Michelle & Dean
Coast Guard House, Narragansett, Rhode Island (Ceremony & Reception)
March 24th, 2025
As a photographer who has gotten pretty good at taking complete and total control over how a wedding day looks photo wise, it's always frustrating to me when a bride and groom's vision for their wedding gets upended by the one thing no of us can control: The weather.
In New England, if you're getting married before mid May, you know deep down the weather will be a total crapshoot but, even still, I couldn't help but feeling a bit down on the day Michelle and Dean said "I do" at Coast Guard House back in March.
Sure, their day was beautiful but I knew in my heart it's not the day they pictured. But then something funny happened: They rolled with the punches, said "F it" and had an awesome time despite the weather ... so much so that I legit forgot they were getting married on a Monday night in the winter.
But that's just what good wedding do: When things go astray, the bride and the groom find a way to make it work beautifully and, honestly, if that's not the sign of a love that's meant to be, I don't know what is.
My time with Michelle and Dean began with a sprint from my car into the Aqua Blue Hotel for their bride and groom prep. Even though I saw for the week leading up to their big day that the forecast called for rain, I was holding out hope it would pass by and leave us unscathed. My arrival told me otherwise.
Still, I arrived to find a bride who was largely unbothered by it all.
If Michelle was annoyed at the weather, she sure didn't show it because she still looked excited and ready to walk down the aisle. It helps, of course, that I shot the weddings of two of her close friends and knew how fun the people around her were because the spirits in this bridal prep session were top notch.
Dean wasn't feeling much different, either. When I made my way to his room in the building, he was all smiles and ready to follow all of my instructions to capture his final few minutes of getting ready.
Like most grooms, that wasn't tough and just required him to essentially stand in front of a window for a little bit but, nevertheless, I loved photographing Dean getting help from his son for the final touches before heading downstairs and getting his boutonniere pinned before we made our way to his first look.
Back in Michelle's bridal prep suite, meanwhile, she and her girls were rocking and rolling. After bunching the six of them together for an adorable mirror group shot in their matching outfits (I mean, can you blame me?), it was time to put the bride in her dress.
And what a dress Michelle picked out.
I love the choices Michelle made for her wedding but the dress really stood out and she clearly chose a dress she knew would be manageable for cold or warm weather and the final moments of chaos as her bridesmaids worked on getting buttons in place and bracelets on revealed a bride who was still cool, calm and collected.
I knew, right then, that the rest of this day was going to be a breeze no matter what Mother Nature threw our way.
Of course, that didn't stop Mother Nature from trying her best to throw us off our game.
Michelle and Dean planned to have an outdoor first look and, even with a little bit of rain coming down, what the bride wants, the bride gets. Thankfully, Narragansett's Gazebo Park has a small covered area you can do some photos in so off we went.
And, to their credit, Michelle and Dean didn't let the rain get them down and it didn't make this first look any less special.
Since I had them in a covered gazebo anyway, I simply couldn't resist asking Michelle and Dean to take some bride and groom formals outside ... even if we were getting a little wet with the rain coming in sideways.
I really loved these photos of the two of them both because they were beautiful and sweet but also because they showed how determined Michelle and Dean were to make the most of their wedding day.
Did it fit the vision Michelle had for her beach-themed outdoor photos? Nope. But that's another story for another day ... or the bottom of this blog. :)
Following their family formals back at the Aqua Blue Hotel, it was time for the moment everyone was in attendance for: Michelle and Dean's wedding ceremony.
Michelle and Dean chose to get married at Coast Guard House in Narragansett and, even though I'm a native Rhode Islander, all I knew about this location was that it was a restaurant and given my previous experience shooting weddings in restaurants ... I wasn't expecting much.
To say I was blown away by how nice this restaurant turned into an actual wedding venue is an understatement. It was easily one of the nicest indoor venues I've shot at and I knew from the moment Michelle and Dean walked down the aisle that this would be a sweet and touching moment to witness and photograph.
Michelle and Dean's wedding ceremony was short but meaningful and, most importantly, exactly what the bride and groom wanted. You could tell by watching how the two of them looked at one another how special these few minutes were and by the time they kissed to make their love official, I could sense the vibe in the room shift.
They may have come to celebrate Michelle and Dean's love but this small collection of folks were also here to party.
Before we could get to Michelle and Dean's big reception, we needed to take care of something more pressing: Cocktail Hour.
And while the bride and groom mingled with their friends and family and sipped drinks to celebrate this major milestone in their lives, my job was to somehow capture all the special little details they picked out to bring their vision of the day to life.
