We’re kicking off another gorgeous week here at SMP Massachusetts with this pretty, winter wedding by Rebecca Arthurs Photography. Newport, Rhode Island is such a beautiful place any time of year so it made perfect sense for this pair to hit the road for a mini destination wedding. We’re loving all the soft pinks and champagne tones and how they set the mood for some cozy, winter romance. Click here for even more!
From the Bride… I loved the idea of a winter wedding before I was even engaged. It just seemed romantic and cozy and also just a little different from other weddings I had been to before. When George and I got engaged on Christmas Eve, it just started to fall into place. The phrase “winter wonderland” started to become the recurring theme. The fact that George is Greek-American also played in to the planning quite a bit. Part of my wedding planning included being baptized as Greek Orthodox so that we could be married in the Greek Othodox Church. It also meant that the location of the wedding was heavily influenced by the proximity of a church where we could get married. We live in the Boston area with plenty of churches around, but we liked the idea of a “mini-destination” wedding — something within driving distance that would still give the feel of a weekend away. My family would be flying in from the west coast, so any location we chose was going to be a destination wedding for them. Due to the locations of the churches, we had to rule out a lot of northern New England mountain areas that would have given us a real winter wonderland feeling. Newport quickly became the location of choice — not only does it have a Greek Orthodox church right in town and a seaside feel that we love, but it also stays lively in the winter months. Our version of a winter wonderland started to take shape.
It was Ellen, the church secretary, who led us to finding our reception venue. She suggested that we check out the Atlantic Beach Club, and when we did, we knew it was right for us because it had lots of windows to look out on the beach and a huge dance floor. Of all the elements of the reception, the one that was probably the most mutually important for me and George was that there be a lot of dancing. We planned to have two bands — one American and one Greek — and hoped to dance the night away with our guests. We wanted our wedding to be beautiful, but we also wanted it to be a lot of fun, and, aside from our ceremony in the church, light on the formalities. This is how our fancy winter wonderland became casually elegant.
I looked at a lot of magazines and blogs for style inspiration. When we settled on February 18 for our wedding date, I decided to let the color inspiration of Valentine’s Day be my guide. I didn’t want it to hit everyone over the head with pinks, reds and hearts, but I wanted the romantic essence to come through. That led me to a palette of soft pinks, champagne and ivory. Working with our florist was wonderful for helping to solidify and expand my vision for the day. She and all of my wonderful vendors that I was lucky enough to work with were amazing artists who played a big role in shaping how our wedding day turned out. However, that first meeting with the florist was an important moment in planning because it helped me realize that my seeds of inspiration truly could turn in to something tangible and beautiful. I felt a lot more confident in the vision for the day after every vendor meeting, but I still could not believe how wonderfully it all came to life in the end.
Wedding Photography: Rebecca Arthurs Photography / Ceremony: St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Newport, Rhode Island / Reception: Atlantic Beach Club in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Planning: Jaime Nelson of Eventfully Planned / Floral Design: Toni Chandler Flowers and Events / Wedding Cake: Kate Repko / Wedding Invitations + Programs: Bella Figura / Rentals: The Perfect Setting at Felicia’s / Bands: Boston Common Band + The Olympians / Lighting: R. Jason Citrone of Music Mixers Entertainment /Transportation: RockStar Limo / Pre-Wedding Venues: Hyatt Regency Newport + 41 North / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet for Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Hair: Jen Gonzalez (jennyg9883@yahoo.com) / Makeup: Jennifer Hodge of Spectrum Makeup Artistry