In June I traveled to Block Island for my first Rose Farm Inn wedding. Block Island is possibly my favorite place in all of New England; the rolling hills, the farm animals, and the laid-back seaside towns all remind me of my childhood growing up in the south west of England, and I was so excited to document a wedding in such a beautiful location. My good friend Sherry Pickerell joined me photographing the wedding, and a few of the images above are hers. She also helped me stay calm and hydrated as we had quite the scorcher of an afternoon! Thank you Sherry for all your wonderful help!

Onto the photos … my favorite photos of this beautiful Block Island wedding are probably the portraits; I loved the rolling hills behind the Rose Farm Inn wedding site where we took Phoebe and Shaun for their evening portraits; we also got some really great shots at the south east light house. My other favorites come from the reception; the rustic decor in the tent provided a perfect backdrop for the first dance photos (I just adored those hanging twig balls!) and the crowd reacted so well to the fantastic toasts by Phoebe’s father and sister, and Shaun’s brother. There were also some really cute moments with the kids; I loved that Sherry captured the little ones playing with the escort card holder pins!

I asked Phoebe and Shaun to tell me a little about their day. The rest of the words are theirs.

Tell me a little about your story as a couple

We met at our first job out of college as paralegals at a law firm. We were friends for six months and then Shaun kissed Phoebe at a New Year’s Eve Party. Shaun proposed to Phoebe in Grand Central Station. Since we met in New York City this was a meaningful spot for us.

How/why did you choose Rose Farm Inn for your wedding venue?

We went to Block Island once before as a couple and thought it was such a magical place. Phoebe’s sister got engaged there so it was special for her as well. We wanted a place that felt like a “destination” but wasn’t too hard for our families to travel to.

Did any of your vendors go above and beyond for you? Tell us how!

All of our vendors were absolutely amazing. They really made our wedding. Jaime from Eventfully Planned made it easy for Phoebe to relax and trust her with all of the logistics. Caitlin Murphy (hair and makeup) is just such a wonderful person to be around. On the day of the wedding it was great having these wonderful women around Phoebe as she got ready.

Our band First Class was fantastic and we loved that they brought out cow bells during the party. It was very fun and silly.

Why did you choose Kate to photograph your wedding?

We heard about Kate through Jaime and as soon as we looked at her portfolio we could tell it was our style. What we loved about it was that the pictures felt natural and a reflection of the couple. We are a pretty silly couple who don’t take ourselves too seriously so we didn’t want any forced staged photos. We could tell Kate would capture that and all of the little special moments. She has a great gift for capturing people in their natural element. When we met her for our engagement shoot and she suggested we get a beer at the local pub we were sold.

Do you have any tips to help other couples with the planning process, vendor selection, etc?

Vendor selection is so important. We picked almost all of our vendors off recommendations from other vendors. Take the time to research people and make sure you feel comfortable with each and every one of them.

Tell us about your wedding attire and accessories

Phoebe got her dress at an amazing bridal store called The Plumed Serpent. Phoebe was insistent that she did not want to feel like she had to pick a dress that day! The experience at the store however was amazing and Phoebe found several dresses she loved. She kept coming back to the Monique Lhuillier number she settled on and the store owner said she could tell by the way Phoebe moved in it it was the one. The owner recommended Phoebe’s Jimmy Choo wedges and they were perfect. The key accessory for the wedding look though was the halo headpiece. Phoebe did not want a veil and went to try on this headpiece at a trunk show at the bridal store and could immediately tell it would complete the look.

Shaun is a J.Crew guy so we made an appointment with a shopper at J.Crew in Boston. They were very helpful in finding the perfect navy suite for Shaun. We did not want anyone to have to spend too much money on wedding suits so we had the men wear their own navy suites and purchase a gingham navy J.Crew shirt to keep things consistent.

Which detail(s) did you like best about your wedding?

I loved the way our tent looked and I loved our flowers. However, the venue and the sprawling hills really made our wedding feel like something out of a storybook.

Describe your wedding decor/theme and how you chose it

Asked by Phoebe’s mom to describe their perfect wedding, Phoebe had a long list of things like rustic, beautiful, warm, however Shaun took his time thinking about this. He said, “casual, laid-back”, took another long pause and said, “casual.” 🙂 We really wanted our wedding to be warm and full of love. Yes, we wanted it to be beautiful, but we knew that would come with our magical venue. We just wanted to instill a warmth in everything and not make anything feel too formal. From the buffet food and ice-cream sundae bar, to the raging dance floor, I think we achieved this.

Tell us about your wedding food

Our food reflected who we are as a couple. At the cocktail hour we had a raw bar (something we always love) and a taco bar (Shaun’s favorite food and most cooked item). We had a buffet because we did not want people to be sitting too long and eating. One of our favorites from the buffet was lobster mac and cheese. As Bostonians we love our lobster and every summer we take day trips around the area to find the best lobster rolls and lobster shacks.

We loved that our cake had three different layers with different flavors. We got the top layer the day after our wedding and had every intention of saving it for our one year anniversary, but when we realized how hard it would be to take home from Block Island we decided we would eat it on our one day anniversary. We took two forks and went to town! It was amazing.

We also had an ice-cream sundae bar and Phoebe’s mom thought we really needed cookies at dessert so she baked 200 cookies and brownies which everyone raved about!

What were some of your favorite moments from your wedding day?

Our first look was really a special moment. It was the most spectacular day on Block Island and we went up to this beautiful viewpoint. All of the nerves disappeared as soon as we were together and we just had fun and enjoyed our day. Everyone we ran into on the island was saying congratulations to us and people really made it easy for us to have space to take pictures. When we looked out on the water and saw a sailing regatta we had to pinch ourselves that this was our wedding day. We could not have planned it better.

Walking down the aisle was a special moment for Phoebe. She had a very long walk, but as we were getting closer to the crowd her mom said, “Isn’t this what you would picture for your perfect wedding day?” Phoebe started to tear up because it really was just so special. The band was playing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” her favorite song since she was 5, she had both of her parents at her side, and was walking towards her loving future husband Shaun (who won’t admit it but was tearing up).

The reception was so fun and we played Shaun’s favorite wedding game where you spin a bottle in the middle of the circle and whoever it lands on has to dance. Also, we thought it was hilarious when the band gave us a cow bell. Shaun was a professional and got very into it. We also loved our after party with our friends playing guitars and we all made s’mores at the fire pit. Shaun also had a great time getting ready with his groomsmen and our ring bearers who were 5 and 3. The ring bearers and all the guys were playing corn hole and drinking beers at the Inn and everyone was getting to know each other and having fun.

Thanks so much to Phoebe and Shaun … and if you’re planning your very own Rose Farm Inn wedding on Block Island, please get in touch – I’d love to travel back to this gorgeous spot!