Blog— Weddings — Rhode Island — 2020 —
Cranston Country Club Wedding Photos
Angel & Josh
St. Barnabas Church, Warwick, RI & Cranston Country Club, Cranston, RI
August 29th, 2020
I was born into an Italian family and, as such, I have more than three decades of experience in dealing with loud, boisterous rooms full of animated people. That's why I knew the minute I met Angel and Josh that their wedding at Cranston Country Club would be one I'd never forget. Mostly because this couple, who had been together for over a decade before walking down the aisle, felt more like members of my own family than clients right after we met.
What I couldn't count on, however, was how badly I needed a day like Angel's and Josh as it was just so nice to sit back, focus on capturing their moments and forget about all the doom and gloom associated with the 2020 wedding season.
Considering Angel and Josh were originally set to get married back in June but were forced to push back their plans two months thanks to the ever-present coronavirus pandemic, that's quite an accomplishment.
But, pandemic or no pandemic, this bride and groom were determined to have the wedding they always envisioned and waited so long for. And they did just that.
Judging by the never-ending smiles on their guests' faces and the laughter that filled every room throughout the day, I can think of no better way for these two longtime partners turned newlyweds to start their married lives together.
My time with Angel and Josh started with one of the rowdiest bridal prep sessions I've had in quite some time. Admittedly, I expected this. When I first sat down with Angel, she was accompanied by her bridesmaid Stephanie, a former bride of mine whose crazy fun 2016 wedding remains one of my all-time favorites.
Angel and Stephanie had a ton of the same friends and family members and I knew right away that I was in for a busy but fun afternoon. This point was hammered home, of course, when I arrived to bridal prep and saw the fun-loving bride rocking a belly shirt and a big smile as she ran from room to room to trying to finish her final preparations before walking down the aisle.
I didn't expect a lot of sappy emotional moments from Angel and her girls but I could tell how much this day meant to all of them as the tone of the room switched pretty quickly once the bride put her dress on.
In one of my favorite little moments from the day, Angel and her mom both got emotional seeing her all dressed and ready to go and I couldn't help but smile at the understated way they both showed how much they'd dreamed of this day for so long.
If I had to point to one thing that surprised me about Angel and Josh's wedding day, it's that they chose to get married at St. Barnabas Church in Warwick, Rhode Island as I could have totally seen this wedding taking place in a nice outdoor setting overlooking a colorful landscape.
In a way, I'm glad it didn't as we were beholden to some rainy skies that were scheduled to clear right after the ceremony and the church itself was incredibly beautiful. If anything, the fact that this couple chose to have a traditional church ceremony felt even more special as it was the only rigorously structured part of an otherwise casual and lighthearted afternoon.
I loved Angel and Josh's wedding ceremony because I could tell, without anyone saying as much until later in the evening, that this was a moment both the bride and groom dreamed of for years.
My favorite photo of their ceremony, and one of my favorites all around on the day, was the photo pictured above of both Angel and Josh with huge grins on their faces as they looked out into their crowd of close friends and family members.
It's the little casual moments of a wedding day that, to me, make it so special and Angel and Josh had those little moments in spades.
As much as I wish I could say I was all smiles throughout Angel and Josh's wedding, I really wasn't. There was a small -- very small -- part of me that worried the weather might not hold out and after refreshing my Weather Channel app pretty much every five minutes for the first four hours of my coverage with the two, the rain FINALLY appeared all but gone as we began formal photos at their reception site: Cranston Country Club.
I love Cranston Country Club. It is, without question, one of my favorite places to shoot a wedding and the overcast skies really played a vital role in setting the mood for Angel and Josh's formal photos. I love how the colors in these shots turned out. It just screams late summer to me.
Speaking of formal photos, Angel and Josh are one of my favorite couples to work with for these types of photos. As evidenced in their engagement photo session last year, the pair know how to work the camera and have a naturally comfortable body language and love of one another that radiates through the lens.
Angel and Josh were incredibly accommodating and patient during their formals as I spent a LOT of time trying to make sure everything looked just right but I'm glad I did as these two deserved the best photos I could give them.
And when they agreed to take a walk with me to my favorite spot at the country club? Well, I was pretty pumped.
I could have photographed Angel and Josh for hours but, alas, we still needed to get to the reception portion of their evening and I was genuinely curious how this would play out as I expected a pretty crazy party ... or at least as crazy as you can get in the middle of a global pandemic.
Right away, I knew it would be a great night as Angel and Josh chose a lot of complimentary decor that worked perfectly with the colors of Cranston Country Club and gave the venue an elegant and timeless feel.
Speaking of timeless, I'm convinced Angel and Josh's wedding reception could have taken place during just about any year. Right from their first dance, set to "Everything I do" by Bryan Adams, the night's vibe rotated between the decades and blended together to create one of my favorite receptions of the year thus far.
It's only fitting, of course, considering the first big moment of the night following their dance together was a combined best man and maid of honor speech that talked about the long journey Angel and Josh took to get to this point together.
Following dinner, Angel and Josh took to the back half of their reception with a pair of parent dances and a cake cutting under the golden hue of the country club's ballroom.
With the formalities of the evening over, it was time to party. And party they did.
While Angel and Josh had a smaller guest list than I think they originally envisioned, those lucky enough to be in attendance took full advantage and cut loose in the spacious hallway the country club used to provide more space for people to socially distance.
I loved Angel and Josh's wedding reception for a lot of reasons but the biggest, by far, was how normal everything felt. Even though there were plenty of guests wearing masks and the bride and groom took tons of precautions with hand sanitizers and social distancing, Angel and Josh's wedding felt like it could have taken place pre-COVID and that's a huge compliment.
And I know the bride and groom loved every minute of it as they made sure to soak up every big moment that came their way before all was said and done.
And their guests? Well, it was pretty clear from their guests that everyone in attendance needed a night out like this as much, if not more, than the newlyweds.
By the time my coverage of Angel and Josh's wedding concluded, I left feeling so thankful we got to tell a complete story of their wedding day.
Most 2020 brides and grooms have faced an impossible choice this year in postponing wedding days and as we slowly return to normal and these couples finally get the chance to realize their dreams, I can only hope they're as lucky as Angel and Josh were to have things run as smooth and feel as normal as they did back on that late summer afternoon in Cranston.
Angel and Josh are an amazing couple and I can't wait to see where life takes them next. And, if nothing else, I sure hope to run into them and the folks they call friends and family at a wedding in the future. Because there's often nothing more fun than a party when this group of people are all together.
-Paul J. Spetrini
