No matter how many weddings I see on the pages of SMP, there’s still those few affairs that manage to really take my breath away. And when it’s a wedding as off-the-charts wonderful as this, you can pretty much guarantee I’ll be holding my breath from start to finish. Think seaside gorgeousness, sun-soaked images, and a gown so beautiful it deserves a post all its own. Details With Love dreamt up the modern design with floral loveliness thanks to Greenlion. And there’s a whole gallery of Steve DePino’s beautiful captures (plus tear jerking video from Ready Set Film), which I promise is more than worth a visit.
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We decided on a long engagement and had 2 years to plan our special day. We decided to have the wedding near my home in Rhode Island, and fell in love with Belle Mer in Newport. We researched and put together a team of vendors that we knew would make the day extra special and flawless. Our planner Kristin Love (Details with Love) made planning a breeze. And working with our florist Kim Lamothe (Greenlion) was incredible, she was able to take our vision and add her creativity to it to create decor that was out of this world. I fell in love with a Monique Lhuillier gown at a trunk show in Houston and paired it with four pieces of jewelery which served as my something old, new, borrowed, and blue. I purchased diamond drop earrings to be my something new and a gorgeous diamond and aquamarine cocktail ring to be my something blue. I wore my great-grandmother’s diamond broach in my hair as my something old. And borrowed a diamond bracelet from my best friend’s grandmother. Diamonds are a girls best friend, right?
Our wedding had lots of special touches that our photographer Steve Depino and videographer Jeff Brouillet captured beautifully. Before the ceremony, our parents and officiants each wrote a letter to us, and Jason and I wrote one to each other. During the ceremony we sealed these notes in a box with a bottle of wine (picked out on a tasting in Napa). We will open this box on our tenth anniversary, share the wine and read the notes, before writing new ones to each other and re-sealing the box. We drank the same wine at our rehearsal dinner with our friends and family and used a magnum bottle of it as our guest book. I was married with my great-great grandmother’s wedding band, which is a tradition in my family–my great-grandmother, grandma, mother, aunt, and sister have all done the same, and each marriage has been a successful one. My grandfather unfortunately passed away two years ago, but had he been there he would have worn a signature bow tie. To have him be a part of the day I wrapped my bouquet, and my sisters’ bouquets, in one of his bow ties. I later gave my grandmother the bouquet and let her know that Jason and I strived to have the type of marriage that they had.
After the ceremony, Jason and I chose to have a private dinner instead of attending the cocktail hour, so that we would actually be able to enjoy the food! We ate in a private room on a table set with a beautiful lace table cloth that my grandfather gave to my grandmother as a wedding gift. We then toasted our marriage with a glass of the champagne we toasted our engagement with in Napa. We had an amazing time with friends and family dancing the night away at the reception and then the after-party at a local pub. It was without a doubt the best day of both of our lives!
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Wedding Photography: Steve DePino / Wedding Venue: Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island / Wedding Planning + Design: Details With Love / Floral Design: Greenlion Design / Wedding Cinematography: Ready Set Film / Wedding Cake: Sin / Ceremony Music: La Bella Musica / Reception Music: Lisa Love Experience / Calligraphy: Heather Belle Ink / Uplighting: Groove Lighting / Transportation: Rockstar / Wine Barrels + Lanterns: New England Country Rentals / Linens + China: Rentals Unlimited / Accommodations: Vanderbilt Grace / Wedding Dress: Emotion by Monique Lhuillier / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale (various styles in “Charcoal”) / Hair + Makeup: New Leaf Hair Studio / Groom’s Suit: Custom Astor & Black
