BELLE MER WEDDING | ROBERTO FARREN PHOTOGRAPHY

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERTO FARREN

A little late in coming, but here at last is part two of the wonderful Indian wedding that I shot at Belle Mer wedding venue in Newport, Rhode Island with the team at Anna Wu photography. Don’t forget to check out part one here! We return now to pick up the ceremony and celebrations by the coast on a beautiful and perfect summer’s evening in New England.

BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS NEWPORT RI

Arriving ahead of the wedding party for the Christian wedding service gave me some time to capture the exquisite details in the banquet room before everyone settled in for the evening. The colors and the layout of the room were such a pleasure to shoot as the late afternoon sunlight flooded in through the large windows overlooking the sea and ceremony location.

Once I had those images in the bag, I headed outside to capture the Baraat celebrations as the groom came in on a white horse. I have captured Baraats on a number of occasions, and this was one of my favorites. This was when I really noticed the vibrancy of the colors in the outfits. It is really a special moment to photograph.

From here, it was straight to the back of Belle Mer and to their Hindu celebration. Again, I arrived ahead of everyone and had the chance to get some images before it filled up with guests. The wind blowing in off the sea and catching the colored fabrics made the whole scene very romantic and atmospheric.

With the guests flooding in and getting settled, it wasn’t long before the ceremony was underway. The groom and his family entered, followed shortly after by the bridesmaids and of course, the bride herself.

The light was perfect, the temperature was perfect and the setting was perfect, and with those three falling into place it can be hard to take a bad photo. With a full-length ceremony ahead of me, I was able to capture lots of different angles and aspects. It was hard to stop shooting, to be honest!

With the second ceremony complete, it was time to get the party started! Belle Mer wedding venue is a great spot for a party as well. With the large banquet room and the flowing grounds around the main building you really get a lot from one location. As the guests were starting to settle in for the arrival of the bridal party, I could see that the sunset was going to be a really great one that evening. The landscape photographer in me couldn’t help but get my tripod and filters and get a shot as the sky erupted with color over the Claibourne Pell Suspension Bridge.

I didn’t stay around till the very end of the ceremony, but I was there for some very emotional and moving speeches from both fathers. It was really great to have photographed at Belle Mer wedding venue in Newport RI and I hope to get back there in the very near future. If you are planning a wedding there or anywhere else in the New England area and would like to talk about coverage, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Cheers,

Roberto | Boston and New England wedding photographer

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERTO FARREN

I had the wonderful opportunity of photographing a beautiful Indian wedding in Newport, Rhode Island at the picturesque, Belle Mer venue. I was shooting alongside West coast based wedding photographer Anna Wu who was the lead photographer on the day. As I have said before it is always really nice to have the opportunity to shoot alongside other photographers and even more so when it is at new venues here in New England. I have split the post into two parts, this one covering the first look and Catholic ceremony and then another part to come capturing the Indian ceremony back at Belle Mer, so be sure to check back in soon for that.

WEDDING AT BELLE MER NEWPORT RI — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

Having checked the weather forecast for the day it looked like it was going to be a little hit or miss if we were going to escape without rain, but I am happy to say that despite a few threatening clouds all we got were a few drops while driving between venues. Belle Mer in Newport RI is a stunning venue, placed in an absolutely perfect location. If you are looking to hold your wedding in RI then this place should be on you list of places to check out along with others like the equally great Oceancliff. It was the first time I had met Anna Wu in person but having had a look at her work and chatting over e-mail I knew that it would be great to shoot alongside her.

Starting with the bride and groom at the hotel which was just a short three minute drive away from Belle Mer meant that we had lots of time to get the preparation photos before heading to do their first look. I concentrated my time shooting with the groom and working with his cousins to nail the tying of the bow tie! With that task in the bag it was off to Belle Mer to get the day really going!

WEDDING BELLE MER RI — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

The grounds at Belle Mer are equal in grandeur to the inside of the venue and the clean lines and manicured foliage of the outside wall and lawns provided the perfect backdrop for this first meeting on the day. They both looked absolutely stunning and the light breeze that day really made the most of the beautiful long flowing veil.

In case I hadn’t stated it enough the first time round the location of Belle Mer really is a special setting for a wedding. I think the second part of this blog post will show it off even more but for now the photo below gives you a good idea of the backdrop that you are dealing with. After we had done the first look and everyone was getting settled into the day, Anna took the bride and groom off for some photos together. Having an extra take on these can give some unique and different angles as well, and when I’m shooting weddings for my own clients I will often jump into the places like these to make sure that I capture them all.

BEST BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

BOSTON WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

Doing a first look means that you can get all of the formal bridal party and family photos done before you set out for the ceremony which can make it a little bit more relaxed later on. This worked out great in this situation as the church location was about an 40 minutes away from Belle Mer and so it allowed everything to stay on time and still get all the images from the day. A first look isn’t for everyone but if you are looking to maximize your time on the day then it really is a great option.

NEW ENGLAND WEDDING PHOTOS — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

I borrowed the groomsmen away for a few shots of just them between some of the other family formals as well.

BELLE MER WEDDING PART ONE — BELLE MER WEDDING PHOTOS | NEWPORT RI

The church where the Catholic ceremony was held was beautiful both inside and out. St Mary’s in Cranston RI was a pleasure to photograph in and also gave the unique opportunity for some stand out images from this part of the day.

With their Catholic ceremony complete, it was time to head back to Belle Mer in Newport for the second part of their day and the Baraat and the Hindu wedding ceremony that was to take place in the main grounds with the sea and the Claibourne Pell Suspension Bridge as the backdrop to that. Check back in soon to catch the rest of the day.

If you are interested in wedding photography coverage for your New England wedding day then please feel free to drop me a line by going through my contact page here.

All the best,

Roberto