Blog— Weddings — Rhode Island — 2021 —
Wyndham Newport Hotel Wedding Photos
Allegra & Nick*
Saint Mary's Parish, Bristol, Rhode Island &
Wyndham Newport Hotel, Newport, Rhode Island
May 22nd, 2021
One of the core reasons why I love wedding photography more than any other type of work I do is, without a doubt, every single shoot is full of moments and memories you know a couple will cherish for the rest of their lives.
And, every now and again, there are moments that are so fun and amazing that even I get up in the emotions and impacted.
That's exactly what happened during Allegra and Nick's May wedding at the Wyndham Newport Hotel. In what was my first assignment for George Street Photography in three years, I met Allegra and Nick the afternoon they said 'I do' but by the end of the night, I felt like I had known them for years.
More importantly, because we'd had so much fun on this day, by the time they had a spontaneous dance erupt right after their first dance, I don't know if it was the joy in the room or the fact that, for the first time, it felt like the coronavirus pandemic was truly over, but all the emotions of the moment I was living through hit me right in the feels.
And, honestly, I live for this stuff. With a camera by my side, there's nothing I'd rather experience than moments like these. And the photos? Oh, they're exactly why I do what I do and why I love this genre of photography so, so much.
* These photos were taken as part of my work as a second photographer for George Street Photography
and are presented here strictly for portfolio/display purposes.
My coverage of Nick and Allegra's day begun with the tail end of Nick's jam-packed groom prep. Stuffed in a hotel suite with his TEN groomsmen, there was so much to see and so much to shoot as Nick finished getting dressed. Thankfully, the groom was all smiles and not at all stressed about things falling behind schedule and by the time we hit the party bus and headed to the church for him to say "I do," I could tell he was already having the time of his life.
Nick and Allegra were married at St. Mary's Parish in Bristol, Rhode Island, a lovely church I've been to many times. The distance from the hotel to the church was a full half hour and I think that made Nick's day even sweeter as it gave him and his groomsmen time to party on their bus to the church and make memories I know he'll never forget.
Because once the ceremony started, Nick's attention turned exclusively to his bride. And with good reason. Not only was she stunning but she was all emotion walking down the aisle and it was beautiful to see.
Nick and Allegra's ceremony was a traditional Catholic one and, while I prefer smaller bridal parties in general, their combined 20 bridesmaids and groomsmen standing at the altar with them actually worked well in this church and provided a great backdrop to several lovely photos of the bride and groom as they exchanged vows and rings and became husband and wife.
From the moment Nick and Allegra raised their hands as husband and wife, the party was on. With a short ride to Colt State Park for their formal photos, the bride and groom took full advantage of the loud speakers and rocked out to some of their favorite tracks as we gathered everyone together for family, wedding party and bride and groom portraits.
While I largely played the role of person-wrangler during formal photos, as I typically do when I'm a second shooter, I did manage to snag some fun shots of the groom with his groomsmen.
Once we were down to Nick and Allegra, meanwhile, I couldn't help but grab alternate angles from what the lead photographer was capturing and I think they came out pretty great if I do say so myself.
I was especially thrilled to hit one last location in the park, this one in shade, before we headed back to the party bus and hotel on the way to the reception. They were easily my favorite formals of the entire day.
With formal photos taken care of, Nick, Allegra, their 20-member bridal party and I make a rowdy trip back to the Wyndham Newport Hotel and I arrived just in time to capture some of their beautiful details before they were introduced to the large crowd for the first time officially, kickstarting what I knew would be a wild reception.
I love the Wyndham Newport Hotel for a couple of reasons but the biggest, by far, is how great it is to shoot a first dance at. Seriously. This location is stunning and gives a big ballroom feel to the first big moment of a bride and groom's reception and Nick and Allegra took full advantage with one of my favorite first dances in quite some time as their friends and family looked on.
More impressively, in a moment I won't soon forget, Nick and Allegra's first dance gave way to a three-song medley of party songs where everyone jumped to the dance floor and the bride and groom spontaneously jumped on the drums of their live band.
It was an unplanned and beautiful moment that it caught me off guard briefly and, I admit, choked me up a little as it was so rewarding to see a couple truly rock out. I missed moments like this during 2020 and I'm so glad they're coming back and coming back meaning so much more than ever before.
Seriously. It's going to take a LOT for something else this year to live up to how amazing this moment was for me.
My time with Nick and Allegra came to an end moments after this first dance/dance party medley and, honestly, I can't think of a better way for me to have wrapped my coverage of their big day.
It's not often I leave a second shooting wedding feeling like I got to know the bride and groom and, although I only spent a few hours with Nick and Allegra, I'm so glad I was able to be a part of their big day.
I have no doubt the rest of their wedding lived up to the hype their reception began with and, honestly, there's no better way in my opinion for a bride and groom to jumpstart their life together as husband and wife.
So congratulations Nick and Allegra on an amazing wedding and best of luck in this new chapter of your life.
-Paul J. Spetrini
