Blog— Weddings — Rhode Island — 2019 —
Cranston Country Club Wedding
Cora & Daniel
Cranston Country Club in Cranston, Rhode Island (Ceremony & Reception)
October 19th, 2019
Timing is everything when it comes to planning a wedding.
Not only do you need the right timing to find that special someone, but it literally affects every aspect of the day you say "I do." From how long the bride needs to have her hair done to what time you'll invite guests to arrive for your ceremony, there's no more crucial skill to have to pull off a great wedding than great timing.
And Cora and Daniel showed they have that quality in droves during their October 2019 wedding at Cranston Country Club.
Not only do Cora and Dan share the SAME birthday, a year apart, but they took their time getting to the aisle, so much so that they were already together for a decade when they started planning their big day.
And when that day finally came, these two planned their perfect wedding for the absolute most beautiful weekend of the fall. It was so well timed that the moment we started their bride and groom portraits, the sun set just enough that we had perfect lighting so beautiful you couldn't help but smile.
In a way it was fitting because that's exactly how their wedding made me feel.
My time with Cora and Daniel started with a first for me as, despite having shot a handful of weddings at Cranston Country Club in the past, Cora was the first bride whose bridal prep I got to photographs on site.
To say this was a bit of a challenge is an understatement as Cranston Country Club's bridal prep room is rather small but Cora isn't a picky bride and had her hair stylist in that room while makeup took place in the venue's bathroom area one room over.
I was glad to see the bride in great spirits when I arrived. Cora looked genuinely excited to get married and I could tell this meant a lot to her as she somewhat nervously counted down the time to her ceremony.
My favorite part of Cora's bridal prep session was having her take a moment by herself to be alone with her thoughts and, after wiping away a brief tear, she was ready to go.
That emotion would reveal itself a lot during her ceremony but, honestly, who could blame her? Cora and Dan's ceremony was intimate and touching and definitely reflected the love of a couple who have spent a decade of their lives together already and with the exception of quite possibly the harshest sunlight I've seen all year, it was the perfect moment for these two to become husband and wife.
I had a lot of favorite moments during Cora and Dan's emotional ceremony but my favorite was the little laugh Cora let out when the two were exchanging the vows they each wrote for the other.
It's such a genuine moment and captures the spirit of these two so well.
Following Cora and Dan's first kiss, we made our way to their family photos. Once again, the blinding sun proved quite difficult to work with but, thankfully, Cora and Dan's friends and family members were a pleasure to work with and we captured some really nice moments between them all.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how the sun would look for Cora and Dan's bride and groom portraits but any worries I had went out the window the moment we started as it was absolutely, positively, incredible.
I loved working with Cora and Dan as they were incredibly cooperative and had a great body language together.
Most importantly, however, they were willing to hike a little bit as we tried to find the best location on the grounds of Cranston Country Club for their photos.
I knew when we came upon a small body of water and could see the foliage behind them that we did just that and suddenly Cora and Dan's wedding formals went from super fun to quite possibly the best I've shot all year long.
There's a reason the photo I led this blog off with because the first image on my website a few days after this wedding.
With formals out of the way, Cora and Dan headed inside of the Country Club for their reception and having shot at this venue before, I knew we were in for a beautiful night.
The pair chose “When you say nothing at all” by Alison Krause for their first dance and showed off some pretty great moves while they were doing it.
I loved watching these two in the center of the dance floor and could tell this was a moment they visualized dozens of times. And, yes, they nailed this dance.
Cora and Dan's first dance was just the first of a number of great formalities during their reception. I especially loved how cute they were cutting their beautiful cake and dancing with their parents.
As fun as their formalities were, though, I was most curious to see what kind of dance floor we'd have when the party started as Cora and Daniel, at first glance, seem like pretty family-oriented people.
In my experience, those types of receptions are hit or miss in terms of dancing.
Thankfully, this one was a hit and led to some really fun candid moments as guests let loose the longer the night wore on.
I especially loved how Cora and Dan were right in the middle of things and really living in the moment. Whether it was dancing to group numbers or rocking photo booth props for their Polaroid Picture guestbook, this bride and groom were determined to enjoy every moment of their reception and did just that.
As I packed up my gear and got ready to depart Cora and Dan's wedding, I was super excited to get home and look at their formal photos because I knew what we captured was just as special as the bride and groom at the center of the photos. And I was right.
I adored this wedding for so many reasons but the biggest one was the way Cora and Dan looked at each other and looked when they were in each other's arms. This bride and groom have a special relationship and I'm just glad I was there to photograph it.
So congratulations Cora and Dan on a stunning wedding day and, though you clearly don't need it, best of luck on your new adventure together as newlyweds. I am confident it will prove to be worth the wait to get there.
-Paul J. Spetrini
Tags: Outdoor Weddings, Cranston Country Club, Rhode Island Weddings, Cranston, Paul J. Spetrini Photography
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair: Gina Dolan of Bella Dame Salon; Bride's Make-up: Sidney Rodrigues of SRC beauty; Bride's Dress: Spark Outlet, Cranston Rhode Island; Groom's Suit: Our Place, North Providence Rhode Island; Bridesmaids Dresses: Trink-et Shoppe, Killingly Connecticut; Florist: Brittany Brown, Burrillville Rhode Island; Ceremony & Reception Location: Cranston Country Club; DJ: Jeff Ladd, Wethersfield, Connecticut; Cake: Ivy and Lace Bake Shop, Greenville, Rhode Island; Officiant: Millissa Youssef, Cranston, Rhode Island.