When you think of Newport, Rhode Island visions of sailboats and sunny beach days may dance in your head – but after swooning over every gorgeous image of this winter beauty captured by Snap! Photography, you might think of that pretty little city by the sea a bit differently. With this couple’s sophisticated seasonal style all on display at the oh so lovely Belle Mer, the next time you think of Newport I guarantee you will have visions of this winter wedding waltzing around in your head! See it all here!
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From the bride… We spent our first “real date” in Newport, Rhode Island, at a small, cozy bed and breakfast during winter. Newport in winter is truly a unique experience. Historic mansions, cozy restaurants, quiet streets and empty beaches create the setting for a perfect romantic getaway. It became a regular trip for us so when we got engaged, deciding on a location and a time of year to get married was easy. Selecting our venue was also easy. Belle Mer is absolutely stunning. We used white, gray and black accents to create our winter wedding theme. The bridesmaids wore soft gray dresses and the groomsmen wore classic tuxedos. To complement the tuxes, the girls wore black faux-fur shrugs purchased on Etsy. I found my vintage fur stole in my grandmother’s closet and thought it would tie in nicely with our winter backdrop. However to our amazement, we had an absolutely beautiful, fall-like day, which made our photos absolutely breathtaking. For our reception, we wanted to keep it elegant, romantic and most of all, fun! Our escort cards were attached to custom ornaments filled with personalized paper hearts. I used clear glass ornaments, card stock and a heart punch put them together. Flowers by Semia created several types of beautiful high/low arrangements using all types of white flowers illuminated by a variety of candles. In addition to the candles, we used up-lighting throughout the room to add color. The lighting changed color throughout the night to depict transition between cocktails, dinner, and dancing. Also, I added a little sparkle of my own by wearing an embellished belt for the reception, which was inspired by the gorgeous chandeliers at Belle Mer. As for dessert, we decided on cupcakes because it allows guests to select their personal favorite, and more importantly, I’m a cupcake fanatic! We wanted to be playful with the cupcakes and stick to our winter theme so we brainstormed flavor combinations and came up with fun types such as “gingerbread” and “sno-cap.” Confectionery Designs put their elegant spin on everything and created the most delicious cupcakes. If that wasn’t sweet enough, we also gave guests chocolate nonpareils as our favors because the white pearls reminded us of snow. I have always loved DIY projects, and weddings are the optimal platform to create fun and unique items of your choice. A lot of my inspiration came from browsing through wedding and photography blogs such as SMP and Snap! I would save all of my favorite pictures to my own vision board, which inspired the design of our invitations, ceremony cards, menu cards and escort cards. Using fonts downloaded from dafont.com, products from Paper Source and the help of family and friends, we created our own unique designs for all of the printed items. I think back on how many hours went into these personalized items and how rewarding it was to see the final product – I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Wedding Photography: Snap! Photography / Florist: Flowers by Semia / Wedding Venue + Catering: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Cupcakes: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Gown: Angelina Faccenda via La Reine / Bride’s Belt: Enzoani “Fabi” / Brides Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Earrings + Fur Wrap: Antiques Owned by the Bride’s Grandmother / Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Black Faux-Fur Shrugs: Alexbridal / Hair: New Leaf Salon / Makeup: Kristina Jones of Alayne White Spa / Invitations, Ceremony Programs + Holiday Ornament Place Cards: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Favors: Chocolate Delicacy / Transportation: Newport Wedding Trolley + Viking Tours / Lodging: Pearls of Newport