📸: Mackenzie Bremges // @mackenzieb.photography
While most weddings are back to extravagant events, some couples chose to plan small, intimate celebrations over the past couple of years. Take a look at how these couples made the most of their special day with no more than fifty guests.
Courtney & Matt
June 27, 2021 at Newport Vineyards in Middletown, RI | Guests: 17
“At the start of the pandemic, our first worry was that we wouldn’t be able to go on our honeymoon to Italy and Greece,” Courtney recalls. But as the new reality set in, she and Matt realized their big day, originally set for June 27, 2020, was going to be impacted, too. “We had countless discussions with our vendors and wedding coordinator, Maris, at Newport Vineyards — all of whom were incredible — as we navigated not only the various state regulations but what would be feasible and safe for our out-of-town guests, who made up half of our list,” she explains. The couple rescheduled for December 12, 2020, then again for May 1, 2021, before finally coming back around to June 27, 2021. “I am so thankful for our family and friends who were so supportive of our decisions and could not have been more willing to help and adjust, even if that meant cancelling and re-booking flights and hotels countless times,” Courtney says. Per Rhode Island guidelines at the time, she and Matt were able to have an event with up to twenty-five people: this included the couple, their parents, siblings, siblings-in-law and nieces as well as staff and vendors. “We’ve ultimately chose to indefinitely postpone our ‘big’ wedding reception knowing that the wedding we already had was irreplaceable,” she adds.
Kari & Richard
August 22, 2020 at the Cathedral at Sts. Peter and Paul, Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, RI and Clark Cooke House in Newport, RI | Guests: 12
Kari and Richard were all set for a 175-person wedding. But then, in April 2020, Kari says, “It became clear that we’d need to give up that plan as we sat on our couch in Brooklyn, NY, watching Governor Raimondo announce that no weddings bigger than twenty-five people would take place in Rhode Island that summer.” Simultaneously heartbroken and relieved to finally have clear direction during such uncertain times, she and Richard gave themselves two months to cancel the big reception, recoup their deposits and start brainstorming. “Eventually, we settled on ‘Plan E,’ where we kept our date and ceremony location and then loaded our parents and siblings into a trolley and rode around the state seeing beautiful sites and celebrating with food and booze,” says Kari. And while some rain did fall, it didn’t put a damper on the day. “When we arrived at Beavertail after the passing shower had cleared out the park, the sun came out and a huge double rainbow crossed the entire sky,” she explains. “We got to have our first dance on the rocks under that rainbow, with the ocean in the background and John Prine on a Bluetooth speaker. It’s our fondest memory of the entire day.”
Ariel & James
August 15, 2020 at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, RI | Guests: 10
When asked if the smaller guest count was always the plan or a result of the pandemic, Ariel admits it was a mix of both. “At the time, many venues were already booked for the upcoming year and the thought of planning something elaborate was weighing on us,” she says. “For our relationship, something unique and intimate always seemed like a more natural choice. We wanted to focus on the moment.” Once they both came to this realization, the couple’s excitement only grew, and they were able to settle on the idea of a summer wedding. “We began exploring the possibility of getting married in August of 2020, after just getting engaged a month prior,” Ariel says. “At first, we did not think it would be possible, but quicker than expected, the pieces started falling into place, and we went for it!”
Paige & John
October 17, 2020 at an Airbnb in Ashaway, RI | Guests: 46
When it came to their wedding day, Paige had always wanted to elope to the mountains while John was up for anything, really. In the end, they decided to stay local and share the sacred moment with their immediate families and closest friends. Why? “To save on cost — we didn’t want to go into debt for our wedding,” Paige says. The couple also wanted to respect pandemic guidelines and keep everyone safe while enjoying a slower paced and less-pressured day.
Julie & Chris
September 5, 2020 in Narragansett, RI | Guests: 20
Always under the impression they would have a bigger wedding, Julie and Chris’ original plans included a 150-person reception at Casey Farm in Saunderstown. But once the pandemic hit and they realized it was here to stay, they knew some revisions were in order. “We both work in health care and internalized ‘practice what you preach,'” Julia explains. “Since we ended up with such a smaller guest list, we changed our venue to something closer to our hearts.” A friend of the couple generously offered their backyard overlooking Narragansett Bay for the ceremony while the mother of the bride kindly hosted the reception. “We had struggled initially to decide if we should postpone the date, but eventually decided to keep it as we had been eagerly awaiting the day for so long — roughly seven years of dating!” Julia says.