Kristen & Brett
Private Residence, Warwick, Rhode Island (Ceremony & Reception)
September 21st, 2025
There aren't a lot of things I miss about the pandemic era of wedding photography but one thing I absolutely grew to love about that time of my career was how stripped down weddings became. Instead of big, elaborate 150-guest affairs in giant ballrooms, I shot small family events with less than a dozen people on hand.
I think that's why Kristen and Brett's September wedding in Warwick, Rhode Island spoke to me so much. Instead of a "traditional" venue and a large, expensive day, this pair kept their day as simple as possible: They got married in a backyard, inside a tent, with a handful of tables and not much else.
But, the thing is, they didn't need much else. No, this was a day for Kristen and Brett to share their love for one another with the people they love in an intimate setting that felt like welcoming guests into your home. And that feeling of 'being home' was what defined their wedding day most.
There were a lot of reasons I was looking forward to Kristen and Brett's wedding day but chief among them was that they were saying 'I do' down the street from my house. While I don't mind traveling to get to a wedding, I love knowing I've got a short trip to my couple and it puts me at ease right off the bat.
Not that there would be much to be stressed about on this beautiful fall afternoon. I arrived to see the bride and groom mingling with their guests during a pre-ceremony cocktail hour and the mood was super chill as I took some time to grab photos of the decor the soon-to-be newlyweds put out.
I really dug the backyard cookout vibe of Kristen and Brett's cocktail hour and thought it set a wonderful tone for how this day would go. But that's not to say it was without it's emotional moments.
As we prepared to start the ceremony, the vibe inside the tent where Kristen and Brett would soon say "I do" shifted as Kristen walked down a makeshift aisle toward her father, who had mobility issues and would walk the final couple steps with her.
It was a poignant moment and one where everyone felt how much this day meant to the couple and how special it would truly be.
Kristen and Brett's wedding ceremony was roughly ten minutes long, which I've always contended is a solid time for a backyard wedding, and deeply personal. Not only did the pair have a family member officiating but they took time to write some of the sweetest vows I heard this year and those vows hit that tent HARD. In the best way.
I especially loved the hand-fastening ceremony Kristen and Brett told to symbolically express their union and by the time the ropes were removed and their first kiss shared, there weren't any folks on site who weren't at least a bit touched emotionally by the beautiful moment we all just witnessed.
Following their ceremony, Kristen and Brett were set to take their formal photos. I asked the pair where they wanted to go for these shots and had scouted a nice little area down the street I thought could work but, keeping with the theme of the day, they decided to just keep them to the front yard of the home they said "I do" in.
I didn't mind the idea and neither, apparently, did their pup who wanted to be part of the photos as well.
Kristen and Brett's formal photos may not have been extravagant or elaborate but they were certainly them and fit this bride and groom perfectly.
Given the casual nature of Kristen and Brett's wedding thus far, I truly had no idea what to expect from their reception as they were very much into doing their own thing and going with the flow.
I did love that the pair kicked off this portion of their wedding day with two toasts before getting into the dance-related formalities of the evening's itinerary.
Kristen and Brett didn't have a lot of formalities planned for their reception but they made sure each meant something big. You could especially see this during their first dance as the newlyweds took to center stage and held each other while “I Don’t want to Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith played.
It was a beautiful moment but made even better by the undeniable look of love and admiration each had on their faces.
I love tent receptions but I sometimes fear when the tent is a bit on the small side that the magnitude of big moments will get lost. Luckily, that wasn't the case for Kristen and Brett's wedding. In fact, the small nature of the tent they held their reception in actually made their moments feel that much MORE intimate.
I loved Brett's dance with his mother but the emotional dance Kristen had with her dad really warmed my heart. Talk about a beautiful moment. Even if there wasn't a single word said, this moment spoke volumes.
At the end of Kristen and Brett's parent dances, I found myself with a full hour left of coverage of their wedding and not much else to do.
Kristen and Brett's guests weren't much of a dancing crowd and most spent the rest of the night hanging outside and talking and there wasn't much of any dancing. But there didn't need to be. Sometimes the best weddings are the ones where people just enjoy each other's company.
Thankfully, I still had a cake cutting left to photograph and enough time to set up a night time gel shot before I took off.
As I hopped in my car and left Kristen and Brett's wedding, I was so incredibly thankful to only live four minutes away from where they got married as I couldn't wait to see the story of their day all put together on my computer screen.
I think that says a lot about these two and now, months later, their wedding remains one that makes me smile for its simplicity, authenticity and downright adorableness.
So, thank you Kristen and Brett for a reminder that it's not how big your wedding is that matters, it's how meaningful it is and, in that regard, you guys crushed it. I wish you all the best in your new chapter together as husband and wife. :)
