Jess & Mike's Historic Wedding at the Old Colony House in Newport, RI

Jess and Mike’s wedding day took place in and around Newport, RI: starting at a private residence downtown where they’d get into their outfits, then packing into a shuttle with their friends and parents to head over to Sachuest Point for some photos, then to the historic Old Colony House for the ceremony, and finally a short walk down the street to Stoneacre Garden for dinner and dancing. Downtown Newport is such a specific atmosphere to host a wedding day; almost always bustling with beach goers in the height of summer, Newport is charming and densely settled, packed to the gills with romantically narrow streets lined with historic homes and businesses. Having attended college in Rhode Island with lots of the folks in attendance and living in Newport themselves at one point this made sense for Jess and Mike and felt like a homecoming of sorts, which always feels like a great starting point.

Getting to be by the water at least once during their wedding day was important to Jess and Mike. Sachuest Point, a wildlife refuge on the tip of Aquidneck Island, is a favorite place of ours and one we have always wanted to have an excuse to photograph folks at so getting to document these two reciting private vows along one of the prettiest stretches of coast in the state was a treat for us. Rolling back into Newport, the wedding party loaded into the Old Colony House and awaited guests upstairs in the courtroom. Because of its geographical location within the city and its nearly 300 year old construction utilizing massive, oversized windows, the Old Colony House gets some of the best light a photographer can ask for. Jess and Mike looked timelessly beautiful in the space and as they descended to the ceremony to find their guests awaiting them in the grand room downstairs they couldn’t contain their emotions. Mike cried watching Jess walk down the aisle towards him, escorted by her mom and dad, and Jess laughed through happy tears as they were married by a dear friend in sight of all of their favorite people. There just isn’t another place quite like it in Rhode Island.

As the ceremony concluded and everyone poured out of the building, down the steps, and onto the cobbled streets of Newport Jess and Mike shifted into party mode. Relief washed over them and while they followed their friends and families towards the reception we could see their shoulders relax, their faces easing into a comfortable smile as they realized they’d done it. Stoneacre Garden was a wonderfully cozy place to share dinner and drinks and allowed guests to enjoy their evening in the open air. Toasts and dances were beautiful and heartfelt and before long people were on their feet, rocking out to a mix of tunes from all eras. The space was particularly good at allowing people to find a spot that met their energy, whether that was crowding around a booth and sharing stories, getting a drink on the rooftop, throwing down on the dance floor, or taking in the night sky on the back patio. As our time with them came to a close, we spent twenty minutes or so just chatting with Jess and Mike and feeling like we had just photographed a couple of old friends all day. We feel so, so fortunate to work with the people that choose to have us along for their wedding, and not a single days go by where we take that for granted.

Venue: Old Colony House / Stoneacre Garden
Coordination: The Wedding Planners
Florals: Little State Flower Co.
Music: Arpeggio Entertainment / Molly McCaffrey (ceremony harp)
Hair/Makeup: Nina Ortega
Dress Designer: Martina Liana
Bridal Boutique: Vows Bridal
Menswear: 9Tailors
Rentals: Peak Event Rentals
Film/Processing: Kodak Portra 400 / Kerry’s Warwick Photo