Blog— Weddings — Rhode Island — 2021 —
Quonset 'O' Club Wedding Photos
Evan & Alex
Quonset 'O' Club, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
May 15th, 2021
If there's one commonality between all my 2021 wedding clients, particularly those getting married in the spring, it's that's patience is a virtue.
With the coronavirus pandemic slowly coming to an end, many of these brides and grooms found themselves in a pit of uncertainty when it came to social gathering restrictions and other rules and regulations that could have hampered their day ... or prevented it from occurring entirely.
Evan and Alex were easily the couple I worried most about. With a wedding set for mid May in Rhode Island, a state slow to repeal many of the most cautious of rules, I didn't know until the day before what their wedding might look like. Thankfully, this bride and groom never lost sight of what truly mattered in all of their planning: Walking down the aisle to say "I do" to the love of their lives.
In that way, Evan and Alex's wedding was always going to be a success but once revised guidance removed most of the rules around weddings right before their big day, we knew we were on pace for an amazing wedding that felt very much like pre-pandemic times.
And judging from the day itself, everyone in attendance truly didn't realize how much we all needed that.
My coverage of Evan and Alex's wedding day began with one of the most relaxed bridal prep sessions I've ever been a part of as I arrived to find a nearly ready bride fresh off of her hair and make-up appointments and a grand total of four people on hand in all.
I was really grateful to see how relaxed and nearly ready-to-go Alex was when my time started with her and, for about an hour, we loosely hang around waiting to head out to the ceremony while her mother, father and maid of honor rotated between getting ready and watching a movie.
It was a very low-stress kind of afternoon and would set the pace for the exact wedding Alex spent years planning.
I knew from Alex and Evan's engagement session last fall that this bride and groom had a very relaxed, casual vibe about them and that was apparent from the moment I arrived at the Quonset 'O' Club for their ceremony and reception.
While the groom looked a tiny bit nervous, it didn't take him long to settle into comfortability as more and more of their guests arrived and he waited to see his bride walk down the aisle.
And once she did? The look on his face said it all.
Alex and Evan's ceremony was held under a set of beautiful trees that really drove home the mid-spring vibe of the day and while their engagement session fell on a dark and moody day in East Greenwich, there was no hiding the bright sunshine as they exchanged their rings and vows.
I loved this ceremony for a lot of reasons but the biggest, by far, was just how many times I caught the two of them laser-locked on each other with a huge ear-to-ear smile on their face.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how much these two love each other and, in this moment, there was simply no denying it. These two were present in their ceremony and I know, without a doubt, as they exchanged their promises to each other, there was no place in the world they'd rather be.
After Alex and Evan kissed and made their marriage official, we transitioned to the formal photo portion of their day and it was an absolute pleasure to see how happy they were and how eager they were to grab group shots with those closest to them, many they hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
While I could have worked with this bride and groom for hours, I tried my hardest to limit our bride and groom portraits to give them more time to spend with guests during their cocktail hour and I think that was a wise choice. Of course, it doesn't hurt that we were able to rapidly capture a bunch of great shots of the bride and groom at their ceremony location and in front of a beautiful stone wall the 'O' Club has that provided some great shade.
As I made my way inside the 'O' Club, I was thrilled to be back at the timeless venue for a reception. The venue is owned by a husband and wife team that are among my favorite people in the industry and they do a wonderful job making every wedding feel special.
I especially loved the way Alex and Evan leaned into the red and gold theme of the big banquet room with decorations that felt right at home and knew this was going to be a really fun reception once the music hit later that night.
I didn't have to wait long either. Right from their first dance — set to "You Make It Easy" by Jason Aldean — Alex and Evan were beaming with smiles and beautiful moments together.
I mean, technically it was even before the first dance as they rolled into the reception hall like they just won the Super Bowl. Which, when you find the love of your life and get to spend forever with them, you kind of did.
Evan and Alex's wedding reception was full of moments you could just tell were a lifetime coming. I particularly loved the pair's parent dances as Alex danced with her father and stepfather and Evan danced with his mother. All three dances had little moments between the participants where you could see exactly what they were thinking without them saying a word and it made for some of my favorite candids of the year thus far.
But no good wedding reception is complete without a huge party and while 2020 nixed most of the big bashes I'm accustomed to seeing at a wedding, 2021 ain't about that life.
This year, the dance floors will be rocking and the guests are going to let loose and that's exactly how things played out with Alex, Evan and those in attendance to celebrate their love.
After a slow start — likely due to the bride and groom rounding up various groups of family members to say thanks and grab formal photos with in an adjourning room — Alex and Evan took to the dance floor and the party came with them.
This was a GREAT night of dancing, laughing and loving and I'm so glad this bride and groom got to experience it, particularly when it looked like it might not be allowed for nearly a full year ahead of this night.
I was fortunate enough to be booked until the end of Evan and Alex's reception and I'm so glad that I was as their party never let up and only got more fun as the night went along. To me, that's the best way to know exactly what kind of wedding day you had: these guests did not want to leave.
And I can't blame them, honestly. Alex and Evan had an incredible wedding day from start to finish and it was so, so worth the wait.
So, thank you Evan and Alex for including me on your journey down the aisle and, more importantly, than you for staying true to your vision of what your wedding day would be. It most certainly paid off and is a day I know neither you, nor I, will soon forget.
-Paul J. Spetrini