There were a lot of them but, man, I can't say I blame Michelle or Dean one bit because this decor was top notch and fit the room beautifully.
I didn't know what to expect from Michelle and Dean's wedding reception given that this was taking place on a Monday night in the winter — which doesn't exactly scream "Summer Party" vibes — but once they walked back into the room for their official introductions and had their first dance to “I Promise You That” by Trevor Martin, I felt much better about the chances of us having a great dance floor on this night.
In fact, I think Michelle and Dean's first dance was my favorite moment of their wedding reception ... at least indoors. Talk about setting a lovely tone for an even lovelier evening.
If I'm being honest, my only reservation about Michelle and Dean's wedding reception was an uncertainty over what I'd actually be able to photograph given the fact that they weren't doing any toasts, any parent dances, any bouquet toss, any garter toss or ... really ... any other formalities.
Looking back on it, though, it fit their night nicely. These newlyweds didn't need a lot of planned moments to celebrate their love. It was the unplanned, spontaneous moments and the rowdy dance floor that would define this night.
What was great about Michele and Dean's wedding reception was their group of friends and family wasn't large per se — they had maybe 35-40 people max at this wedding — but everyone who was in attendance was having a great time.
Especially the bride and groom.
Every time I pointed my camera up at someone on the dance floor, Michelle or Dean were close by, right in the thick of it all. I loved that for them so much.
Michelle and Dean did have one small formality before I called it a night on their coverage: A private cake cutting that was off to the side of the room and really just for them. I loved that.
I also loved that it provided a nice, natural break for me to check and see if they still wanted to try our luck outside for a night time shot with the Towers in the background and, thankfully, they did.
You can see my favorite of the shots at the top of this blog and a few below but, man, what a great way for the three of us to cap a beautiful evening.
Following Michelle and Dean's wedding, I just couldn't shake the feeling that their story wasn't told.
Ever since I started shooting wedding photography, I've always had a simple offer for my brides and grooms: If it rains on your wedding day and we can't get the photos of your dreams, I'll gladly come back out and re-do them for you on a nicer day if you clean your dress and put on the same suit you wore on your special day and, thank goodness, Michelle and Dean took me up on the offer.
And that's how, and why, their wedding photography doesn't end on a March night at the Coast Guard House but, rather, continued on a beautiful May afternoon at Narragansett Town Beach six weeks later.
I'm so glad Michelle and Dean took me up on this photo session as they picked an absolutely beautiful day to hit the beach and we were greeted with some stunning skies that really spoke to the vision this couple had for their wedding photos all along.
And, bonus, since this wasn't their actual wedding day we had plenty of time to take our time and get the photos we really wanted.
So we did. We hit the rocks by the Coast Guard House. And the Towers. And the Sea Wall. And finally the Town Beach itself.
And each spot was more beautiful than the last.
I always love when I have a lot of time with a bride and groom to get creative with their formal photos and this post-wedding session with Michelle and Dean was absolutely breath-taking.
THIS felt like the expression of their love we were always meant to capture and by the time I wrapped things up with them holding hands and walking on the beach — not to mention even doing a dip in the sand — I knew this session would be a strong contender for my favorite session of 2025. Talk about a stunning afternoon and an amazing couple!
As Michelle, Dean and I walked back to the Towers to get to our cars and call it a wrap on their post-wedding photo session, I got to have a nice chat with the newlyweds about their wedding and what they loved the most about it.
Not surprisingly, they recounted me with tales of their friends and family members and how much fun they had on the dance floor and, honestly, that's a beautiful reminder that not everything has to go right on your wedding day for you to have the day of your dreams.
Michelle and Dean had every reason in the world to feel let down by the day they said "I do" and, instead, they focused on what mattered: Their love and the special moments they were having together and with their friends and family members.
That's a beautiful reminder of why I love doing this stuff man. It never gets old seeing how much my couples love love. So thank you Michelle and Dean for not one, but two, lovely days together and I wish you all the best in this new chapter of your lives together as husband and wife. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
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The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair: Stephstyle; Bride's Make-up: Beauty.jasmineclayton; Bride's Dress: Alexandra's Boutique; Bridal Prep Hotel: Aqua Blue Hotel, Narragansett, Rhode Island; Florist: Cherryhill Flowers; Ceremony & Reception Venue: Coast Guard House, Narragansett, Rhode Island; DJ: DJ Corey Young; Content Creator: Soulectionsocial.