Newport Vineyards Wedding, Middletown RI: Jessica and Kyle

What were you most excited about before the wedding?

We were most excited to see how everything would come together. During all the planning, there’s so many moving pieces, and it’s hard to imagine everything as one.

What moments did you love the most after your wedding?

Relaxing! The wedding stress is real (even if you think it won’t get to you – it will!). We also really enjoyed talking with family and friends and hearing their stories from the wedding day. It was really fun to listen to everyone’s different experiences.

What was the best decision you made for your wedding? 

We decided very early on that we wanted a “wear whatever you’re comfortable in” dress code. That by far was the best decision we made. It was so awesome to see friends and family in everything from shorts and t-shirts to floor-length gowns and suits, and we heard from so many appreciative guests about how they were so happy to be able to wear what they wanted.

When thinking about how to share this day with your friends and family what were the most import factors? 

We definitely wanted a wedding on the smaller side. It was really important for us to be present with our guests, so that the day would be more intimate for both them and us. Keeping the guest count on the low end is what allowed us to make sure we were able to spend a little bit of time with everyone. We also knew that we wanted our wedding to have an indoor/outdoor feel, and Newport Vineyards ended up being the perfect setting.

Which images did you love the most, any one specific ones and why? 

We both really enjoyed all the candids. We loved going through the photos and seeing the genuine reactions and emotions of our guests throughout the wedding, because a lot of that we weren’t able to see for ourselves in real time. Hands down though, the best picture is the one where Kyle’s dad (George) ended up with Jess’ veil in his face as the recessional began. There is a sequence of a few photos where you can see the build up to what’s about to happen, and then George has his hands in the air, the veil across his face, and all of our attendants are dying laughing. Neither one of us had any idea that even happened, so it was hilarious to go through the pictures and see that.

If you shared a little advice for couples going through this process what would be the biggest take away?

Don’t procrastinate! There are a lot of little yet time consuming things that will sneak up on you during the last couple weeks, so whatever you can do in advance – do it! And make sure that you carve away some time (even if it’s just ten minutes) for the two of you to spend alone with each other during the wedding day. You will be busy, and overwhelmed, and it is easy to forget to take in the moment. This day only happens once, so make sure you get some time to truly enjoy it.