Josh & Molly
Newport Officer's Club, Newport, Rhode Island
June 7th, 2014*
As a lifelong Rhode Islander, it's easy for me to take my state for granted. Sure, we've got miles and miles of ocean. Sure, it's so beautiful we attract the world's biggest pop star to our shoreline. But, to me, it's still just the place I was born and have lived in for 30 years.
Even then, every now and then something happens where I can step by and admire Rhode Island for its sheer beauty and, thanks to my gig shooting for George Street Photography this year, I was exposed to a ton of beautiful locations I would have never seen otherwise. Such as The Newport Officer's Club in Newport, RI, where I shot a wedding this past June.
The assignment itself was pretty standard: Take photos of the groom and his groomsmen and then compliment the lead photographer and his coverage of the ceremony and reception. And with a group of guys as awesome as Josh and his groomsmen, it was an awesome time. I knew right from the start this was going to be a great day as the groomsmen were down for whatever ideas I had, and the weather was absolutely perfect, a surefire sign that I would leave with tons of photos I loved.
Take, for instance, this great photo of the ceremony with the Newport Bridge in the background. I've shot this bridge so many times, from so many directions, but never has it been this important to a photo. I loved being able to capture Josh and Molly's big moment in front of all their friends and family members with this Rhode Island icon in the distance. There's just something peaceful about this moment, and this couple, as they say 'I do' and promise to be there for each other forever. Not even the blinding sunlight could ruin this moment.
Almost every wedding photographer I was fortunate enough to work with this year did a variation of this 'jump in the air' pose and what I love the most about it is that, almost universally, there's always one person who never leaves the ground. In fairness, though, this bridesmaid had a pretty good reason and still managed to incorporate her personality into the photo with ease.
I loved helping with Josh and Molly's formal photos, particularly because Molly was such an awesome bride. Seriously. I don't think I saw her without a large smile on her face at any point during this entire day. Plus, I'll be honest, I thought their sea and anchor theme was fantastic. Great colors, lots of awesome personalized touches. This is how you do themed weddings right.
Without question, this is one of my favorite detail photos of 2014. I just happened to be outside looking for something different while the bride and groom were eating dinner and then, bam, I see this beautiful sunset and the decorations just begging to be photographed. Don't mind if I do, thank you very much. Like I said, the theme to this wedding was awesome.
All in all, I had a blast with Josh and Molly. Such a nice and sweet couple and I really think their personalities shined through the photographs. This was one of my first weddings of 2014 but definitely one of my favorites.
-PJS
* These photos were taken as part of my work for George Street Photography and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.