Mike & Selah
The Rotunda Ballroom at Easton's Beach in Newport, Rhode Island (Ceremony & Reception)
August 31st, 2018
I love a lot of things about weddings but there are few things that made me smile more than when a bride and groom take one of the so-called "rules" you have to follow and make a point to intentionally break it to fit their own style.
And that's why the moment Mike and Selah told me they intended to have EVERYONE at their wedding show up wearing white, not just the bride and groom but the guests as well, I knew this was a wedding I had to shoot.
Because a move like that is not just quirky and unique, it actually says a lot about the couple themselves.
Mike and Selah's wedding was a picture perfect day full of laughter and love and the attire was just the first of many things that would show how laidback and nontraditional this couple and their day would be.
My time with Mike and Selah began like many of my weddings do, with a bridal prep session full of fun women hanging out and having a blast.
But that's where the similarities begin and end because Selah and her girls are unlike any other group I've ever worked with. Not only were downright hysterically funny but it seemed like they were all going out of their way to outdo each other with the best innuendo and double entendres they could come up with.
It made for a super easy and fun prep session that I knew was just the start of the day to come.
Seriously. If the photo above doesn't sum up bridal prep for Selah and her girls, I don't know what does.
Following their time at the hotel, Selah, her girls and I made our way to the Rotunda Ballroom at Easton's Beach in Newport, a venue I've wanted to photograph a wedding at for years.
And though it was incredibly challenging, with the sun going out of its way to make things as bright as humanly possible, Mike and Selah's wedding ceremony was beautiful, elegant and couldn't have taken place at a more visually stunning location.
Mike and Selah kept their ceremony short and sweet and I'm thankful they did as it allowed us plenty of time to get their formal photos done, including the shot below of Selah and her friends/teammates from the Providence Roller Derby League.
Once their wedding party and family formals were done, however, I knew we had to hustle to capture as many shots of the bride and groom on the beautiful beach as possible.
Thankfully, Mike and Selah were pros and posing them was a piece of cake and led to some of my favorite formals of the year thus far.
We even had enough time to grab shots inside the carousel at the venue! Talk about cool.
Still, as much fun as formals were, I knew this would be a wedding defined by its reception and I wasn't wrong.
Mike and Selah struck me early on as a couple of laid back people who would likely have a crazy party and that's exactly what happened ... after the beautiful, traditional moments like the first dance (Set to "From the ground up" by Dan + Shay), parent dances and cake cutting of course.
As beautiful as those moments were, though, I knew this night wouldn't "officially" start until the dance floor opened up and, I've got to admit, it was quite a sight to behold to see some 150 or so people all wearing white on the dance floor at the same time.
I liked the visual though ... even if it was hard to keep track of the bride and groom in a room where everyone looked the exact same.
My favorite part of Mike and Selah's reception came as the lights were turned down and the party lights were put up. I loved the way the Rotunda at Easton's Beach looked as the night wore on and I could tell the crowd agreed as they opened up more and more with every song (and perhaps a little bit of alcohol).
All in all, it made for some killer photo ops.
As I got ready to call it a night with Mike and Selah, I couldn't help but smile thinking that this wedding and its reception were almost a word-for-word recreation of the vision they first pitched me.
It's so rare to see a bride and groom talk to you about how they want their wedding day to go and have that concept come to life but Mike and Selah did it nearly flawlessly.
This was a night full of laughter, love and the occasional awkward tongue appearance but it was a night this bride and groom had looked forward to for years and, by the time I walked out of that building on that beautiful late summer evening, it was clear it was everything they could have asked for and much, much more.
So thank you for including me in your special day Selah and Mike and congratulations on a love I know will always continue to be unique, special and, above all, fun.
-PJS
Tags: Outdoor Weddings, Rhode Island Weddings, Easton's Beach, Newport, Paul J. Spetrini Photography
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Ceremony and Reception: The Rotunda Ballroom at Easton's Beach in Newport, Rhode Island; Bride's hair: Megan Silvia Hair; Bride's Makeup: Erin Toppa; Officiant: Charlie DeSousa; DJ: Newport Sound & Entertainment; Cake: Fatulli's Downtown Cafe.
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
Courtnie & Richie
Glad Tidings Church (Ceremony) &
Emerald Hall (Reception)
Date: August 24th, 2018
Patti & Bob
The Olde Colonial Cafe,
Norwood, Massachusetts.
Date: August 18th, 2018
Beth & Bryan
Fort Phoenix, Fairhaven, Mass. (Ceremony), McGoverns, Fall River, Mass. (Reception).
Date: August 12th, 2018
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