Matt & Adrienne
Chelo's Waterfront Bar & Grille, Warwick, Rhode Island
October 17th, 2015
There are a lot of things I like about a wedding.
I love seeing two people who mean so much to each other come together with all of their friends and family members and declare their intent to stay together forever. I love the emotions of the day. I love the little details (the flowers, the rings, the cake.)
But one thing I love more than most ... I love a good reception.
For Matt and Adrienne's October wedding in Warwick, Rhode Island, there were a lot of great things I will remember for a long time. They had an awesome (albeit a tad cold) day weatherwise, the colors for their formal photos at Goddard Park were amazing and the wedding party was one of my most fun of the year.
But when I think back on this day, the one thing I'll remember most? Yep. The reception.
Man. What a party.
Matt and Adrienne's day began with bride and groom prep at their hotel in Warwick. When I first walked into Adrienne's suite, I couldn't help but notice how calm and relaxed she was.
With a small group of bridesmaids and her mother present for hair and makeup, the entire session felt like a small hangout. It was incredibly chill and she seemed like she was just getting ready for a night out, not the biggest day of her life. I LOVED that. Matt, on the other hand, was like most groomsmen and having a mini party in his room as his groomsmen were a rowdy and fun bunch.
I knew Matt and Adrienne's wedding was going to be a good one when we first talked about their timeline and they told me they wanted to do a first look. I love a good first look, especially in the late fall as it allows us to get formal photos out of the way while the light is still great.
Oh and did I mention how much I love seeing a groom's reaction to seeing his beautiful bride for the first time? There's nothing like it.
With the first look out of the way, Matt, Adrienne, the wedding party and I headed to Goddard Park.
We literally could not have picked a better day for these photos as the fall colors had just started to sprout and the heavy sunlight made all of the colors pop off the camera.
After the formals, we headed to Chelo's Waterfront Bar and Grille, the site of their ceremony and reception.
I had never been at this venue despite it being four minutes from my house so I had no idea what to expect but it was surprisingly charming and a beautiful spot on the water that made for nice ceremony shots as the sun started to drop.
Even though Matt and Adrienne had seen each other already, there was still something nice about the moment she walked down the aisle. And Matt couldn't help but keep a big smile on his face throughout their entire ceremony.
Now if you had asked me at the exact moment when Matt and Adrienne's wedding ceremony was over how I thought the reception was going to go, I would've said it would probably be a fun one with a little bit of dancing here and there.
Little did I know that once the music started, the party wouldn't stop.
Some of my favorite photos from Matt and Adrienne's big day came from their first dance. It's so refreshing when a couple are around the same height for their first dance and seem to know what they're doing on the dance floor. I love when that happens as it makes for awesome photos. Case in point:
Following their first dance, Matt and Adrienne went through the traditional reception beats with their toasts and dinner.
From there, though, is where the night turned in an unexpected direction as almost every guest in attendance hit the dance floor once the music began and almost never left.
Seriously. This reception was awesome!
I think what I loved the most from Matt and Adrienne's reception was that everyone in attendance seemed to be having a blast. They had a full dance floor and even the cocktail lounge area on the second floor of the restaurant turned into a party as guests shook it up there too.
By the time I left Matt and Adrienne's wedding, my feet hurt from running around the dance floor nonstop but, more importantly, my gut hurt from the deep laughs I had watching everyone in attendance go crazy.
It's amazing how much a fun group can transform an evening and Matt and Adrienne's crew did just that.
When I look back on my most fun "parties" of 2015, this one will be right up there with the best receptions I've seen this year and perhaps ever. These guys knew how to party and the photos prove it.
And, after all, what's a wedding if not an excuse to get all of the people most important to you together to celebrate your love?
On that front, Matt and Adrienne's day is a tough one to beat.
-PJS
* To see the full gallery of photos from Matt and Adrienne's wedding, please click here.