorporated a ton of personal details. The ceremony, initially planned for the gardens of the Roch-Jones Duff House in New Bedford, was held under a tent on the grounds due to the rainy weather. Rather than dampen their spirits, the rain only served to enhance the romantic and intimate feel of the ceremony, and provided a great opportunity for cuddling under an umbrella for some portraits! The cocktail hour and reception were held among the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s historical artifacts, whale skeletons, and replica ship – a nod to Sandy’s heritage and Ben’s love of Melville (who can be seen worn in finger-puppet form by their wedding officiant!).

From the Bride… In planning my wedding, it was important to me to find unique little details that reflected my taste and personality: that is anything handmade and artistic with a vintage feel. I found local artists (some of which are friends and family) and sourced some things from Etsy. My dress was made by my wonderfully talented mother, Fatima Rocha, owner of Fatima’s Bridal in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  Although she has a store filled with beautiful dresses, I wanted something really personal and unique, and I knew what she was capable of, so we hit Mood Fabrics in New York City and found this amazing lace and she went to work! It was really hard to find the perfect vintage inspired shoe, until I stumbled upon Rachel Simpson, the downside is that they are not available in the US yet.

My husband had read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick because he was fascinated with the history of the whaling industry in New Bedford where my family is from.  So of course I took him to see the Whaling Museum during one of our visits to New Bedford, and that’s when we decided it would be the perfect place to have our reception! I felt it was not only a beautiful setting with rich history, but also a great way to pay homage to my Portuguese Azorean roots that have so many strong connections to both whaling history and the city of New Bedford.

Wedding Photography: Jennifer White Photography | Ceremony Venue: Roch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford, Massachusetts | Reception Venue: New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts | Wedding Coordinator: Arolin Hughes from New Bedford Whaling Museum | Floral Design: Nancy Silveira | Catering: Russel Morin Fine Catering | Favors: San Pedro Cactus | Table Numbers: Sixpence Press | DJ: DJ Quentin from Unlimited Engagements |Trolley: Trolleys by Tes | Wedding Dress: Fatima’s Bridal | Bride’s Hairpiece: Lisa Feiteira via Lisa Marie Style | Bride’s Earrings: El Milagro | Bride’s Shoes: Rachel Simpson | Rings: Megan Thorne  via The Clay Pot | Bridesmaids’ Jewelry: Circa Boutique

One thing is for certain, when you pair the lovely Sarah True of TRUE Event with the Ocean House, magic happens. The kind of wedding magic that makes our eyes light up and our hearts beat a little faster. We live for it. So seeing this work of art unfold through the talented lens of Miles Witt Boyer is like the prettiest of presents. And it’s all made even prettier with the florals from Hana Floral Design and one gorgeous gown from White Dress by the Shore. Lucky for all of us, we can unwrap every layer of lovely, right here in the gallery. Care to join me?

 

From the Bride… Deciding to have our wedding at The Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island was simple.  My now husband, Christian, surprised me for my 29th birthday with a weekend at the Ocean House, a place neither of us had ever been. It was the perfect place for our wedding not only because we got engaged there but because we both grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut and loved that Watch Hill was far enough to feel like a destination but close enough that it was just a car ride away. 

Thank goodness we found Sarah True of True Events to help us every step of the way. Wedding planner = best idea ever, and Sarah True was such a find! We knew we wanted two things, a smaller wedding with a “beach elegant” nautical feel as our overall theme. Navy and coral became our wedding colors and they were weaved into our invitations, wedding favors, linens and flowers all thanks to Sarah’s expert advice. The anchor became our wedding symbol and Hadley Rogers of Small Field Papers brought our vision to life with our beautiful wedding stationery.  

We instantly knew that Miles Witt Boyer was the one after seeing the pictures he took from another wedding at The Ocean House on Sarah True’s website and speaking to him over the phone…we just clicked. Miles and his wife Melissa captured every special moment in such a unique way that our friends and family keep asking how and where we found them.

When it came to music, we wanted to keep the dance floor alive all night long and DJ Jonny Stuart from NYC was did just that. We also wanted a string trio for both the ceremony and cocktail hour so we carefully chose Venus Ensembles out of NYC. We specifically chose them because they not only play classical music but contemporary music as well.

Christian and I are major foodies and we only wanted the best for our guests! We had complete confidence in the Ocean House to create a fantastic menu with an array of hors d’oeuvres, scrumptious three course dinner and a huge display of our favorite desserts out on the deck under the stars.

Some of our favorite details included handing out Pashminas in our wedding colors during our cocktail hour as the sun set over the ocean. We sipped Fragolino, an Italian strawberry infused sparkling white wine, which was given to us as a gift from a friend who had it imported from Capri. It was a day that we will always remember but never be able to repeat.  The Ocean House and Watch Hill are such magical places for us and we can’t wait to return to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and watch another lucky couple get married from our balcony.

Wedding Photography: Miles Witt Boyer | Ceremony Venue: Watch Hill Chapel in Westerly, Rhode Island | Reception Venue: Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island | Event Planning: Sarah True from TRUE Event | Floral Design: Yumiko Fletcher from Hana Floral Design | Catering: Toniann Scotto from Ocean House | Ceremony Music: Venus Ensembles | DJ: Johnny Stewart | Wedding Stationery: Hadley Rogers from Small Field Papers | Wedding Dress: Amy Kuschel via White Dress by the Shore | Bride’s Earrings: Kimberly McDonald | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids’ Attire: J.Crew | Hair: Timothy Pamment from OH Salon | Makeup: Allie Bailey from Curb Appeal

Hana Floral Design, The White Dress by the shore and TRUE Event are members of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

Hana Floral Design

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The White Dress by the shore

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TRUE Event

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Charming. If there was one word I could place on this picture perfect wedding from Rachel Kate Photography, that would be it – charming. It’s the type of fête where you can just feel the sweetness by simply scrolling through the gallery, and I can’t think of anything better than that. Add the gorgeous vistas of this couple’s beloved Martha’s Vineyard, and it’s image after image of pure pretty. See it all here. 

 

From Rachel Kate Photography… Sara and Garrett are the perfect couple. They had their beautiful summer wedding On Martha’s Vineyard in August of 2012. It was an insanely hot day but one of the most gorgeous weddings I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Garrett grew up on the Vineyard and his family still lives there. Of course the Vineyard is therefore a big part of Sara and Garrett’s lives. The got married at the Old Whaling Church and the reception was held right next door at the Daniel Fisher House. A beautiful estate that lent itself to the Vineyard charm with so many thoughtful details everywhere we looked.. The best part of the wedding was how each and every guest fit perfectly, like a puzzle into the landscape of this day. The Nantucket reds, bow ties, and pastel colors of the guest attire just went so perfectly with this day.

Wedding Photography: Rachel Kate Photography | Ceremony Venue: Old Whaling Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts | Reception Venue: The Daniel Fisher House in Edgartown, Massachusetts | Floral Design: Cottage Garden | Catering: Kitchen Porch Catering | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Hair + Makeup: Sea Spa Salon