Laid Back Rhode Island Wedding: Lisa + Keith

I love simple and beautiful weddings that really compliment the couple and that is exactly what I have to share today. :) Thanks so much to the talented photography duo of Jagger Photography for sharing this wedding with us. And a bit about the day from Lisa, the bride:

We wanted to celebrate what we had (a lot of love and a great community), who we are (laid back, more inclined to enjoy beach fires and camping than stuffy reception halls), and where we came from (the beautiful RI coast). We wanted to be honest to ourselves and to our guests about who we are as a young family, and while many more conservative family members had no idea what we were talking about when we tried to explain our wedding plans, everyone came together in love that day.

sarah seven wedding dress

rhode island beach wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

We definitely had a few. From Keith: I think the moment when the car full of you and the ladies arrived down at the field all dressed and ready to go was a big one; that was like the first moment that day that I really had a moment to think "holy crap, this is really about to happen!" (side note from me - the carriage for me and my bridesmaids was my sister's old jeep- the farm road was tough terrain! It was stuffed full of ladies all dressed up, one of my bridesmaids even had to sit in the trunk!) The first time that day when I got teary was another moment; that was while I was directing operations in the tent that morning and just stopped for a moment to observe all of the work all of these people were doing for no reason other than that they cared about us. And seeing the giant, real smiles on your face, really often throughout the day, even though it was really hectic, and we were all tired, and we had been through so much. You were still delighted, and I was delighted, and it was all worth it, and I was reminded of that everytime I saw you having a giant smile."

I had several as well. That morning, getting ready with all the bustle around of my friends and family, when I went downstairs to find a vase of four leaf clovers. My mother explained that Jack (the owner of the farm) had found them, saying that they should give us just about all the luck we'd need for the day. Picking and arranging my own bouquets from a garden with a wonderful history. Walking down the aisle and seeing all our loved ones gathered around, waving at them and more or less prancing down the aisle because I was so happy and excited. Our closest friends and family, reading our vows, and both of us saying "I will" together. My thirteen year old cousin, dancing around and playing the violin as we took pictures with family. And to echo Keith, I loved seeing the huge, absolutely genuine smiles on people's faces throughout the day. My great aunt coming up to me and telling me that she would never forget our ceremony as long as she lived. The bonfire, the dancing, the storm that came through late in the evening as we were settling into our hotel. It was less than a month ago, but I see the day in flashes, or snapshots, and each memory is completely glowing with love.

bride in red cowboy boots

rhode island beach wedding


We booked the first venue we looked at, though it was not a traditional wedding venue, though we had some serious logistical concerns (we had a few vehicles with four wheel drive down at the site to actually ferry people to and from the parking lot -actually just a cleared field), because we knew in our hearts what we wanted, and we had an amazing connection with the property owner. The farm has existed since the 1600’s, so there was a lot of history and a lot of love present there already. Family and friends were closely involved in planning, and our parents and wedding party even read our vows to us.

Basically we wanted to say to our guests: Trust in love, and trust in each other, and it’ll all come out right in the end. We did some DIY projects (loooots of pinwheels, fabric flowers, and ribbon wands that never even made it out to the tables) used my late grandmothers napkins etc., but in the end, those things were not important. The message we wanted to give was what people came away with, and that (thank goodness!) was all that mattered.

wedding with pinwheels

flower girl wedding

bridesmaids cowboy boots


The ladies were told to pick whatever dresses they liked within a color scheme. I was going for a seaglassy, beach flower sort of pallette. They also picked their own cowboy boots and hair fascinators. Dresses came from Nordstrom to Etsy and everywhere in between. The dudes were told only to pick a three piece suit, and to avoid overly dark colors.

pinwheel bouquets for your wedding

wedding photography rhode island

wedding in the rain


My dad and a good family friend did all the prep work for our clambake and hired a local bakemaster to actually run the bake the day of. I’m guessing most readers aren’t familiar with clambakes, but they involve a giant hole in the ground lined with rocks and topped with rockweed, with clams and other ingredients sandwiched in between. A fire is lit in the morning and the bake slowly cooks on the heated rocks all day. This has been a New England tradition for centuries. We also grilled burgers from locally raised cows. We asked local guests to bring their specialities for appetizers and sides, and had everything from lumpia (delicious Filipino eggrolls) to seven layer bean dip.

clam bake wedding

diy beach wedding


I’d like to just add that we could never have accomplished anything without the love and support of our community. We would also like to give a shout out to our jaw-droppingly amazing photographers, Heather and Grayson of Jagger Photography. We had terrible weather, but you see the glow in all the photos? That’s the love I was talking about! They actually photographed it! How many people can do that? Also- weddings may be wonderful, but so far being married is even better. May your weddings and marriages be full of love, honesty, and joy!

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

You know, before I got married I thought my advice would be along the lines of "Make sure you stay organized" and "Don't procrastinate" but we were pretty disorganized and were making pinwheel boutonierres the morning of the wedding. A couple days before the wedding my now mother-in-law asked me if it was all worth it, and at the time I couldn't actually give her an answer. Looking back I am happy to say that yes, it was worth it, and while spreadsheets and binders full of information may help you keep your brain together, the most important thing I can offer is to be true to yourselves, and who you are as a couple, whether that means a traditional wedding in a church or a four person celebration in a canoe. Accept help from family and friends, seek out their skills, but be sure to tell them specifically what you need from them, otherwise everyone gets frustrated. And you can worry all you want (and even if you don't want) but when the day arrives, let it go. Bask in love unabashedly. And also eat, because all that basking really does take it out of you!

Photography: Jagger Photography
Venue: Bicentennial Farm, Little Compton RI. Our ceremony and reception were held at the same place, a working cow farm, and the farmer has a couple great old houses that he rents out during the summer, so we had one as a base of operations. The festivities took place in a seven acre field right on the water. It’s the perfect spot, right at the mouth of the Sakonnet River and Atlantic Ocean.
Wedding Dress: Delightful by Sarah Seven
Shoes: Old Gringo, Katrina
Hairpiece: Hello Sunshine from VieModerne’s shop on Etsy
Floral DesignMyself and three friends. Friends picked wildflowers from the farm the morning of the wedding to put in mismatched vases I’d collected over the months from thrift stores. Meanwhile I clipped these beautiful Brownell roses from the farmer’s own garden and added some grasses, wildflowers, and pinwheels for the bouquets. I found later that the rosebush was over seventy years old! We also added seashells to the tables from my mom’s personal collection that she’s been working on for more or less my entire life.
Cake: Cupcakes were from Petonito’s Pastry Shop in East Haven CT. They were funfetti (my husband’s childhood fave) with cream cheese frosting.
MusicThis was all me. The band we had booked actually broke up the week before my wedding, so I made a giant playlist of all my beloved dancing songs, plus a few requests. It was something I was working on the morning of the wedding, while my sister did my hair, but we got a lot of compliments on it. And really, there’s nothing like dancing to only songs you love.

Lots more gorgeous photos from their wedding can be seen here on the Jagger Photography’s Blog. Thanks so much Heather + Grayson for sharing your work with us today and big congrats to Lisa + Keith – your day looked like so much fun :)

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