I’m thinking of you today, Kim and Chris, as you celebrate your one-year anniversary – I hope you’re doing something super fun! The countdown to my own wedding has begun, and I’m excited to say that one year from this weekend, we’ll be celebrating our anniversaries at the same time! 🙂

My journey began with Kim and Chris when we decided to do their engagement session at Gerald’s Farm in Exeter, Rhode Island. Since their wedding was going to be held in the city, they wanted a rustic feel for their session. The result was beautiful, and Kim and Chris ended up with some sweet family shots (doggies included!) to use for their Save The Dates. 🙂

Fun fact: Chris’s father and grandfather know my dad! Chris comes from a long line of hockey players, and that’s how our families know each other. It’s always extra special for me to be able to photograph a wedding where I know the family! So funny – we didn’t even realize that our families knew each other until the day of the engagement shoot!

Fast-forward almost two years after their engagement session to the wedding. It was an absolutely beautiful Labor Day Weekend. I met them both at Kim’s mother’s house, where she was getting ready with all of her girls. The guys arrived on the trolley, and they had their First Look in Kim’s mother’s back yard.

Can I tell you how much I love the First Look for weddings? It’s such a benefit to the bride and groom: it allows them to get their first look at each other in a private moment, and I’m able to capture so much emotion this way. It also allows them to extend their wedding day, because if we do these photos before the ceremony, the couple can enjoy their cocktail hour with their guests! There’s something really special about this moment, and it absolutely doesn’t take away from the “down the aisle” first look… it enhances it.

During Kim and Chris’s First Look, they exchanged cards, (so cute!) — oh, and get this… their cards were very similar (if I remember correctly, they actually got each other the same card). Because we had so much time to work with (another benefit of doing a First Look), we were able to head to downtown Providence and do pictures at the State House and Court House. It was so much fun, and we really enjoyed the day. I love when a couple knows what they want, and Kim and Chris did – they told me they didn’t want “cheesy” pictures…and it was a cheesy picture-free day! 🙂

After a beautiful ceremony, the Del’s Lemonade truck that Kim and Chris arranged was parked outside the church for their guests to enjoy one of little Rhody’s finest 😉

We headed to the Biltmore and enjoyed cocktail hour with friends and family, and they partied the night away – they were going until at least midnight! All the guests were staying overnight, so nobody was in a rush to get home. 🙂

There was so much love in the room. We could tell that the families on both sides were very close, and their core group of friends (lots of them!) were obviously happy to spend this day with Kim and Chris.

I love you guys and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Vendors:
Arrow Florist
Newport Viking Trolley
Victor Events

Wedding Song – “Free” by Zac Brown Band

Purchased from Sara Zarrella Photography:
Framed Art
Parent albums
Storybook albums
Engagement Session
Save the Dates
Thank You Cards
Slide Show