Joe & Jean
Colt State Park, Bristol, Rhode Island (Ceremony); Centro Cultural de Santa Maria, East Providence, Rhode Island. (Reception)
June 14th, 2015
You can tell a lot about a couple by sitting down with them and talking for a few minutes. You can see their personalities come out, see how they interact with one another and see, pretty quickly, just what kind of wedding they're likely to have.
I knew from the first time I sat in Joe and Jean's house back in early 2014 that they would be a fun couple who had a beautiful ceremony and giant party afterward and, man, did they deliver.
On a beautiful afternoon in Bristol last month, I was lucky enough to watch these two commit to a lifetime with each other and, quite honestly, these guys are one of my favorite couples of all time.
They're such a cool pair of people, so incredibly nice and I think their photos reflect that perfectly.
Jean was a fairly laid back bride. Despite having an eight-person bridal party, Jean's prep literally consisted of just her, her matron-of-honor, the hairdresser and a makeup artist. It was as simple as possible and made the start of the day incredibly relaxed and easy-going.
Joe, on the other hand, was a bit of a ball of nerves. He'd never admitted but you could see the importance of the moment stressing him out as he got ready. It wasn't until Jean put her dress on that she really embraced the day but, luckily, our bridal portrait session did wonders to work those nerves out.
Jean's bridal portrait session took place in India Point Park in downtown Providence.
Right next to the waterfront, the location was ideal for some scenic shots and her beautiful dress did a great job of making her unique bouquet really pop out in the photos.
Joe and Jean's ceremony took place at Colt State Park, a place that will always be special to me as that's where my wife and I got married.
The two chose the chapel area and, in a move I haven't seen at a wedding there, actually used the altar instead of the gazebo setup for the front of their ceremony.
It was a beautiful ceremony, one that actually made me tear up a little bit as Jean came down the aisle to a live and amazing performance of "All of Me" by one of their guests, but once the two saw each other, that fun part of their personality really came alive.
As nice as Joe and Jean's ceremony was, the part of the day I was looking most forward to was the formal photo session as Colt State Park truly is one of the most beautiful places in Rhode Island and offers a TON of different places that make for great backgrounds for photographs.
And not even a crunch for time could stop that from being true here.
Joe and Jean's formal portrait session was a true highlight for me and not just because we had to get creative to deal with the giant height difference between the bride and groom. No, I loved the session because it was literally all about them and we let their personalities guide where the photos went. These were definitely my favorite photos from the day.
As for the reception, like any good wedding the party needed to stand out and it sure did for these two.
I can honestly say I will always remember Joe and Jean's reception, especially because it was the site of one of the coolest things I've ever seen at any wedding I've been lucky enough to shoot ...
Yep. That's a real live proposal. Joe and Jean clued me in that this was going to be happening about a week before the big day but, man, did this moment live up to my expectations. It was especially nice because it was Jean's son asking his girlfriend the big question and the vibe in the room was electric when he popped down onto that knee. Definitely a moment to remember. For sure.
In the end, Joe and Jean had one of the coolest, most relaxed weddings I've shot. The day was totally and completely all about them and the wedding photos truly reflect that.
Maybe it's because they're an older couple and knew exact what it was that they wanted but I've never been to a wedding where two people seemed more ready to become one pair in my life.
I hope this is just the start of that trend though and if I could book a couple of bride and grooms like Joe and Jean a year, I'd be an incredibly fortunate photographer and walk away with a ton of great shots to prove it.
-PJS
* To see the full gallery of photos from Joe & Jean's wedding, please click here.