Would you believe me if I told you this couple found their venue through a vacation rental website? Yeah, with that said I’m going to just come out and say it – Rhode Island is magic. Set on a tiny laid-back island, this oh-so-romantic fete is the ultimate dreamy bohemian bash. Marrying handmade details with sweet moments underneath a Newport Tent, Paige Jones has it all waiting for you here!
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From the beautiful Bride… Rhode Island is a very special place to us. It’s where I grew up and is a place that has always represented a sense of pristine peace and natural beauty. Grant and I have spent many weekends exploring the coastline, SUPing to hidden beaches and soaking up the Ocean State sun.
When Grant and I got engaged, we knew we wanted to share this special environment with all of our loved ones and we were determined to find the perfect place in Jamestown. Located directly across from Newport, Jamestown is a tiny laid-back island and beach community with an artsy, bohemian vibe.
We were on the hunt for a rustic property to rent on the water, with a big yard that we could use as a backdrop for our wedding day. After days of searching on VRBO we were fortunate enough to find our dream location that offered us the ideal setting for a ceremony and reception, had a bonfire pit overlooking the ocean and included a dramatic 3 floor artists loft-like studio–too good to be true!
We instantly decided that not only should we host our wedding on the property, but I was excited to create an intimate setting for our rehearsal dinner, where I envisioned transforming the top floor of the loft, which had an extraordinary vantage point of Narragansett Bay from all sides, into a magical eclectic ambiance.
It was important to us that our rehearsal and wedding atmosphere represent “us,” and so we kept it casual but worked hard to add personal, simple touches to just about everything (see below). We took inspiration from our travels and the natural environment we were surrounded by to create the most dreamy outdoor bohemian bash.
While our vision came to life and the entire weekend exceeded our expectations (without a wedding planner!), the most memorable part of it all was standing in front of the people we love most in this world and committing our hand-written vows to one another, all while the sun was beaming in our faces and ocean breeze was blowing in our hair. And to top that off, my husband surprised me with an original song he wrote and played it, in a trio, with my dad and brother. Check out our wedding video to see the performance!
PERSONAL / HANDMADE (REHEARSAL DINNER)
• Hand blocked table clothes from India for our rehearsal dinner
• Grant and the guys draped vines around the beams (my vision)
• I arranged the flowers in mason jars with the girls
• I stamped all of the name tags and tied them around the flatware
• A friend helped me design the menus (I sketched the image)
• My mom and I collected the glass jars and candles
PERSONAL / HANDMADE (WEDDING)
• I customized my dress by Stone Fox Bride
• Grant’s step-dad is a wood worker and calligrapher. He made every wooden flower box and wooden table number holder for the tables (36 in all!), wooden stumps for the seating area, wooden signs, dinner menu board, aisles markers made of branches and mason jars
• I bought and cut all of the burlap for the tables with Grant’s mom
• A friend helped me design our invitation and wedding collateral (I sketched the designs)
• My dad and I hand stained all of the chalkboards and my MOH showcased her master calligraphy with beautiful lettering
• Grant and I made CD’s with our favorite songs. We got a custom stamp made and my dad sketched the 2 trees we walked through during the ceremony that we included on the packaging
• We brought in some of our own rugs and pillows we picked up in Istanbul to create a funky seating area and even hung a hammock inspired by our trip to Nicaragua
• Grant loves beer and hand-picked assortment of his favorite craft beers for the bar
• We chose fish tacos for dinner (our favorite!)
• Grant and I love dessert, especially ice cream and cookies. We had an ice cream sandwich bar with handmade cookies (from a family friend / baker) and our favorite local ice cream (Brickley’s Ice Cream)
• I worked very closely with the florist to assure the flowers were not perfect, rather a bit messy and hand-picked looking
• My dad planted succulents in smaller wooden boxes to use as accents on the cocktail tables and seating area
• We ditched the traditional bride / groom wedding gifts and decided to use a piece of wood from the property get a hand-crafted dream catcher created. It hung during our wedding day and now hangs above our bed.
• I scored a cool old wooden frame from a local flea market (For $10!), strung it with burlap and clothes pins to use as our seating chart
• Our family friends own an art gallery in Rhode Island and lent us all of the easels
• My bridesmaid works in a NYC restaurant and lent me the bistro napkins for all of the tables
Photography: Paige Jones | Videographer: Sky Sabin | Wedding Dress: Stone Fox Bride | Bridesmaid Dresses: Free People | Lighting: Exquisite Events | Tent: Newport Tent Company | Dessert : Brickley's Ice Cream | Flower Crown: Stone Fox Bride | Hair & Make-Up: Salon Balayage | Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Plantation Catering | Rehearsal Dinner Tablecloths: Ekaadri | Restrooms: CS Portable Restrooms | Veil: Stone Fox Bride | Wedding + Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Dragonline Studio | Wedding Band: The Sweat Beats | Wedding Bartender : Bartending by Dennis | Wedding Caterer: Smoke And Pickles | Wedding Decor: New England Country Rentals | Wedding Floral Design: Weedweavers Of Wakefield