I had been talking with Joe and Gordon over emails for a little over a year before their wedding day. Since these two were planning from afar in California, we hadn’t been able to meet until their wedding day. All of the phone calls and emails made me feel like I knew them but it was so nice to meet them in-person.
It was an extremely hot day, I believe it was the first 90 plus degree day of the season. So it was nice that they were getting ready in the cool AC in the NYLO Hotel in Warwick, RI. Their wedding day started with me photographing Joe and Gordon separately with their respective wedding attendants in each room. It was filled with so much laughter and emotion, and was the perfect start to the day. A surprise that they had for all of their guests was that though the wedding attire was black and white for all of the guests, the two grooms each had stunning colorful jackets.
Each accessory that the men had for their wedding day had a story behind it, and brought in all of their loved ones (both present and those who had passed on). There were several emotionally charged moments including when the two best men helped Gordon put on cufflinks, which were made of photos of their friends who had passed on. One of my favorite moments of the day was when Joe and Gordon had their first look. They were both so overjoyed to see each other and the moment almost made me cry because it was so sweet.
After their first look there were lots of cheers with champagne, bridal party photos that mimicked the movie “Bridesmaids,” and lots of hugs. From there we went over to their ceremony and reception site Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. Their ceremony room was stunningly decorated with florals and candles everywhere. Once there, after everyone got their boutonnieres and bouquets we did a few more bridal party portraits and family portraits. It was really nice, we got all of the group portraits done before the ceremony so that during cocktail hour these two could just enjoy and be there with their guests.
The ceremony was joyful and emotion-filled. Their friend Curtis read a passage from the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, and their friend Jennie read another passage on love. A tradition of passing the ring around to all of the guests took place, they also described the rings and why they had picked those ones. There was a ring for the past, a ring for the present, and a ring for the future. These rings encompassed all of their love story which I thought was incredibly powerful. There were touching stories, and beautiful vows spoken by Joe and Gordon, it was such a emotional and beautiful ceremony that definitely made me cry.
After the ceremony Joe and Gordon got to celebrate with all of their guests at cocktail hour, and then that led into the absolutely gorgeous reception. Their reception room was decorated impeccably and witnessing their reactions when they saw the room all set up was incredible. Introductions took place, and then Joe and Gordon shared their first dance to an acoustic version of the song, “Unconditionally” by Katy Perry.
The night continued with beautiful toasts by the Best Men, “NAMES,” and Maid of Honor, “NAME” that highlighted how beautiful their friendships are with these three and how much these two grooms mean to their friends. Again, I almost cried. After the meals were served, there was a sweet dance with Joe and his mom to the song, “The Perfect Fan,” and an emotional dance with Gordon and his sister to the song, “Hero.”
After a cake cutting, the fun began. These two came prepared for the dancing portion of the reception with baskets of glow sticks, greenery wreaths, and more for guests to use for dancing. DJ Valentina totally killed it with amazing songs, and almost everyone there was up on the dance floor. It was one of those wedding receptions that I totally wished I was a guest for, because I had so much fun photographing all the dancing and everyone was just having so much fun. Congratulations again to this amazingly sweet and kind couple, I am so happy to have been a part of your wedding day!!
