Time for another real wedding! This one is so much fun; you don't just feel the love, you feel the absolute joy! Jen is a southern girl (hello, Dallas!) who got married at the New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI. This wedding has so many sweet details -- gorgeous location, beautiful flowers, bespoke jewelry -- but my favorites have to be the ever-present smiles of the bride and groom.
What was your wedding day vision? Were you going for a certain look or feel?
We definitely wanted something simple, classic, and easy-going. We wanted it to feel like a really fun party. Our location was such a formal environment, at least inside, that we wanted everything else to be much more laidback. The yacht club interior is a gorgeous old mansion that is classic New England – so we felt it was important to keep everything else more in tune with our personality. We tried to incorporate (and yes that also means USE) our friends as much as possible - a friend officiated the wedding, another friend was the DJ, and my mother’s friends did the flowers. We had cupcakes instead of a large wedding cake. We did passed apps, a risotto station and an antipasto station instead of a formal sit down dinner.
We were also incredibly thankful for the gorgeous weather we had – as it allowed us to host cocktails on the lawn overlooking the Newport harbor.

What was the one decor element that you felt brought that vision to life and why?
One thing I knew I had to have at the wedding was an old fashioned photobooth – it wasn’t going to add anything to the décor per se, but it sure did make for a fantastic night for guests and a super fun album for us.
When I started to look at overall styles for the wedding – I fell in love with a photo of Eva Mendes from the Golden Globes a few years back. She had a stunning white column dress with the most amazing turquoise and diamond statement necklace. I honestly think the wedding started with this idea of a big turquoise necklace. It might not be considered décor – but it really brought everything to life for me.



Favorite part of the wedding day?
It’s hard to narrow it down to one part – but there were three moments that stand out. 1) we did photos BEFORE the ceremony. And our “first look” photos are so fun to look back at – I wasn’t nervous at all about the day, but that moment took me by surprise. 2) our vows. We wrote our own. They were short and sweet but they were personal and special. I cried. And I don’t cry! 3) the speeches. We have the greatest friends ever and their toasts were funny, touching, and perfect.




Advice to fellow brides?
Make sure your wedding reflects you and your husband to be. Also remember the closer you get, the more chaotic it will be and the less you can do about it. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to go with the flow. It’s a day of celebration – it should be FUN! Don’t get hung up on the little details because most people won’t even notice.

- Ceremony venue: New York Yacht Club, Newport, RI
- Reception venue: New York Yacht Club, Newport, RI
- Bride's attire: Nicole Miller (dress), Charles David (shoes), custom necklace
- Groom's attire: J.Crew (suit), Banana Republic (shoes), Paul Smith (socks)
- Photographer: Kendall Pavan at Zenobia Photography Studios – Greenwich, RI
- Wedding coordinator: The bride and her mother
- Cake: Mad Hatter Bakery - Newport, RI
- Music: DJ Baron
- Florist: Bouquets & Boutonnieres: Sayles Livingston Flowers; others by Jen's mom and friends
- Invitations: UnlessSomeoneLikeYou.com (Leslie Hamer)
- Programs: Wedding Paper Divas
- Other rentals: Photobooth Planet - Mystic, CT
- Hair: Jenny Kay - Middletown, RI
- Make-up: Jenny Kay - Middletown, RI