Sure, Rhode Island may not be the first thought that pops into your mind after hearing of a destination wedding, but it’s New England’s little Hawaii. Okay, all kidding aside, it was a very, very lovely wedding and I couldn’t have been happier to explore more of the small, but wildly eccentric, state of Rhode Island. Sure, I’d been through several times before, but as a state that takes less than an hour to drive through, I’ve had little temptation to stay overnight and explore. Seeing as many of my friends are from this state (and are quite loyal about it, too!), I felt I should give the place another chance.

As the wedding photographer for Candace and Matt, I was given a lovely room at a nearby hotel for two nights. As I drove to the rehearsal dinner, I couldn’t help but notice the Massachusetts-like bogs and green waterways that met up in small streams and ponds, giving the whole place a small ocean-like appearance with a salty breeze. Decidedly Rhode Island! I loved it. After meeting with the bride and groom (a very lovely and informal couple), we munched on sandwiches and cookies, then called it a night.

The wedding itself was quite lovely, and one of the most real displays of caring I’ve ever seen. And no one needed all the pomp of a usual wedding, as this one took place right in their yard. How wonderful is that?

8 hours of shooting later, it was time to relax. After meeting up with a friend at a Providence restaurant for a fairly terrible meal (I won’t even go into the bloody bar brawl we witnessed), I had a wonderful sleep. The next day, a friend and I took her car down to Newport. We did the entire cliff walk in the stormy weather–beautiful and probably the least crowded it could be, mind you–skipped the rest of the expensive, touristy activities, and camped on the island.

True, weird people seemed to follow me the entire trip, but after enough nice folks, a beautiful wedding ceremony, and enough Del’s Frozen Lemonade to last me a while, I enjoyed my Rhode Island visit well enough. Next stop? Canada! See you there.

Wedding photos and our rain-ready tent shot can be seen above.