Sometimes all of the big destination wedding day feels can be felt right at home, like at The Glen Manor House in tiny Rhode Island, which feels like you are at a vintage, French chateau with its charming details. For this bride and groom who got engaged and married during the pandemic, small and intimate felt perfect for them with special antique-inspired details and classic floral arrangements by Stoneblossom Floral and Wedding Design. Check it out below to see all of the classic wedding day goodness captured by Meredith Jane Photography!
From the Bride…The Glen Manor House was perfect for us. It has the spirit of a French chateau without the 6-hour flight and was the ideal backdrop for a classic, French, vintage-inspired wedding.
From the bride: Our wedding was scheduled for early April, which comes with unpredictable weather, but boy did we luck out with the MOST beautiful day. The sky was Colorado blue, with only a few wisps of clouds, and the sun was shining brightly. We had our ceremony outside on the lawn overlooking the water, which is exactly how we imagined it when we first discovered Glen Manor House. Our ceremony was short and sweet, probably no more than 15 minutes, and at the end, we walked down the aisle together as husband and wife to the string quartet playing “Here Comes the Sun,” by the Beatles, so fitting! Despite our wedding being held during the pandemic, we had guests who made huge efforts to attend and vendors who ensured everything was safe for everyone. We are very grateful to all of them; our day was perfect! Looking back, there is nothing I would change about it.
How did you first meet?
Thomas and I met through mutual friends during medical residency at Dartmouth in 2016. He is an orthopedic surgeon, and I am a dermatologist. Some refer to us as a “Skin and Bones” couple, haha. My friend invited me to a party to introduce us. I was very nervous because set-ups can be awkward, but Thomas was very charming and made quite an effort to spend time with me the entire night.
How did Thomas Propose?
He proposed in May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, while we were walking along a path around Mascoma Lake in New Hampshire. Originally, he planned to propose during a trip to Positano, Italy, but that was canceled due to the pandemic. Instead, he had an Italian picnic basket waiting for us at the water’s edge that we came upon during our walk. Right when we arrived at “the spot” it started to snow, in May! Our friend was hiding nearby and captured the dramatic moment in the snow. Honestly, this was better than I could have imagined. Despite all of the awful things to come from the pandemic, I do appreciate how human interactions have become more authentic; there is no need for a grand gesture, as these true, quiet moments of love mean the most. We have frequented this area many times over the years during residency and it felt like the perfect place for us to start our life together.
Full Vision Of the Wedding:
I have always had an appreciation and love for antiques. I think I get this from my parents who took me to flea markets and antique shops growing up and taught me how to restore items to their former beauty. I love imagining the stories that could have been associated with these items: a dresser, a hairpin, a candlestick. Thomas grew up in a house built in the 1800s and also has an appreciation for times past. We especially love the architecture of French chateaus, which have quite a dreamy, romantic feel. We have visited France several times, especially because Thomas’s family has a French wine and champagne importing business. All of these factors were the inspiration for our wedding vision. We incorporated colors of creamy ivory, emerald greenery, silver, and champagne gold, along with a few dusty blue accents. I emphasized simple, classic, clean styling with lots of romantic candlelight. The week leading up to the wedding I spent hours polishing over 300 pieces of vintage silverware to complete the look!
Description of the Reception:
The reception was amazing! The vendors really listened and made my vision come to life. The multiple French double doors in the ballroom were opened and the setting golden sunlight was streaming in. The antique fireplaces were filled with candles and adorned with beautiful ivory garden roses, ranunculus, and hydrangeas. This complemented the crown molding and chandeliers of the vaulted ceilings at the Glen. We chose hors d’oeuvres that were inspired by our life in New England with a raw seafood bar and mini clam chowder in tiny mugs! As gifts for our guests, we also focused on decadent French desserts including macarons, madeleines, bouchons, and chocolate raspberry tartlets. We decided to forgo speeches except for one that Thomas gave to thank everyone for spending our most memorable day with us. We finished with a toast from a glittering champagne tower, filled with French champagne imported by Thomas’s family. After dinner and the cake cutting, Matty from Luke Renchan Entertainment seamlessly guided us through the rest of the night and played music everyone enjoyed. We ended the night with a fun trolley ride back to the hotel in Newport.
Description of the flowers:
The bouquet along with the table and fireplace arrangements were made of large ivory garden roses, tight clean white ranunculus, gardenia, and bright, happy white hydrangeas accented with emerald-green ivy and gardenia leaves. The fireplaces also had accents of blue tweedia.
Inspiration for your wedding cake:
We decided on a smaller cake because we also had French pastries. The outside of the cake was classic and clean, with dusty blue accents. I had originally wanted to use lily of the valley flowers along with cute little blue forget-me-nots in our floral arrangements because they both remind me of my mom. However, these were not in bloom in early April, so the pastry chef kindly incorporated them as a decoration on the cake, which was very sweet and meaningful! The inside of the cake included one layer of red velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate shavings. The second layer was chocolate cake with Oreo cookie frosting and chocolate/raspberry frosting. So many of our guests commented on how much they loved the frosting!
Photography: Meredith Jane Photography | Floral Design: Stoneblossom Floral and Wedding Design | Cake: Confectionery Designs | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: Blackstone Catering | Hair & Makeup: Bella Beauty Bridal | DJ: Luke Renchan Entertainment | Groom's Attire: J Crew | Transportation: Newport Travel Trolley Tours | Transportation: Newport Classic Car rental | Venue: Glen Manor House | Bridal Attire: Winnie Couture | Jeweler: Family Heirloom Engagement Ring/ Market Square Jeweler's | Rentals: Peak Event Services