This Block Island beauty sent to us from Lara Kimmerer is what nautical wedding dreams are made of. Every detail is pure perfection-from the bride’s vintage dress worn by both her grandmother and mother to the gorgeous grounds of The Atlantic Inn…and it doesn’t hurt that the Mr. + Mrs. are about as cute as they come! I know the rest of my afternoon will be spent swooning in the full gallery, so come join me!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… After we got engaged in April 2011, Harold and I spent a lot of time venue-hunting in our respective hometowns but had trouble finding “The One.” On a suggestion from my parents, we took a trip out to Block Island as the final stop on our venue search. Though we had never been to Block Island before, as soon as we got off the ferry we fell in love with the laid-back, old-fashioned New England vibe of the island. It was a fortuitous find — halfway between our families (mine in NY and his in MA), a relatively close seaside “destination,” and it fit our personalities to a tee. We asked people to make a weekend out of it, welcoming guests with a beach bonfire on Friday night. For our ceremony and reception, we chose The Atlantic Inn, a historic inn high on a hill overlooking the harbor. We took our cues from the inn and island itself and decided on a vintage, nautical, New England-style direction. The vintage feel was also encouraged by my dress choice. I was fortunate enough to wear my grandmother’s wedding gown, which she wore in 1953, and my mother also wore in 1982. I changed the dress very little and it fit like a glove — it seemed meant to be. Seeing my parents’ and grandparents’ emotional reactions to me in the dress was a highlight of my day. It lent the entire event a sense of deeply meaningful tradition and family involvement–something hugely important to Harold and me.
That feeling carried over to every aspect of the wedding. We recruited every friend and family member we could find to add unique touches, and thankfully, we are surrounded by some incredibly talented and generous people! One friend created the gorgeous invitations and assorted paper signs for the day, while another lent her musical chops to singing our first dance song. My mom volunteered her artistic skills for countless projects, such as the lobster-trap card box and driveway sign. My uncle officiated our ceremony, one cousin played the mandolin during the ceremony, and at the end, another cousin played our recessional on the bagpipes. Harold and I wrote our own vows, and the whole thing felt so perfectly “us” — we had comic relief provided by my veil taking on a mind of its own thanks to a stiff breeze, and we gave each other an impromptu high-five upon (barely) getting through our vows.
There are countless other details that made our day reflective of us. My aunt and uncle surprised us with a handmade corn hole set that guests were invited to sign during cocktail hour. I gave both my dad and Harold monogrammed handkerchiefs on the morning of. Harold wore his grandfather’s cuff links — his own something old. Dinner was preceded by a blessing and traditional Scottish grace from my great-uncle to honor our shared heritage. The toasts, from my dad, my sisters (co-maids of honor), and Harold’s brother (the best man) made everyone laugh AND cry. We had a raw bar, both being huge seafood fans. One of my favorite moments was slurping down oysters in my wedding dress on the Atlantic’s gorgeous front porch as I watched everyone I loved most in the world have a great time together. As we planned, we kept saying that we wanted our wedding to be not a five-hour, cookie-cutter event, but rather a weekend long, intimate celebration that people left saying, “That was perfectly Harold and Mary.” We wanted to pay respects to both our family history and our family (and friends) surrounding us now. We wanted a wedding that was full of meaning but not stuffy, heartfelt but not cheesy, and just a really, really good dance party. And I think we achieved all those things!
Wedding Photography: Lara Kimmerer / Wedding Venue: The Atlantic Inn in Block Island, Rhode Island / Event Planning: Erica Trombetti of Infinite Events / Floral Design: La Bella Rose / Catering + Baking: The Atlantic Inn / Wedding Invitations + Paper Goods: Niru & Baku/ DJ: Marc Scortino of Island Wedding Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Vintage from Her Grandmother + Mother / Wedding Dress Alterations + Restoration: Ann Hamilton / Bride’s Shoes: Milk & Honey / Hair + Makeup: J.Despres of Roffi Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: LulaKate / Groom’s Suit: My.Suit / Groomsmen’s Bow Ties: Southern Proper / Groomsmen’s Shirts: Charles Tyrwhitt