Alli & Glenn’s Wedding at OceanCliff – Newport, RI

So, as you may remember from this post a while back, Alli and Glenn‘s wedding was a bit unusual! Due to a random case of the chicken pox, Krista wasn’t able to be at the wedding; fortunately Melissa Coe and Jessica Cardinalli were kind enough to step in and cover the wedding for her. I’ve been doing an internship with Krista since February to learn more about how a photography business is run, and have been assisting her at most of her weddings this summer as well. So, for Alli and Glenn’s wedding, I went along with Melissa and Jessica to try to assist them and get even more photos of Alli and Glenn’s special day! Since Krista wasn’t able to be at the event, she asked me, Elizabeth, to write this post to give you all a sense of the day…

Driving down to the Oceancliff Hotel, the weather looked to be anything but cooperative – rainy, misty, and downright ugly. However, by the time we arrived, the skies were clear! And soon the weather was sunny and beautiful, and the bright blue sky was a perfect backdrop for the bright, crisp colors Alli & Glenn had chosen.

While the bridesmaids had brightly colored dresses with white bouquets, Alli’s bridal bouquet was highlighted with vivid peonies. I took my time making sure that we had some photographs that captured the beauty of the florist’s work!


Newport Wedding


Melissa captured this beautiful silhouette of Alli, as well as the following series of her dress and getting ready.


Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding


Melissa got a number of beautiful shots of the rings and other pieces of jewelry throughout the day; this one stood out above the rest.


Newport Wedding



Alli and Glenn met before the ceremony to enjoy a few moments together to take it all in, and to take some portraits so they would have more time later to enjoy their reception.


Newport Wedding


We drove down the coast a little way to a spot they’d chosen, where Melissa captured this moment.


Newport Wedding


I stayed back and got this shot of them walking up the road a short way.


Newport Wedding


Jessica did a great job catching them from a completely different angle and perspective.


Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding


I love the sense of movement Jessica captured in this shot.


Newport Wedding


The view from OceanCliff was a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony!


Newport Wedding


Jessica captured this moment when Alli’s dad walked her down the aisle to meet Glenn.


Newport Wedding


One great thing about having the ceremony at the top of a hill was that I was able to walk down below, then around to the back of the guests, to get two different perspectives on the setting.


Newport Wedding

Newport Wedding


Melissa captured this shot during the exchange of rings


Newport Wedding


Jessica was waiting for the newlyweds as they came down the aisle, surrounded by their family and friends. You could tell all through the ceremony just how important it was to them that the people they cared about were a part of this day!

Newport Wedding


After some group portraits, we took a few more portraits of the two of them as the sun was setting. I was glad to be able to capture a sky that reflected the bright colors they had surrounded themselves with all day.


Newport Wedding


I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this wedding. Not only did I get to work with and learn from two different photographers, I also had the chance to shoot at a beautiful venue and get to spend time with a fun group of people. Alli and Glenn, thank you so much for letting us be a part of this important day in your lives! Your understanding and flexibility in what could have been a difficult situation is a testament to your characters.

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And I (Krista) also want to thank Alli & Glenn for being so great through this whole chicken-pox-fiasco! It’s a photographer’s worst nightmare to not be able to shoot a wedding they’re scheduled to document, and your gracious understanding was total blessing.

And a special thank you to Melissa Coe and Jessica Cardinalli for dropping everything at a moment’s notice to help us all out!! You ladies, as well as Elizabeth, did a great job capturing the day and it’s wonderful knowing that even though I couldn’t be there, Alli & Glenn were in (lots of) good hands!

It’s not all sunshine and roses

Sometimes I think this blog makes it seem like my life, and my clients’ lives are so perfect and wonderful. It’s probably because I mostly post about photo shoots – photo shoots of happy people in love. And that’s the part of my job that really makes me happy. That’s the part that makes the other parts worthwhile. And on the somewhat rare occasion I post about my life, I’m mostly posting things that were fun enough to take pictures. (I guess posting about my cat dying wasn’t very fun, but you get what I’m saying, right?)

Well, it’s not all sunshine and roses, and this past weekend was proof. I was scheduled to shoot 2 weddings this weekend and through different, and horrible circumstances outside my control, I wasn’t able to photograph either of them…

Last week, I came down with chicken pox. Now, I’ve had chicken pox TWICE already (lucky me, huh?), so this third time was very mild. But chicken pox is airborne and that’s not good for someone photographing other people’s weddings. Even though I felt fine, and the lesions were starting to heal already by Friday, there was still a chance I could spread the infection. So, on Friday morning the bride and groom and I finally made the decision that it would not be wise to take the risk by having me there.

Thank God for the Boston Photographers Guild! The BPG is a group of local wedding photographers who come together online and in person for support, encouragement, and community. Before I had even contacted my bride, I sent word on the BPG forum asking for help. And with just a couple hours’ notice, I had a great photographer to replace me at the wedding along with a fabulous second shooter and assistant!

I can’t tell you how hard it was to send another photographer to shoot one of my weddings in my place!! I knew she’d do a great job, but I also knew she wouldn’t take the same pictures I would. I’m a control freak and putting the event, my business & reputation in the hands of someone else, made me realize that I was totally not in control. Talk about humbling! I also knew I’d miss seeing it all come together. I’d miss meeting the families and seeing the couple enjoying their day. I realized just how much I enjoy getting to know my couples when I’m at their weddings! You just see such a different piece of people when you see them with their closest friends and family. And I love that. I was so sad that I couldn’t be there.

Thankfully, the bride & groom were incredibly gracious and understanding. They even called me from the airport before they left for their honeymoon to let me know how wonderful the day went, and that while they feel like everyone did a great job, they still missed having me there. It was so comforting to know that we did the right thing, and they it worked out well – but it was also really sweet to know that they missed having me there as much as I missed being there.

I wish I could say that that was all that went wrong this weekend, but that was just Friday…

By Sunday my chicken pox were all but gone, and I felt very confident that I was no longer contagious. Thanking God, I headed down to the Cape excited to shoot the wedding of two friends. I arrived just in time to find out that they had called off the wedding :( It was so incredibly sad, and my heart aches for both of them. Everyone agreed that it is better they call it off than to go through with it with doubts and end up unhappy or divorced. But, that doesn’t make it less painful or sad or awful.

My brother posted a blog the day before that turns out is unfortunately well timed. He wrote, “To my friend who is suffering right now – my prayer for you is not so much that you would have answers, but that you would see God. Despite the pain, confusion and hurt, my prayer is not for relief, but that you would see God with clarity. For I know if you can learn to see Him in the pain, you will never miss Him when there is peace. If you can see Him in the storm, you will never miss Him again in the calm. If you see Him, you will see a God who not only sees you, but you will see that He cares.” I pray that for these friends as well – that they would see the God who is their strength, their comfort, their refuge, and the One who loves them.

These last few days have been stressful, and sad. There have been lots of tears. But this is real life. Things happen. People get sick. Things don’t go according to plan. We have to rely on other people and let them help us. Sometimes we have to make decisions that hurt. And somehow, life goes on. And I think we’re stronger in the end because of it.

I hope that this is not only the first but also the LAST time I’ll have to miss a wedding I’m scheduled to photograph. And I pray that this is the last time one my weddings gets canceled. But, I am thankful that if that’s not the case, God has a plan for all these things.