Heather and JJ had a two day wedding extravaganza that began with a Thursday church ceremony in their hometown (see the earlier preview) and ended with their Friday ceremony and reception at Ocean Cliff in Newport, RI! They chose their date wisely – having missed the first winter storm of 2015 by just a few days (little did we know how much more snow was to come in the last couple of weeks!!).
Heather and JJ’s wedding took place at Ocean Cliff – a beautiful waterfront location in Newport! I absolutely love a wedding where everything is taking place on one property – it makes the day flow so easily and efficiently! When I arrived to Ocean Cliff, the girls were already well underway in their process and the guys were beginning to gather to get ready!
I normally do not include multiple ring shots, but I just couldn’t choose between the fabulous sparkly shoes and the extremely unique trifold invitations – so I decided to show off both!!
These are the three “G” ladies! I don’t like to use last names on the blog but if you weren’t sure before – they are sisters:)! I went to high school with Lea on the left (who awesomely turned Heather onto my website and it in turn allowed me to be a part of this fabulous day:)!
This is the whole group of lovely ladies in their coordinating robes – just minutes before it was time to get into the official dresses!
Over in JJ’s room, he was working on getting himself ready and one by one, his guys began to join him!
Groomsmen gift:)!
Heather is a dancer and the photo on the right screams ballerina to me – I just LOVE it (but as you can see there are SO many that I love of Heather:)!
Once dressed, we were off to meet JJ and the day was officially in full swing:)!
Outside, Heather and JJ met up for their first time that day and we spent a few minutes focusing on just the two of them:)!
I KNOW that winter is so cold (and trust me – were were chilled for the less than 10 minutes we spent outside for these pictures), but I just LOVE a winter wedding – I love the snow, the wispy trees and just the airy feel that just says “winter”…it is also the perfect time of year for a warm and tropical honeymoon:)!
After some pictures, we needed a minute to warm up and Lea was there waiting with her fur ready to go:)!
After our warm up session, we headed back outside with the girls and the guys…
After our chilly time outdoors with the bridal party, we warmed up by the fire and did our family formal before the ceremony began!
The view from the Ocean Cliff ballroom is fabulous during any season!
During cocktail hour, Heather and JJ greeting all of the guests and then we snuck back outside for a quick couple of minutes as a light snow was falling:)!
After the fantastic staff “flipped” the room SO quickly – it was ready for the reception to begin!
After dinner, Heather’s friends and co-workers surprised her with a flash-mob styled dance and she even joined in at the end!
During the reception, the formalities were in a slightly different order than usual and part of that was because of a choreographed first dance where Heather planned on changing dresses! Before she headed out to change she actually tossed her bouquet!
The guests started partying while Heather was out…
When she returned, it was time to cut the cake…
and then the choreographed first dance began!
The dance ended with a girls choreographed part too:)!
After a ton of dancing, Heather and JJ danced with their parents…
This is a photo of Heather and her two sisters, along with their spouses/significant others:)! Amazingly they are all dating or married to their high-school sweetheart! Lea, on the far right, is also married to Dan…and Dan and I go ALL the way back to Kindergarten!
Heather and JJ specifically picked out three final songs that were all upbeat dance songs…This was one of the final moments of the night – dancing to Sir Mix A Lot:)!
Heather and JJ – thank you so much for choosing me to be a part of your special day! I loved meeting your fabulous families and friends!
Vendor Info
bridesmaid dresses | Alvina Valenta
hair | Jacqui Che of Che Maksou Boston, MA
make-up | Renee Christopher Boston, MA
florist | Judy’s Village Flowers Foxboro, MA
ceremony | St. Mary’s Church Foxborough, MA and OceanCliff Newport, RI
reception venue | OceanCliff Newport, RI
cake | White’s Bakery Mansfield, MA
dj | Good Thomas Productions Mansfield, MA
Songs
introductions | Woah Oh Oh, Zombie Nation
first dance | So This is Love, Ilene Woods
cake cutting | Eat it, Weird Al
last dance | Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A Lot
Bride/Groom Questions
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Heather- My cousin was singing as I walked down the aisle at OceanCliff. His beautiful voice and seeing J.J. in that moment filled me with emotion.J.J.- Our first dance.What was your favorite detail?
Heather- The groom fishing cake topper. It was a surprise to J.J.
Any advice for future brides/grooms?
Enjoy every moment, it goes so fast.Funniest memory from your wedding day?
the Flash Mob!!!!If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Not a thing.Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Ocho Rios, Jamaica