Tricia & Kevin
St Brendan Parish in Riverside, Rhode Island (Ceremony) & The Providence Biltmore in Providence, Rhode Island (Reception)
October 14th, 2017
One of the things I love the most about weddings is the grand spectacle of it all.
While it is certainly true that for some couples, less is more, for others, a wedding day is a giant celebration of love and a way to kick-start their future together and is treated as such.
Tricia and Kevin were one of those types of couples and their wedding ceremony and reception were giant events that I could tell were years in the making. And with the largest guest list I've ever seen at a wedding, it was obvious this was a day that meant a lot to a lot of people.
More importantly, however, I could see how much it meant to this bride and groom as they picked one of the best days of the fall to get married and the entire afternoon went off without a hitch.
And this truly was a day to celebrate a life-changing moment for this couple, complete with a call-back to how they met, a beautiful ride around downtown Providence in a breath-taking antique car and a reception at one of the nicest venues downtown Providence has to offer.
In a word, it was perfect. And, as anyone who has met Tricia and Kevin knows pretty early on, they deserved nothing less.
My coverage of Tricia and Kevin's wedding day began with one of the most fun and laid-back bridal prep sessions I've ever had.
As I expected, Tricia wasn't a stressed out bride and took a lot of time on her big day soaking in the moments but never getting too emotional.
I enjoyed spending time with this bride to be as her friends and family all had a palpable excitement on their face as they watched her prepare to walk down the aisle. It was clear early on that this day meant a lot to these folks and was one they dreamed about for a long time.
Not that I can blame them. Tricia was a stunning bride and I knew long before she even put her dress on that we were in for a truly special day.
One of the nicest things about shooting bridal prep with Tricia was that the church she and Kevin selected, St. Brendan Parish in Riverside, Rhode Island, was down the street from Tricia's parents house. That meant we wasted no time in arriving to her ceremony on time and I could tell from the moment I saw the groom that he was ready to get the show on the road.
Kevin's smile was contagious from the moment I walked into the church and their beautiful Catholic ceremony was a delight to watch in one of the coolest lit churches I've seen in a long time.
One of my favorite aspects of Tricia and Kevin's wedding day was just how well everything worked out timing wise.
By the time we headed out from the church and made our way to the Statehouse, where the bride and groom would have their formal photos taken, we could see the sun starting to peak out from the clouds.
And by the time we were ready for bride and groom portraits? The weather couldn't have been much better if we tried.
If I had to narrow Tricia and Kevin's wedding day down to one moment, however, it would be the one that immediately followed our time at the Statehouse.
In my first consultations with this bride and groom, they told me about the night they met at a local bar called Bravo deep in the heart of downtown Providence. As their reception was taking place right at the Biltmore, practically a stone's throw away from where they met, we just couldn't resist the urge to stop in and bring their love story full circle.
And, yes, that was the bartender on duty the night they met. Talk about a cool moment.
With formal photos out of the way, it was time for Tricia and Kevin to make their way to the Biltmore and, man, I had no idea how big this party was going to be until I made it to the top floor of the building and saw the sea of humanity mingling amidst the giant cocktail hour rooms inside the venue.
All told, Tricia and Kevin had over 200 guests to their special day and it showed when we all filed into the Biltmore's grand ballroom.
I especially loved the genuine excitement Tricia and Kevin had on their faces as they entered their reception and rolled right into their first dance, the beautifully appropriate "Dancing in the moonlight" by King Harvest.
I don't know if they could have started their reception off in a better way and that was pretty clear as once we got through a blessing and two toasts by the best man and maid of honor, their guests wasted no time jumping onto the dance floor before dinner was even served.
Yeah. This was going to be a night to remember.
The nice thing about Tricia and Kevin's wedding reception was how spread out all of the marquee events were. With the always great Massachusetts-based band Guilty Pleasure performing, the night was full of great music and the bride and groom made sure to sprinkly in their big moments so the crowd was never off the dance floor long.
Tricia and Kevin made great use of the Biltmore's grand ballroom and their dance floor was PACKED from the start of the first song until the final few moments of the night.
And, perhaps most importantly, the bride and groom were almost always in the thick of things with their guests and while they spent plenty of time mingling with friends and family members, they made sure to cut loose as much as possible too. It was really a nice balance to see.
By the time my time with Tricia and Kevin came to an end, there wasn't a single thing I could think of that we hadn't done.
Not only did we shoot hours worth of fun candid moments on the dance floor but we were able to take an extended break and bring the bride and groom downstairs for night formals in the Biltmore's beautiful central lobby.
It was the perfect way to cap a night that went off exactly as we all imagined it but still managed to be better than expected.
There's not a lot of times when I walk out of a wedding thinking there's not a single thing I would have changed about the entire day but Tricia and Kevin's day was certainly that way.
An amazing bride and groom, a beautiful day where the weather was perfect AND a sweet love story that we had ample time to document?
Who could ask for more?
So congratulations Tricia and Kevin. if your married life is anything like your wedding day was, you're in for a lifetime full of love, laughter and moments worth remembering forever. And I know your wedding day is one I won't forget any time soon.
-PJS
Tags: St Brendan Parish, The Providence Biltmore, Rhode Island Weddings, Providence, Paul J. Spetrini Photography
The Vendor List
Photographer: Paul J. Spetrini Paul J. Spetrini Photography; Hair: Courtney Carvalho; Makeup: Rachel at Gilmore Flower Shop; Tricia's Dress: Wishing Well Bridal; Tricia's Shoes: Badgley Mischley; Kevin's Suit: Jos A. Bank; Ceremony Location: St. Brendan Parish; Reception Location: The Providence Biltmore Hotel; Antique Car Service and Limo Transportation: Newport Limo; Officiant: Msgr John Darcy; Band: Guilty Pleasure; Cake: Kayla Morris of Cakes by Kayla.
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