There are so many things tucked into this beautiful Rhode Island affair (captured by the oh-so-lovely Erin McGinn) I want to gush over, I barely know where to start. But I think I have to start with the dress. That breathtakingly beautiful Claire Pettibone piece of art. Or maybe I should start with the two adorable bow-tie wearing boys who now can officially call each other brothers. But I think above all the prettiness sitting in this soiree, it’s the two tying the knot I want to gush over the most, because they couldn’t look happier if they tried. See so much more right here.
From the Bride… Never a fan of the spotlight, I wasn’t that little girl who grew up dreaming of a big fancy wedding. In fact, to be completely honest, when Jon and I were first engaged I was on Team Elope. *gasp!* My party loving fiancée was not as much of a fan of that idea, so we compromised. It was to be an intimate, personal, laid back celebration with great food, great music, and our closest family and friends. I’m happy to say it went off without a hitch and we couldn’t have been happier.
The celebration wasn’t just about the two of us joining in eternal wedded bliss. It was also about our boys Bryce (9) and Jack (11). When Jon and I met several years ago, we each had a son. Our boys are best friends and have been calling each other “brother” for years already. We wanted our wedding to honor our love for them as much as our love for each other.
A creative at heart, with the help of family and friends, I incorporated lots of personal, homemade touches that reflected us as a couple as well as our family. Our top three planning priorities were photography (I’m a photographer myself so this was the first thing I booked!), great food, and great live music. Everything else was just the frosting on the homemade English fruitcake. It was pure magic and we will never forget it.
I debated for a long time whether to do the flowers myself or hire someone. Although I had a “vision” in mind, I haven’t worked with flowers very much, so the preparation intimidated me. After lots of research, and the help of my amazing friends and family, we made it happen. I sourced my flowers from a few different places: Family and friends’ gardens, fiftyflowers.com wholesale, and my local Whole Foods Market. My stepson Jack kindly donated his bedroom to be used as the “flower cooler” a couple days before the wedding.
I didn’t expect too much from my wedding dress, in fact, I didn’t plan to wear a “wedding” dress at all. Then I discovered Claire Pettibone and it was love at first sight. Her romantic, ethereal, fitted style with incredible handmade beading and gorgeous detail was like nothing I had ever seen and felt as if she had designed it just for me.
My family is British and at holidays and celebrations (especially Christmas), it is customary for guests to pull party crackers at dinner. I couldn’t find any party crackers that fit my wedding style without costing an arm and a leg, so my mom and I decided to make our own. We had no idea how they would come out, and it was a challenge to find the “pop” component in the U.S. (they can’t be shipped easily overseas) but we did it. I used specialty art papers, cardboard rolls, and burlap to decorate. They came out even better than I had hoped and were a fun way to kick off dinner.In lieu of a traditional guestbook, we had guests write us a message on a postcard and pop it in a wooden box with our names on it. The postcard designs were from Narragansett Beach (where we got married) and other nearby sites.
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Photography: Erin McGinn Photography | Wedding Venue: North Beach Clubhouse in Narragansett, Rhode Island | Floral Design: DIY by the Bride | Floral Supply: Fifty Flowers + Whole Foods Market | Caterer: Blackstone Catering | Rentals: Liberty Rentals | Band: Now & The Forevers | Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone | Custom Hair Piece: Mignonne Handmade | Ties: Amanda Floyd from DivineDomestication | Hair + Makeup: Jennie Kay Beauty