It’s not everyday that you meet the love of your life in grade school, but for these two cuties, it was a lifetime of friendship turned Transatlantic romance that led to their elegant beach club wedding. Imagine pretty pink florals from Sayles Livingston Flowers and the fab stylings of Details With Love, all wrapped up in an evening of heartwarming moments captured by Snap! Photography. See them here.
From the Bride… Conor and I met as elementary school kids growing up in Rhode Island. Conor was immediately impressed with my fort building skills and from then on, we were close friends. So close, we even attended prom together!
Conor moved to New York City after college and I soon followed with my own move and a new job. However, this isn’t the end of the story. Soon after I made the move to Manhattan, Conor took a job in London. While some may think this would be the end of a love story, for us it was only the beginning. The distance turned out to be exactly what we needed to see what we had all along. Two years and two continents later, Conor proposed in front of his childhood home – where we first met 20 years earlier, almost to the day. We celebrated with a bike ride to the Matunuck Oyster Bar, our favorite neighborhood haunt, for oysters and champagne with family and friends.
With many shared memories rooted in the Ocean State, it was the perfect place to celebrate our new life together. Early on in planning, Conor decided that with the majority of guests traveling to be with us, it was only fitting to share everything we love most about southern Rhode Island with them. We tried to infuse that sentiment into every detail including the gift bags, the menus, the venue and even the Oyster Bar!
My family has a long history at The Dunes Club in Narragansett and Conor and I both love beach days there, making the venue an easy sell. We quickly decided to stay local, choosing mostly Rhode Island based vendors for our wedding day. Our band, Sugar, was a no-brainer, we loved them before we were even a couple and knew they’d have everyone dancing!
We clicked right away with our photographers and florist. The cherry on top was our wedding planner, Kristin Love of Details with Love. Kristin took our lofty ideas (read: a champagne and oysters beach club reception) and turned each into more than we could imagine, ensuring that our personalities were infused in every piece of the wedding.
I wanted to enhance The Dunes Club’s vintage seaside elegance and took inspiration from the watercolor and gray invitation suite East Six Invitations created for us. We loved the symbolism of the compass detail and wove it through many elements, including our seating cards – an Ebay find and huge hit! Conor and I spent weekends hand watercoloring everything from the table numbers and bar signage to the banner that adorned the vintage trunk, which served as a cardholder. The trunk is an old family piece from the 1800’s. It was precious to use and I loved the treasure chest vibe it gave off with the surrounding pocket-sized gold compasses.
We wed over Labor Day Weekend and kicked off the holiday with lobster rolls and cocktails at my Parents home for all the guests. Our rehearsal dinner was held at Shelter Harbor Golf Club the following evening. The weekend-long affair allowed us to spend quality time with each of our guests while sharing our favorite places. By our Sunday wedding, it was a big, happy party!
A few moments and a few things were especially meaningful from our wedding.
As a wedding gift, my Sister’s boyfriend handcrafted the anchor marquee light illuminating the mantle and dessert bar. Wow, were we proud to display such a beautiful piece. I created the menu cards by reproducing a watercolor painting of a lobster, done by my Aunt as a gift for my parents before their wedding. The tie to the watercolor details was lovely but her sentimental reaction to seeing her artwork on each place setting meant more than anything!
Sayles Livingston pulled colors from my six bridesmaids’ ethereal soft pastel Twobirds Bridesmaids ballgowns to create the magical florals. The high-low centerpieces, coupled with the twinkle lights and lanterns topping the room, made me feel like a fairy floating through Ferngully all night long.
My Anne Barge wedding gown was love at first sight, my mom and I found the wrapped tulle and the delicate pin-tucked dress at Kleinfeld’s. In a happy coincidence, the dress was named Aimee! I added the covered buttons and jeweled belt and the fluffy tulle skirt had me twirling the night away.
The most spectacular part of the night was the fireworks display celebrating Labor Day. With my sister and our friends by our side, it was an incredible way to reflect on what brought us there. After the grand finale, we danced all through the night while end-of-summer thunderstorms rolled over the ocean outside. It was a fairy tale night and put simply, more fun than we could have imagined.
From the Groom… What more can I say? The weekend really blew away any expectations that I could have had. The incredible emotions on the day were beyond anything I’d ever experienced. I have to give my wife a tremendous amount of credit. All the little details she put so much time and effort towards really made it such a special event. I’ve never seen The Dunes Club look so beautiful. I can’t thank all the vendors enough, everyone brought their absolute A game and it made the difference. Just awesome.
Photography: Snap! Weddings | Event Planning: Details with Love | Event Styling And Design: Details with Love | Floral Design: Sayles Livingston Design | Bridesmaids' Dresses: twobirds Bridesmaid | Lighting: Ryan Designs | Band: Sugar | Beach Club: The Dunes Club | Bridal Gown: Anne Barge | Rentals: Rentals Unlimited