I’ve actually been waiting to share Shauri + James’ event with you until it was published, but now the cats out of the bag. Their wedding was truly different: from the ‘Night at the Movies’ rehearsal dinner, to the wedding day tour of Newport by trolley car, all the way to their reception at the Tennis Hall of Fame, this wedding has a lot of unique elements that really put the ‘destination’ in this destination wedding. There’s a lot to see, so strap in!

The Cover of the Newport Wedding Magzine
in which Shauri & James are featured.

We also have an image featured on the landing page of their website!
So….score!

- The Rehearsal ‘Dinner’ -

While MOST couples are content to find a swanky restaurant or club in which to host a rehearsal dinner,
our heroes would have none of that. Instead, Shauri & James took over the historic Jane Pickens Theater
to offer their guests a flapper-themed ‘Night at the Movies’.

When I say ‘took over’, I mean complete with custom movie posters, and era-appropriate costumes.

The posters all alluded to their rather lengthy dating history,
and to Shauri’s infamous statement that she would never
get married. Never say never.

After feasting on catering that reflected all kind of local favorites (frozen lemonade, Boston Baked Beans, etc.),
it was time for the entertainment….as provided for by the guests! Everyone in attendance had been instructed
to either submit a movie to be screened at movie night, or to come prepared with a live skit or presentation.
The theme? Shauri & James, of course! There were even a couple of films submitted by friends who
could not attend because they live on the other side of the world. They were definitely there in spirit.

  
The 1918 pipe organ was being renovated and I was fascinated by its original bone, ivory and tortoiseshell fittings.

- The Sealing & Trolley Tour -

The sealing itself took place at the Boston LDS Temple.

So this is a bit of a tangent:
I shoot quite a few LDS (ie, Mormon) sealings – remember, I do live in Utah – so I’ve had a chance to explore
a great many of the temples across the country. I’m spending a fair amount of time on the Boston temple
here because I have to tell you – its now one of my favorites! I especially appreciate the ‘marriage’ of traditional
LDS design with New England architectural references – all tied together in a subtle and tasteful package.
[I'm also a big fan of the 'gothic spaceship' design of the San Diego temple, BTW.]

The spire is a standard feature of LDS temples, but the Boston temple makes it local. The whitewashed base
and overlapped slate on the spire itself references New England heritage in a really effective way.

All LDS temples also feature a great many symbols – both exterior and interior – and many of them find their
origin in Masonic symbolism. The Boston temple retains those, but adds to it some of the distinctive
New England decorative motifs that were distilled from the Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Glasgow School movements.
Tasty.

They are also great for climbing!

After Shauri & James emerged from the temple, things started to get a little windy…

…in fact we almost lost Shari in a sudden gust. Good thing James was there to ground her.

The it was back to Newport where the trolleys were waiting for to show the guests around the Newport peninsula.

Along the way, we had the trolley stop at various points of interest for a few photos.

- The Reception -

The toasts produced a range of emotions.

Shauri waits for James to get the key to their bridal suite…then take a look at it through the window before heading in.

Congratulations Shauri + James, and thank you for having me come document it.

Be sure to check out the previous days’ events as well: The Rehearsal Dinner & The Ceremony

Thank you again to Mary & Rick for allowing us to capture their most beautiful day.

Visit the previous day’s Rehearsal Dinner or move on to The Reception.

The rehearsal dinner was decidedly low-key, considering what was to follow. Food, family & fun in a casual backyard setting. (interrupted only by a quick run-through of the next day’s ceremony)

Even the soft drinks were special – small batch, home-made and delicious.

It may have just been a backyard cookout, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be amazing. Mary and her team put together a complete set of gourmet condiments/chutneys/sauces to go with the grilled fair.

When is a s’more more n’ a s’more? When its made with fresh, hand-made marshmallow chunks!

Time to bask in the sun and save up energy for the next days events…
The Ceremony & The Reception

A single wedding from last year has been featured in not one, not two, but THREE different Utah bridal magazines:
Salt Lake/Park City Bride & Groom, Utah Bride & Groom, and Utah Valley Bride.

Now granted, this was a three-day event, was GRAND on a whole lot of other levels as well, so it absolutely merits all of this coverage.

So which 2011 wedding was spectacular enough to garner so much ink?
It was a three-day event, so we offer it to you in three parts:
The Rehearsal Dinner
The Ceremony
The Reception

See you on Thursday.

And you can catch Shaun’s television debut on CW30′s The Daily Dish THIS THURSDAY at 10am.

Welcome aboard, Shaun!

I was honored to have these Manhattan natives fly me out and it was my pleasure to spend 3 days and nights with them and their energetic family and friends on this island paradise. It was 3 days of fun and activities, but in this post I’ve sort of truncated down to one story line, so…its a pretty long post. Enjoy!

After landing in Hamilton, I took the ferry across the bay to Southampton on the other side of the island.

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On the way to the hotel I took a detour to check out the island from the its tallest point – Gibbs lighthouse dating from 1846.
(Also happens to be the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world).

The view from the top – you really get a sense of how small this island really is.

Some local flora…

…and fauna.

And finally arriving at the Fairmont resort.

And the view of the beach below.

The water was a crazy color blue that I’ve never seen before.

But there is danger lurking in paradise….

….but at least its BEAUTIFUL danger.
And really not all that dangerous – they are super easy to spot well before they get anywhere near you.

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And finally we find our wedding party at play.

The rehearsal dinner was held on the beach.

Good times and great food.

So this is the Krokodiloes – Harvard’s oldest and most prestigious male a cappella singing group.
So what’s up with that, you might ask?
Well, our intrepid groom, Mickey, was a member of the troupe during his college years.

But more recently, Mickey actually proposed during one of their concerts.
From onstage.
At Carnegie Hall.
You can check it out the video here.

What can I say, Mickey has a flair.

Anyway, they flew them out to entertain their wedding guests.

Mickey couldn’t resist getting up there with the current crop of Kroks. He still has it.

I mentioned the food, right? Mmmm….

Wedding Day!

The Kroks performed at the ceremony as well. VERY cool.

And, as it will on islands, it began to rain.

You just got to roll with it.

The rain did make for an interesting effect for a couple of frames before I realized that my lens was wet however.

Mickey was convinced to take the stage with the Kroks one last time during the reception.
(It really didn’t take much convincing.)

Congratulations Marissa + Mickey!

And thank you for wonderful memories.

- PLEASE VOTE! -

These images are from the engagement session that Heidi and I did with this year’s winning couple, Katrina & Lee.  We did a combination of in-studio and on-location on The U campus to highlight our breadth of style (sadly Logan was shooting a wedding in Wyoming on the only day that we could schedule them, but she was there in spirit).

Enjoy, and then be sure to head on over to the Ultimate Utah Wedding site to vote for us (and whichever invitation design you like).  Voting ends on Friday, July 22nd at Noon, so please don’t delay.  Tell you friends!  And as always, thank you all for your support!