Rhode Island Beach Wedding

If tropical islands aren’t necessarily your thing but you still fancy the idea of a beach wedding, then I can’t imagine a more ideal location than Rhode Island. Rocky coastlines, a sea breeze, and quaint lighthouses make it such an ideal spot to wed your special one, and that’s exactly what Victor and Ellen did in this wedding from Rebecca Arthurs.

From the bride, Ellen: From the gate, my husband was for sure the driving force for focus on the style and feel of the whole day. I remember when we first started the whole planning process, showing him all of the pictures I had collected as inspiration and his one request was that we didn’t do anything that “wasn’t us.” Everything fell into place from there. We made sure that the entire day, the ceremony and the party became an extension of us. I would say that “seaside casual” would be the best way to describe our wedding. We had an amazing view overlooking Narragansett Bay with the Newport and Jamestown bridges in the background. With New England weather being unpredictable, we lucked out with one of the nicest days of summer. We were married on the last official day of summer. There were so many people were out on their sailboats on the bay, which created the perfect unintentional backdrop.

Bouquet recipe: protea, hydrangeas, ranunculus, peonies, dahlia and succulents.

We ended up using a few different shades of pink, whites and gold. We weren’t working with a particular color scheme, but it all came together at the end… and if something didn’t fit in, we would just spray paint it gold. There were some DIY projects that we incorporated. The ceremony space included a mantle that we had found on Craigslist for a steal and was the perfect addition to highlight the amazing view. We spray painted it white and then added some iron candle holders that we had painted gold. All of the wooden boxes, vases and apothecary jars were collected by us during the 2 years leading up to the wedding.

Our escort card table was a DIY labor of love. We made these little containers from clay to resemble barnacles and then planted them with some succulents. The guestbook was a last minute addition as we had completely overlooked the whole thing. We picked up a Polaroid camera and added the signs “snap it, sign it, stick it” so they could attach it to the board, some pretty funny pictures came out of it and the camera eventually made it to the dance floor, it was such a good add! Lastly, we took a page from the Ruffled DIY book and made the Instagram stirrers, which were a hit and so easy to do! We included a few pictures of ourselves as well as our beloved pup, Wickett who wasn’t able to partake in the day’s festivities.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? I think one of the smartest things we did was getting a wedding coordinator. The team at Pranzi Catering was such an amazing partner to work with leading up to and throughout the entire day. We were able to really enjoy the few days before the wedding and were not running around to tie up all of the loose ends, which was crucial for us! My second piece of advice is to not underestimate the importance of documenting the day; it goes by just as fast as everyone says it does. Make sure to find someone who understands your style and personality and who you are a fan of! We were so lucky to get to work with Rebecca and her husband Nick. If I could, I would wallpaper my house with all of the images that they gave us from the day — that is how much I love their work!

See Also

This Majestic Multicultural Wedding at Villa Arvedi in Verona is the Chef’s Kiss

Wedding Music:
Processional: “The Winner Is,” Devotchka; “Skinny Love (Acoustic),” Birdy
Bride’s Processional: Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Recessional: “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher and Higher),” Jackie Wilson
Newlywed Entrance: “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” The Darkness
First Dance: “Into the Mystic,” Van Morrision
Father/Daughter Dance: “We’re Having a Party,” Sam Cooke
Mother/Son Dance: “Porto Sentido,” Rui Veloso
Last Dance: “September,” Earth Wind and Fire. This was such a great moment and the perfect way to end the night. It really was the 21st night of September so everyone was out on the floor just singing and dancing. One of my top favorite moments of the day!

From the photographer, Rebecca Arthurs: Victor & Ellen, the Bride and Groom, are such a sweet couple and their wedding reflected their artistic sensibilities in their rustic chic Rhode Islandwedding. Ellen made all the custom signs and contributed her design ideas to create this tented seaside family affair. After their first date Ellen went home and told her dad “I just went out with the man I was going to marry!” Turns out, she was right!

Wedding Location: Warwick, RI / Photographer: Rebecca Arthurs / Wedding Coordination and Catering: Pranzi Catering / Florist: Stephanie Gallo of Black Moss Design (blackmossdesign @ gmail.com) / Wedding Dress: Alvina Valenta / Alterations: Sewing Creations by Rose / Wedding Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Earrings: Kate Spade / Hair: Michael K. Galvin Salon / Makeup: Nina Brundle with Urban Decay / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Nordstrom / Bridesmaids’ Accessories: Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Giraffe Cake Topper: Melabo / Music: Zeke Stern of Murray Hill Talent / Wedding Invitations: Greta Bodenstab / Videographer: Magpie Films