Kelly & Matt's Wedding at Dragonline Studio in Jamestown, RI

We moved to Rhode Island in 2018 for a lot of different reasons, but a big one for us was that we would never be too far from a beach for a day-trip. One of the first beaches we discovered in Rhode Island was, thanks to Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom that was partially filmed there, the tidal inlet at Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown. Each time we made the drive, stuck our toes in the rocky surf, and took in the natural beauty there we noticed this oddly placed rectangular building on a rocky cliff face, just out of reach on private property. Was it a weather observation post, maybe a lighthouse of sorts? It wasn’t until Kelly and Matt reached out to us in the summer of 2021 that it dawned on us that the building we had been seeing from the beach was in fact Dragonline Studio, and they had just booked it for their wedding. Kelly made it clear to us on our first phone call that she and Matt were chasing a wedding vibe that was anything but ordinary, and Dragonline fit right into their unique vision that they were cultivating.

As their plans started to take shape they brought on a local team of vendors to help fulfill their dream wedding day, including Courtney Rezendes for their coordination, Smoke and Pickles from MA for the catering, Harvest Moon Florals from RI, and of course us! Kelly, an art director in Boston, took care of all the design for the wedding, Matt provided his family saber which they used to open a bottle of champagne just after the ceremony, and their dog Rory - adorned with a floral wreath fit for royalty - provided levity and comfort to anyone and everyone who wanted it. While Kelly and her family are from Kansas, Matt’s family are Rhode Islanders through and through and we got the sense that they both really wanted to lean into the beachy, breezy, coastal feel that Dragonline’s proximity to the ocean provides. If this wedding had taken place any further inland the heat may have been overwhelming, but the constant breeze coming off of the water kept it at bay. That same breeze brought a subtle haze that cut the mid-day sun as it fell on the cliffside, and as the day wore on the quality of light got more and more dreamy.

Kelly and Matt did what every couple should do on their wedding day: hire the team of people you want to do what they’re good at, and then sit back, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. Between the texturally magnificent dill and smoke bush floral arrangements, the pair of massive seabass served for dinner, and the waterside cocktail hour it couldn’t really have been any more Rhode Island. Little details like the ceremonial Irish Truce Bell, an audio-message guest book using a rotary phone, and bio-degradable golf balls for smacking into the surf made this wedding as uniquely fun as it was beautiful. Documenting and witnessing two folks in love be so engaged and present with one another and their friends and family was such a pleasure. Sometimes weddings can feel like all of the right pieces have fallen into all of the right places, and thanks to Kelly and Matt’s thoughtful and intentional planning, theirs felt exactly like that.

Venue: Dragonline Studio
Coordination: Courtney Rezendes
Florals: Harvest Moon Florals
Catering: Smoke and Pickle
Invites: Designed by bride
Dress: Alexandra Grecco
Dress Boutique: Ceremony Boston
Hair: Halo + Salt Salon
Menswear: Custom from family friend
Ice-cream: Clementine’s
Band: Brandy Band
Tent: Sperry Tents
Rentals: Peak Event Rentals