Welcome back to another fabulous week here at SMP Massachusetts. We’re taking a short trip south to Newport, Rhode Island this morning to share with you this pretty, ocean front fete by Kristin Spencer Photography. We’re talking gorgeous florals, pretty paper and calligraphy, and a totally stunning dress. Click here for even more!
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From the bride… I scanned dozens of bridal magazines looking for inspiration but ended up finding my inspiration in a bit of an odd place — a dressing room! While I was bridesmaid dress shopping at J.Crew, one thing that really caught my eye was the room we were sitting in. It was was warm and traditional like our venue but also felt modern. I took photos of the dressing room and used the images as my inspiration. We didn’t follow the exact look but looked to the decor as guidance. The dressing room brought in crystal and gold for a modern feel. Similarly, we brought in black, white and pewter to complement the warmer tones of the venue.
Artie and I were married outside on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We lined the aisles with silver buckets of pink flowers and scattered white rose petals throughout. In the front, we added two large silver vases topped with wire spheres and light pink flowers woven in creating a unique and modern look. Cocktail hour also took place outside and we moved the ceremony flowers to our cocktail tables so to bring in a bit of color. We had custom gray napkins made with our names on them as well as wooden stir sticks with our initials. To make things even more personal, we had “Bride” and “Groom” specialty cocktails — mine was a spiked pink lemonade (with a purple flower as garnish) and his was a Dark and Stormy. As the sun set and guests entered the indoor reception, they were greeted by a more modern and elegant look. The room was lit with purple lighting and highlighted beautiful white floral centerpieces. We also used dusty millers to bring in silver into our floral arrangements. For our menus, table numbers and escort cards, we incorporated black and white by using black paper with white calligraphy. We also re-purposed the large silver wire spheres from the ceremony and placed them behind the sweetheart table. Following dinner, guests were surprised by a spread of desserts and candy. We tried to stick to our colors in the layout, using pink, black and white. As New Yorkers, we were excited to bring in some of our favorite desserts including Momofuku truffles and black and white cookies. Artie and I both have a big sweet tooth so we wanted to have items we loved and could share with everyone. We also love cupcakes and cookies so we had a huge display of various flavors. Design-wise, I wanted to keep the set up to look modern, so we found mirrors and lucite trays, which we thought would be an interesting touch.
Our goal was to throw a fun and beautiful celebration that truly represented us as a couple and most importantly, fit within our budget. Artie and I were paying for the wedding ourselves, and while Artie wanted nothing more than to give me the wedding of my dreams, we both agreed we wanted to start our life together on the right foot by making smart financial decisions. Most people we have spoken to have been surprised at how many ways we were able to save money by combining an element of DIY with help of professionals to create a more affordable version of what we were trying to achieve. A perfect example are our menus. They were round black menus with white script. Initially, I reached out to someone in the wedding industry to help me but when I received the pricing, I realized I would need to find another route. I went online and found a calligrapher who was willing to design a sample and then help me digitize the file. From there, I sent the file to an online printer, which was very affordable. The only problem was that they couldn’t do a round cut within my budget so I ordered a regular cut and then purchased a circle cutter. Sure, it cost me hours of sleep, but I actually loved the DIY projects, and they made the process that much more memorable. When else will I see my now-husband helping me with arts and crafts?
Wedding Photography: Kristin Spencer Photography / Wedding Venue: OceanCliff Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Cinematography: Newport Wedding Films / Wedding Flowers: Stoneblossom Floral & Event Design / Entertainment: Victor Events / Desserts: Momofuku Milk Bar, Cupcake Charlie + Fatulli’s / Ceremony Music: Sukada Trio / Linens + China: Rentals Unlimited / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Invitations: Kelly Hicks Design