Rob & Allie
South Ferry Church (Ceremony) & The Towers (Reception) in Narragansett, Rhode Island
October 7th, 2018
As a wedding photographer, there are some shoots that are so stressful all you can do is take a deep sigh of relief when it's finally over. But every once in a while, if you're lucky, a wedding day goes so smoothly and a couple is so delightful to work with that you can't stop smiling on your way out of the venue.
And that's exactly what happened to me as I walked to my car on a beautiful fall evening back in October following Rob and Allie's amazingly casual and downright fun wedding at the Towers in Narragansett.
I knew working with Rob and Allie, perhaps one of the most down-to-Earth couples I've ever met, would be a breeze after their super fun engagement session on a farm in Chepachet but I had no idea just how much their laidback vibe would envelope the entire wedding day.
This was a day where there was absolutely no pressure on anyone in or out of the wedding party, where all the important things went according to plan and anything that didn't wasn't important to begin with and the bride and groom got to celebrate how they always imagined they would.
And if that's not the very definition of an ideal wedding day, I don't know what is.
My coverage of Rob & Allie's wedding day began at Per Caso Salon in Smithfield, Rhode Island. While I arrived at the tail end of bridal prep and Allie herself was all but finished with her hair and makeup, the salon still offered lots of great chances for candid photos of the bride getting ready.
I really enjoyed this part of the day as Allie was visibly excited and constantly smiling as the minutes to her wedding ticked away, no doubt helped by her two really fun and funny bridesmaids who kept everyone at ease.
Following our time at the salon, we made our way to Allie's grandmother's house where she would take care of final preparations before heading down to the reception venue and putting on her dress.
This was the part of the day that, to me, spoke volumes about how this wedding would go as we found out late that there was a slight mix-up with the planned transportation and the limo wouldn't be arriving for a full HOUR after it was supposed to.
In the vast majority of weddings I've photographed, this would be a threat level 5 meltdown of epic proportions that could have single-handidly ruined the entire day. it wasn't that way for Allie, though, as just shrugged her shoulders, accepted there was no use stressing out over it and remained confident we'd figure it all out eventually.
And that's what we did. With a little bit of rearranging and some (thankfully) brisk traffic on the ride down to Narragansett, Allie arrived at the Towers with plenty of time before her ceremony to get dressed and do two first looks, first with her dad and later with Rob himself.
While I was initially disappointed Rob wasn't much of a crier and didn't show much emotion during the first look, I understood this is just who he is and could see in his interactions with Allie how much this moment really meant.
It was the same way during their ceremony, too, as Rob and Allie chose to cast away the traditionally long Church wedding and, instead, got in and out of the beautiful South Ferry Church in Narragansett in SEVEN MINUTES flat.
Shooting a ceremony as brief as Rob and Allie's always presents itself with some interesting challenges but, overall, I feel like we got just enough to capture the spirit and feel of the event.
And, thankfully, the quick nature of their nuptials made it easy to get back on track timeline wise, allowing us plenty of time to shoot formal photos, first at the church and later outside of their reception venue on the beach in Narragansett.
I really love Rob and Allie's photos with their wedding party but it was their bride and groom portraits that made the day for me. Much like they had done during their engagement session, Rob and Allie breezed through these photos and looked totally natural regardless of the ridiculous poses I put them in.
And it didn't hurt that we had a beautiful, sunny afternoon to play with either.
Following their bride and groom portraits, Rob and Allie made their way into the Towers for the start of their reception. I love the way this venue looks inside for a fall wedding and Rob and Allie really made the most of the decor with their first dance near the string lights on the ceiling.
Suffice to say, I adore these photos and think they capture this bride and groom perfectly.
One of the things I loved the most about Rob and Allie's wedding was how laidback the entire day was. Sure, they had all the traditional beats of a wedding reception but generally speaking, these moments weren't over the top.
Following their beautiful first dance, the pair sat for dinner and kick started the second half of the night with a low key cake cutting and a pair of super sweet parent dances.
It was after these parent dances that we had MY favorite moment of the night, as evidence by the photo that started this blog off.
Now, I've done the "stand outside The Towers" photo a few times in my wedding career. It's a slightly unsafe photo to set up as you're sitting in the middle of the road but I've never had the police called on me. Until this night.
Thankfully, Narragansett's finest understood we were only going to need a few minutes to finish what we were doing and we were going about it as safely as possible with Allie's bridesmaids helping direct traffic.
We got our shot, stayed outside for a few more and headed back inside, laughing all the way.
I can't think of a better way to have launched the open dance floor. And what a dance floor it was.
I loved a lot of things about Rob & Allie's wedding day but I was especially fond of their reception as the two had a room full of people rocking out all night and, despite walking around and spending as much time as possible with their guests, the bride and groom ALWAYS found time for each other on the dance floor.
As Rob and Allie's wedding reception started to wind down, I was a little worried we didn't have a "signature moment" to cap the night off with. Typically, this is a dance or spontaneous event that people talk about for years.
While I'm sure the near arrest for a night photo would have served admirably in this capacity, to me the moment that stole the show was still to come.
That moment? One of the last songs of the night as Rob and Allie danced to "Look After You" by the Fray. I had never heard this song before and the combination of it playing, Rob and Allie dancing in a circle surrounded by friends and the way they looked at each other was one of the sweetest, most genuine moments I've ever seen at a wedding.
Seriously. When I got home from their wedding, I added it to my Spotify playlist and have been listening to it since. It's such a great song, heightened in a huge way by an even better moment.
By the time I walked out of Rob and Allie's wedding reception, I couldn't stop smiling. And with good reason.
It's rare that a wedding day is as relaxed and fun as this couple's was but, more importantly, it's rare that you can truly sense how much the bride and groom are loving every moment as it happens the way these two did.
I adored Rob and Allie's wedding day and think the photos are a great reflection of the fun we had together and the life they have with one another.
And if the wedding is a sign of things to come for this bride and groom, they're only just getting started making amazing moments and memories they'll never forget.
-PJS
Tags: Rhode Island Weddings, South County Weddings, South Ferry Church, The Towers,
Narragansett, Paul J. Spetrini Photography.
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini, Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Bride's Hair and Make-up: Per Caso Salon; Bride's Dress: The Bridal Shoppe; Groom's Suit: The Groom Store by Franklin Rogers; Florist: Mother Nature's, Seven Cedars Farm; Ceremony Location: South Ferry Church, Narragansett, Rhode Island; Reception Location: The Towers, Narragansett, Rhode Island; Officiant: Armand Desmaris; DJ: Seann Jackson from MusicMixers Entertainment; Cake/Catering: Pranzi.
Check out more of my most recent wedding blogs:
Justine & Jon
Twelve Acres,
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Date: October 6th, 2018
Amanda & Josh (Wedding)
Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date: October 1st, 2018
Nicole & Dan
The Towers,
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Date: September 22nd, 2018
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