An East Coast Wedding | The Details Part I
November 19th, 2024
September 29th, 2023, I stood by my best friend’s side on her wedding day and consulted all of the small yet beautifully thoughtful details that went into it. Although she had a day-of coordinator, everything was planned by us, and I couldn’t have been prouder of the outcome. Jackie pulled off one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve seen, and I feel so many brides out there could benefit from sharing every detail, and the thought processes behind them in assisting in curating their own special day.
The Venue
Always the first decision a bride makes, and Jackie wasn’t expecting hers. Jackie and Mitch met and spent the first 3.5 years of their relationship in Boston, so she always imagined it would be the location of their wedding until they started touring venues and soon realized a wedding in the city was not the vibe or the price tag she was looking for. Expanding their search to neighboring coastal towns was when they found The Belle Mer in Newport, RI. Jackie leaned heavily towards the Cape, where they spent many special weekends throughout their relationship, but the thought of her guest list consisting of mostly out-of-town guests had her quickly deciding Newport was the perfect location for their special day, given its proximity to the Providence Airport and ease of travel from one event to the next.
The Photographer
Another incredibly important decision, and Jackie’s was based on the style she was looking for. Hedi Field's authenticity and genuine connection with us won me from the start. She made me feel she was our best friend, greeting me with the biggest hug and making sure I was by Jackie’s side in every photo. She was with us from start to finish and was such a huge part of the day. I couldn’t recommend her enough if you, too, share her style of photography.
The Invitations
The invitations are a huge staple in a wedding design, because they require a bride to the fonts and style that’ll be carried throughout the rest of her wedding day. I believe the style of your invitation should match the style of the rest of your paper goods and signage. That means you are determining the brand for the entire wedding itself. Jackie used Shine Wedding Invitations with an elegant black and white front, a beautiful blue watercolor envelope, and a gold wax seal.
The Room Block
Jackie went with the Hampton Inn Newport for her room block. It was the perfect spot for guests to stay affordably. The free continental breakfast and large gathering area played a huge role in the weekend, including parting goodbyes on Sunday. The suites were small, but they luckily accommodated Jackie’s suite and my room the be next to each other, so we could fit hair and makeup between the two rooms the morning of the wedding.
The Welcome Bags
It was always about the guests, whether it was the ease of travel to the venue, the cost of the room block, or the welcome bags they were greeted with. Jackie wanted to make sure everyone felt taken care of. The Welcome Bags consisted of an itinerary from Zazzle that matched what the guests would find on the menus at the wedding and all of the rest of the signage and paper goods throughout. She chose a larger bag with water, liquor, a just-in-case bag, all the essentials with nods to where they were from and a bag tag on each from Minted.
The Night Before Venue
The rehearsal dinner and welcome party were hosted at the Newport Vineyards. It was a beautiful venue with the perfect backdrop for sunset photos, had a great space for dinner and the rest of the guests to flow into the welcome party, and offered bottles of wine with custom labels for guest party favors. I highly recommend the space.
The Night Before Decor
For the night before decor, we asked the florist to keep it green with the largely rustic canvas, leaving the blue for her wedding day. We leaned into the theme with wine cork place card holders and place cards from Minted.
The Night Before Look
Jackie went with a show stopper we found thanks to Ashley Kane. The woven look was perfect to continue the coastal theme and was formal yet fun, seeing through to the flirty short slip underneath. Her look was paired with her mom’s gold bracelet that was gifted to her by her dad (Jackie's grandpa) before he passed, Stuart Weitzman sandals and a Cult Gaia pearl clutch.
If you have any questions or need more details, please feel free to leave a comment below! Happy Sunday, friends! x Lauren
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