Tag Archives: destination wedding photographer

Jessica + Nick = Married in Rhode Island!

I’ve been waiting for this wedding for well over a year! When Nick and Jessica hired me to photograph their wedding in Jessica’s home state of Rhode Island, I was super duper excited but the day felt SO. FAR. AWAY because they hired me over a year and a half in advance! Well, time sure does fly when you’re shooting lots of weddings because before I knew it, Nick and Jessica’s wedding day was here and I was on my way to Rhode Island.

This was my first trip to New England, and I was taken aback by how remarkably beautiful the area is. It was quite an experience to drive on roads and walk through buildings that were so much older than the city of Los Angeles. Everything is historic, each nook and cranny has a story. I loved it. Nick and Jessica have a story, too, and one of the biggest milestones of that story is this day that I had the pleasure of photographing. It was a long and beautiful day and I have lots I want to share, so I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

But first, I’d like to thank Jessica and Nick for inviting me to be a part of such an amazing day. I have really loved getting to know you two better over the past year and a half and I especially love seeing you both surrounded by so much love and happiness on your wedding day. I’m excited to watch the rest of your story unfold.

And now, onto the photos! To see more from Nick and Jessica’s wedding day, click here to watch their slideshow!

Jessica and her bridesmaids got ready at the house Jessica grew up in. Jessica’s mom passed away six years ago, but she was very much a presence throughout the day.  In Jessica’s childhood underwater-themed bedroom, a painting of her mom on her own wedding day watched over Jessica’s wedding shoes.

white flower wedding shoes

Jessica re-used her mom’s wedding dress many times over. Most of it was re-made into a rehearsal dress for Jessica, but the buttons were saved for the back of Jessica’s dress. I love how flawlessly the new dress and old buttons come together.

wedding dress with rosette

bridesmaids laughing

bride getting hair done

groom at church, ushers with programs

yellow calla lily bout

bride entering church with father

groom watching bride walk down aisle

st barnabas church rhode island

bride and groom during ceremony

bride and groom first kiss

bride and groom walking down aisle

I spotted a sunflower field down the road from the church and immediately chose it as a location for portraits. Jessica and Nick were delighted when I told them because sunflowers are Nick’s favorite flower. Love when things fall into place like that!

bride and groom in sunflower field

bride and groom with sunflowers

bride and groom portraits

bride and groom sunflower field

wedding party rhode island field

bride and groom on rhode island street

We stopped by the Inn where Nick and Jessica would stay on the wedding night. It and everything nearby was so charming!

bride and groom sitting on steps

bride and groom on rhode island streets

You just can’t get photos with a backdrop like this anywhere in Southern California.

bride and groom in front of old house

bride and groom crossing the street

bride and groom in front of bridge

bride laughing with groom

bride and groom in front of rhode island bridge

bride and groom and bridge

bride and groom at yacht harbor

bride and groom in front of yachts

Nick and Jessica’s first dance was amazing. It was a waltz and was choreographed so beautifully, everyone was on their feet and wowed the entire time. They did a great job!

bride and groom first dance waltz

groom twirling bride in the air

father-daughter dance

Nick’s parents are also no longer with us, so Nick asked his oldest sister, Aimee, to dance with him during what would normally be the mother-son dance.

brother sister dance

The rest of the night was one big dance party complete with a live band, led by Jessica’s brother Tommy. To see these and more fun photos from the day, watch the slideshow!

night shot of rhode island harbor

Contact Heidi Ryder | Heidi Ryder Photography Portfolio | Heidi Ryder Photography Blog | Los Angeles Wedding Photography

Featured on Brenda’s Wedding Blog!

Dorie and John’s Memphis wedding is a favorite of so many people these days! I was so pleased to wake up this morning and see my work featured on Brenda’s Wedding Blog – a great blog that Dorie herself read often for inspiration. So cool!

Here’s a screen shot of the post, go read it in its entirety and peruse the rest of the great stuff that Brenda has blogged about – it’s a fantastic resource for brides. Thanks, Brenda!

Featured on Brenda's Wedding Blog

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Featured on Style Me Pretty!

I was so pleased to receive an email today from Abby at Style Me Pretty, letting me know she was featuring Dorie and John’s Memphis wedding on her amazing blog today! SMP is one of my favorite wedding blogs on the planet and I check it daily for inspiration. If you’re planning a wedding, or just like to look at pretty things, make sure you check it out!

I was even more pleased to find that not only did Abby feature the wedding, but she featured their Memphis rehearsal dinner, as well!

Here’s a screen shot from the rehearsal dinner post. Click the image to see the full post!

Style Me Pretty Feature

And here’s part one of the wedding post:

Style Me Pretty Feature

And here’s part two of the wedding post!

Style Me Pretty Feature

I am so honored to see my work on Style Me Pretty, along with all of the other beautiful images that have been featured there. Such a treat! Dorie and John planned an amazing wedding, and I’m so glad the photos are able to serve as inspiration for future brides who are looking to plan unique weddings for themselves!

Contact Heidi Ryder | Heidi Ryder Photography Portfolio | Heidi Ryder Photography Blog | Los Angeles Wedding Photography

Memphis Wedding Photography | Beale St. Day After Session – Dorie + John

Dorie and John’s wedding weekend came to a close with a Day After session. A Day After session is just what it sounds like – a photo session that takes place the day after a couples’ wedding. The benefit of one of these sessions is two-fold: the couple gets to wear their wedding attire one more time in a setting other than their wedding venue, and their portrait session isn’t under any sort of time crunch. These sessions are a stress-free way to get a variety of bridal portraits, often times with a different look and feel than the ones taken on their wedding day. Dorie and John’s Day After session took place in front of the world-famous Sun Studio and on Beale Street in Memphis. In case you missed, them, check out their Memphis rehearsal dinner and their beautiful wedding at The Inn at Hunt-Phelan.

I loved the idea of capturing the juxtaposition of a bride and groom in their wedding attire among the grittiness of urban Memphis streets. This is my first shoot of this nature and I can’t wait to do more. Many thanks to Dorie and John for getting themselves dolled up again after a long weekend and letting me play with this idea. I love the images we made together.

We started at Sun Studio. To those not in the know, Sun Studio is the place where Elvis Presley (among many other rock ‘n roll legends) recorded many early demos and singles. This place is a pretty big deal.

Memphis Wedding Photography at Sun Studio

Memphis Wedding Photography at Sun Studio

Memphis Wedding Photography at Sun Studio

Memphis Wedding Photography at Sun Studio

Finally we moved on to Beale Street which is like the Bourbon Street of Memphis. We had a lot of fun here.

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

Memphis wedding photography on Beale Street

I had such an amazing time in Memphis and I was so honored to be chosen as the photographer for Dorie and John’s wedding. I felt like an important part of their entire weekend, which was so great. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Nolt! I love you both!

Contact Heidi Ryder | Heidi Ryder Photography Portfolio | Heidi Ryder Photography Blog | Los Angeles Wedding Photography

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