A Wedding Story: Jess!

This week's Wedding Story comes from a Featured Engagement Story a few months back. Remember Jess? She had her beautiful Newport wedding at the end of October and was nice enough to come back and share her day with us!

When did you get married?
October 29, 2010

Where was your ceremony? Reception?

Ceremony was at Blessed Sacrament Church in Providence and Reception was at Oceancliff in Newport.

 
What made you choose that reception location?

Newport has been a big part of our relationship since the beginning. “Our” restaurant (Red Parrot) is there where we go to celebrate every anniversary. We spend a lot of time there during the summer days and Newport was also the setting for his proposal. We wouldn’t think to have our reception anywhere else but Newport. We chose Oceancliff because it’s secluded, right next door to what was once known as the Kennedy Compound and we just thought it was beautiful!

What was your favorite aspect of your wedding?

Walking down the aisle of the church. I always imagined the walk down the aisle and it was everything I thought it would be. It was also important that I had a long aisle to walk down (I guess I wanted the moment to last as long as possible since I only get one shot at it). I think that was the point where I had lots of emotions running through me…sad, anxious, excited, etc.

What was the best resource you used during the planning process?
The knot

At Jess’ wedding, there were several dessert options. For one, cake of course!

Each guest got a chocolate covered strawberry with their cake and a chocolate covered apple as their placecard. There was also a 20+ pie table!

What's the one thing you would have done differently?

My centerpieces. I loved my florist…they did a beautiful job with the bouquets, etc but I was disappointed with the centerpieces…they weren’t dramatic enough…

Bridal and bridesmaid bouquets

Any advice for future brides?

Plan everything you can in the beginning so that you don’t have much to do months or weeks before the wedding. That’s what I did and I was able to enjoy the time right before the wedding instead of running around trying to get things done. Also…try to pay all your vendors at least 2 months before the wedding. This is another thing we did which felt good that it was already taken care of so that you aren’t writing checks totaling thousands of dollars right before the wedding. Also, at the reception, take the time to look around the room. Cory and I did this during dinner and it was nice to see our guests having fun, etc. It did go by fast but we do remember everything…I was expecting it to be a total blur.

Photos courtesy of Zenobia Photography Studios.

If you'd like to be a Featured Wedding Story, please email me at legallybride@hotmail.com

“I do” Ideas: Winter Weddings!

This week, given all the snow we’ve been getting in the Northeast, I thought we could look at how to pull off a Winter Wedding!

For attire, keep in mind the weather! If you plan on January or February and are not in the Southern US, you HAVE to be prepared for snow. Wear (or have in the wings) sensible shoes for trekking through. Personally, I love the idea of having these handy:

And then maybe these for later on during the reception:

For hair and other accessories, I like the idea of bringing in wintry shades of blue, like these:

Also for attire, you don’t have to choose long sleeve dresses but you do have to remember a jacket! (For you AND for your girls!) Does it have to be a big ol’ North Face? No, of course not. A color coordinating bolero is the cutest option in my opinion.

For flowers, I love the winter white!

If you do prefer a pop of color, I love these deep reds.

Same goes for the bouts. Stick with the winter branches and whites. These scream winter wedding to me!

For your winter ceremony, I love the idea of it being right in front of a beautiful fireplace.  How cozy is this on a cold day?

At the reception for décor, I’m thinking branches,

holiday lighting,

and, of course, lots of candles!

For placecards, I love this standing “window” seating chart decorated with candles and greens, as well as these dark brown ones, again, accented by candles.

We all know I love a themed signature drink, so how about this bright blue number in a champagne glass? Or, even better, hot cocoa!

For cakes, I think, again, sticking with whites is key. Snowflakes, pinecones or even just flowers can help to decorate.

Don’t forget to bring your color and theme ideas into your favors and menus. People will notice all these special touches.

Finally, brave the cold and take a snowy picture! A little bit of frost bite, maybe, but you’ll survive!

Did you do a winter wedding? Or do you plan on doing one? I’d love to hear some of your ideas!

All images courtesy of The Knot, with the exception of the last image; Courtesy of Zenobia Studios.