Blog— Weddings — Rhode Island— 2021 —
Newport Vineyards Wedding Photos
Amelia & Giuliana
Newport Vineyards, Middletown, Rhode Island
November 6th, 2021
While all of my couples come from different backgrounds and have different stories of how they met and fell in love, my absolute favorite couples all share the exact same trait: They are each other's person.
What's that mean? Well, it's simple really. When you find your person, you find the one person who can bring out the best of you and you're better with them than you'd ever be by yourself.
I thought a lot about the idea of "finding your person" at Amelia and Giuliana's wedding at Newport Vineyards in Middletown, Rhode Island ... and not just because Spencer Crandall's song "My Person" was literally what played during their first dance.
Amelia and Giuliana are a textbook example of finding the right person to spend the rest of your life with and whether it was bringing out the tears in one another during a sweet and sentimental first look or making each other cackle hysterically for most of the rest of the night, these two are a beautiful blend of personalities that's just inspiring to be around.
Perhaps that's why their November wedding day was one of my favorite weddings all year. That and the picture perfect sunset lighting. Oh and who could forget the shark and dinosaur costumes?
Yeah. This was my kind of couple. Without a doubt.
I knew before my time with Amelia and Giuliana even began that I was in for a busy day. I am a photographer who LOVES shooting bridal prep so, naturally, when I am working with two brides instead of one, there's a ton of running around and logistics involved to make sure I'm capturing the moments and memories both make in the hours leading up to their ceremony.
For Amelia and Giuliana, this meant going back and forth between two adjacent suites trying not to miss anything.
I started at the end of Amelia's makeup session and found my first bride pretty relaxed and quiet as she soaked in each minute. When I moved over to Giuliana, it was a completely different story as my second bride was having a blast playing music and cracking jokes with her bridesmaids. Those opposite styles were a theme for the day.
I can't say which bridal prep I preferred but I will say I'm glad these two were getting ready so close to one another as it gave me a great chance to take some nearly identical photos between the two of them. I love telling a good story with my bridal prep photos and Giuliana and Amelia both gave me plenty to work with.
There wasn't much, if any, stress on Amelia and Giuliana's wedding day. At least not for the two brides themselves. Me? Well, that's a slightly different story as I was a bit worried we'd lose sunlight before we got through Amelia and Giuliana's bride and bride portraits.
Thankfully, these two ladies were incredibly smart with how we structured their timeline and though we were roughly 15 minutes off our planned arrival for their first look, it was well worth it as it was one of the sweetest first looks I've seen all year.
Whether it was Giuliana getting emotional seeing Amelia waiting for her or the AMAZING look on Amelia's face when she turned around, these two did not disappoint when the grand reveal came.
The thing I appreciated the most about Amelia and Giuliana was how easy they were to work with. As we waited for their family members to arrive for family and wedding party formals, I made sure we banked at least a handful of bride and bride portraits just in case we lost the sunlight before we were finished.
These two were practically pros and we managed to knock out a couple of fun poses without moving very far. Perhaps most importantly, we even managed to finish family and wedding party formal photos with 13 minutes to spare before sunset.
I can't begin to express how happy I am things worked out so great for Amelia and Giuliana as far the timeline for the day goes. Right as we were finishing up their family and wedding party formals, the sun started to drop just enough to give me the undisputed best lighting I've had all year.
It's not even a discussion. The light looked so incredible at Newport Vineyards on this November afternoon that I legitimately stopped no less than three times to show these two brides some of the photos we were capturing. I may have been even more excited than they were!
It wasn't just the lighting that I loved during this part of Amelia and Giuliana's day, though. I adored how perfectly matched these two brides were and how they just "fit" together for some of my favorite same sex wedding portraits ever. I adored these photos and could have left Amelia and Giuliana's wedding right there content with it being the perfect day.
I'm glad I didn't, though, because the best was still somehow yet to come with these two as their wedding ceremony was absolutely adorable and a real testament to love and friendship.
Amelia and Giuliana technically got married in 2020 on the date of their originally-planned wedding but you'd never know that from the way they looked at one another during the "official official" ceremony one year later.
In front of the friends and family members they always wanted in attendance when they became wife and wife, these two brides had a beautiful, emotional and super sweet wedding ceremony full of touching anecdotes and plenty of laughs. I especially loved the way they couldn't stop smiling when they caught one another's eyes.
One of the nice things about taking care of the bulk of wedding party and family photos before Amelia and Giuliana's ceremony was the two brides could enjoy plenty of their cocktail hour spending time with those closest to them. I, meanwhile, was just glad I had a chance to photograph some of their beautiful details in the absolutely stunning ballroom of their venue. Talk about a picture perfect fall themed wedding reception.
I didn't know for sure but I had a sneaking suspicion Amelia and Giuliana's wedding reception would be a lot of fun. It took all of five seconds into their official introduction as wife and wife for my thoughts to be confirmed as the newlyweds set quite the tone with beautiful fans heralding their arrival.
And their first dance, set to the aforementioned "My Person" by Spencer Crandall, was as beautiful a moment as I've seen between two people all year.
What I loved about Amelia and Giuliana's reception was they never took themselves too seriously and, yet, they still managed to have a timeless, classic evening full of the standard moments you'd expect to see at a wedding.
Whether it was each lady's father-daughter dance or the pair of really sweet toasts each bride got from their respective maids of honor, the night walked the perfect line between overly emotional and sweet ... and hilarious.
No good reception is complete without a great party, though, and it didn't take long for me to see exactly what kind of night we were in for as Giuliana and Amelia's friends were all super outgoing and fun ... and excited to hit the dance floor once the music kicked in.
No matter where Giuliana or Amelia went during their reception, each bride made sure to enjoy the moment. I'm just glad I was able to document such an amazing reception as I could tell everyone in attendance was having a time they won't soon forget ...
And what better way for the two brides to cap the night a set of touching portraits wearing very special dinosaur and shark heads?
I admit, these photo booth photos might have caught me off guard but, honestly, I can think of no better way to sum up why I adored Amelia and Giuliana so much.
As I packed up my gear and headed home from Amelia and Giuliana's wedding day, I couldn't help but laugh to myself at just how fun the afternoon was.
Weddings are events far too many couples take far too seriously so I always appreciate when folks can relax and be themselves regardless of how "big" the moment is. Giuliana and Amelia stayed true to themselves throughout their entire wedding day and it's a big reason why it was such a memorable event and one of the biggest highlights of my 2021.
So, thank you Amelia and Giuliana for reminding me how much of a good time wedding photography can be and how nice it is to see couples that make each other the best versions of themselves. I'd wish you luck as you enter the second full year of your lives together as wife and wife but it's very, very clear you're crushing it already so just keep doing what you're doing and enjoy every moment along the way. I don't doubt that you will.
-Paul J. Spetrini
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
The Vendor List:
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Giuliana's Dress: David's Bridal; Amelia's Hair and Make-up: Verde Salon; Amelia's Dress: New York Lace; Florist: Only Prettier Design; Ceremony & Reception: Newport Vineyards, Middletown, Rhode Island; DJ: Tom Cream; Photo Booth: Photo Nook Co.; Cupcakes: Bella Brianne's Cupcakes.