Amy & Ken
St. Mary's Catholic Church (Ceremony) & Alpine Country Club (Reception)
May 30th, 2026
I'm a sucker for nostalgia. Maybe it's because I'm in my 40s now, or maybe it's just because I loved watching every TV show and movie I could growing up but there's something so cool to me about classic weddings.
You know the ones I'm talking about. The big wedding scenes in movies like the Godfather or Goodfellas. Or TV shows like Friends. The kind of weddings that stick with you long after the couple exchanges rings and becomes husband and wife.
In many ways, it's why throwback weddings appeal to me so much. I love a wedding that feels like it could have taken place at any point in time and Amy and Ken's May wedding at St. Mary's Catholic Church and Alpine Country Club certainly fits that bill.
Amy and Ken said “I do” on a wet and windy spring afternoon in Cranston and the most remarkable thing about their special day was how timeless and classic it all seemed. It's no wonder, then, that this bride and groom felt like they'd simultaneously been married forever and were just starting their new lives together.
I don't think it could have begun any better.
My time with Amy and Ken started with the tail end of Amy's bridal prep session and to say this was a bride who meant business on her wedding day is an understatement. If Amy was feeling any nerves, she didn't show it. Instead, she approached the day very matter-of-factly and was more concerned with getting out on time than any of the traditional nerves you might see a bride have on her special day.
Ironically, it wasn't until we were actually getting ready to leave that Amy's approach softened a bit as we spent the last few minutes together taking photos of the bride and her girls/family members in the fireplace area of the home we were in. I loved that for Amy. That told me she cared about this day a lot and wanted as many photos to remember it by as possible, which is always a positive goal in my mind.
Amy and Ken chose to say "I do" at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Cranston, Rhode Island and from the moment I walked through the doors, I could see why.
I'm a sucker for a beautiful church and this one was top notch. Immediately from the second Amy walked down the aisle, this wedding ceremony had a timeless, classic feel to it and that was only accentuated by the giant smile on Ken's face as he saw Amy for the first time.
As a wedding photographer, I love shooting religious weddings. Not only do they offer some of the coolest historic places for a couple to get married but they also give me a chance to relax knowing we're going to be at this ceremony for an hour and remove any stress — for the most part — about capturing a particular photo in a particular moment.
Amy and Ken went with a full Catholic mass with all the bells and whistles and even added a unity candle to their celebration, giving me tons of variety in terms of things to document as they tied the knot. I especially loved the stunning way the church looked as they walked down the aisle as husband and wife and kissed with their guests in the background. What a beautiful way to cap off a beautiful ceremony for a beautiful love story.
There was only one downside to Amy and Ken's wedding day and that's that we couldn't control the weather. As is customary in New England in the spring, the forecast for Amy and Ken's special day was all over the place and we really had to take things as they came.
To their credit, Amy and Ken were incredibly flexible in the planning of their wedding day timeline and, more importantly, were totally fine with a little bit of sacrificing for the greater good when it came to dealing with wind, rain and cold. This was especially important in the immediate aftermath of their wedding ceremony itself as the pair wanted some photos outside their church, right as the worst of the day's weather hit.
You'd never know it though. Those smiles were undeniable and it made for great photos.
Because Amy and Ken got married in a traditional Catholic Church, their wedding ceremony was pretty early in the afternoon and that meant we had a sizable gap in the day before their reception started. So sizable, in fact, that we had three and a half hours between the end of their ceremony and the start of their reception introductions.
That gap meant there was no pressure for us to rush anything, which was incredibly key when we all arrived at Alpine Country Club for Amy and Ken's reception as I was able to give the couple some time to relax and refresh before we jumped on golf carts and headed into the middle of the property for some of the best photos I've taken all year so far.
I knew from shooting Amy and Ken's engagement session last fall that the pair follow instruction really well and that was invaluable on this day as the newlyweds looked so incredibly adorable together. I also have to commend them for their flexibility as the on again/off again wind and rain gave us a few stops and starts during their family and wedding party formals back at the main reception room.
Ultimately, we got everything we needed and then some and the bride and groom were fully finished with all photo duties before the official start of their cocktail hour and the arrival of their guests.
Speaking of cocktail hour, the relaxed flow of the day gave me plenty of time to capture the little details that made Amy and Ken's wedding so special and I'm glad it did as this pair really leaned hard into the old school vibe of Alpine Country Club and their reception had a distinctly springlike vibe with lots and lots of pinks and yellows wherever I looked.
I loved how all this decor came out as it gave the room life and blended in perfectly together, especially in the ring detail photos I took before the reception properly began.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from Amy and Ken's wedding reception as it was starting after a long break in the day's coverage, sure, but it was still starting fairly early for this time of year where things are still crazy bright out.
But the minute the bride and groom took to the dance floor for their first dance, which featured their live band performing “The Rest of Our Life” by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, I knew the vibes for this party would be great.
I genuinely think Amy and Ken's first dance was my favorite part of their entire wedding day and it was in large part because of how beautiful Alpine Country Club's ballroom is for such a classic, timeless moment of a wedding.
Add to that the fact that these newlyweds couldn't stop looking lovingly at one another and it was clear we were in for a big night of special moments.
One of the things I liked most about Amy and Ken's reception was the unorthodox flow to everything. While most weddings would go from introductions into a first dance and then have all the toasts grouped together before serving dinner, Amy and Ken's day wasn't nearly as structured.
This meant having our first speech of the day right after Amy and Ken's first dance, sure, but it also meant that any time there was a long enough break in the action, all of their guests hit the dance floor to dance to the music of the live band.
As I knew my time would be up with Amy and Ken fairly early, I was grateful for any dancing photos I could get before I headed out later that night.
The casual flow of the night doesn't mean Amy and Ken's reception was without its special moments though. Amy and Ken made sure to carve out a special chunk of the evening for the traditional father-daughter and mother-son parent dances but, in a twist I thought was beautiful, they each invited their other parent to the dance floor during their moment so they could share the floor with both of their parents at once.
This made for some really touching photos and said everything you needed to know about this couple.
Following dinner, I knew I only had a short time left with the bride and groom and Amy and Ken made the most of it by wrapping up their remaining formalities like the cake cutting and bouquet toss.
My only hope was that I had a few minutes of solid dancing once the dance floor opened as I wanted to make sure to get as many candids before I did and, boy, did I.
Amy and Ken's guests were on hand to party and they wasted no time hitting the dance floor the moment it was open.
Though my time with Amy and Ken ended fairly early, I walked out of Alpine Country Club knowing I captured everything this bride and groom could've asked for and more and, to me, that's the sign of a great day.
Amy and Ken's wedding had a lot of marquee moments and I know they both left their special day overjoyed and excited about what the future holds. So congratulations Amy and Ken on a wedding I won't soon forget and best of luck on this new chapter of your lives together. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
