Six unexpected venues to level up your reception

Beyond Ballrooms

The owner of Rhode Tripper Photography shares her top picks for unexpected wedding venues brimming with atmosphere

By Meaghan D’Abrosca

For the couple that wants to exchange their vows in a less traditional setting that celebrates their shared interests or state love, Rhode Island has plenty of unexpected venues ready to host your special day in style. Here’s six of my favorite quirky, historic, and downright beautifully unique places to say “I do.”

BOTANICAL OASIS Plant parents – this one is for you! There’s a good chance you’ve visited the Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park but may not have realized you can get hitched among the lush flora. With four greenhouses, including the massive glass and steel conservatory, this venue delivers on botanical vibes year-round. There are options to host up to 170 guests in their indoor and outdoor spaces. The best part? You can totally go minimalist with your decor and let the space speak for itself, or go big with the greenery theme incorporating floral and patterned linens, or even throw in some disco balls. Providence, RogerWilliamsParkEvents.com Hope Events on Main The Botanical Gardens at Roger Williams Park

COASTAL CHARM Looking for coastal views with private-home feels? Dragonline Studios is a historic site on the coast of Jamestown – right next to Fort Wetherill State Park – that comes complete with panoramic ocean views and private beach access. With a recently refurbished artist’s studio building and about four acres of land for a larger tented reception, you can take in the view of Aquidneck Island across the bay soaking up the ocean breezes. This blank-slate property requires rentals for four nights, so you’ll have private access to create your dream wedding weekend for you and your guests. Jamestown, Rental.DuncanLaurie.com

ARTSY INDUSTRIAL Inside the converted mill building housing Pawtucket’s popular Hope Artiste Village, the arts space doubles as the Hope Events on Main venue, with features both fanciful and fun. The ceremony occurs right in the halls of the artist studios, and then the reception unfolds in a spacious open room with red brick walls, tall ceilings, and tons of natural light. But the best part is cocktail hour, which you can host on the third floor in – drum roll, please – a restored 1920s duckpin bowling alley and bar! Talk about a fun and nontraditional way to entertain your guests. Pawtucket, HopeEventsOnMain.com

RUSTIC FARMLAND This destination is for the couples who love the country vibe but are looking for something a little more elevated than the traditional barn venue. While Bristol’s Mount Hope Farm does have a beautiful barn – boasting a gray-shingled exterior and wooden interior – the difference is in the region’s signature farmcoast features. Whether electing use of the Cove Cabin for more intimate weddings or a ceremony and tented reception (with the option of chandelier lighting in the evening) on the water, distinctly Rhode Island scenery will backdrop your vows in a stunning way. Bristol, MountHopeFarm.org/weddings

BOOKISH APPEAL Built at the turn of the century, the event space at the Providence Public Library comes with all the exquisite historic touches you could hope for: original marble and hardwood flooring, glass cabinetry with old books and artifacts, a huge open atrium with ornate detailed arches, and an enchanting staircase to make your grand entrance or have a first look with your betrothed. It’s perfect for book lovers, antiquarians, or even couples who want to express their home city love into their big day, right in the heart of downtown Providence. Morins.com/Providence-Public-Library/

PASTORAL VINEYARD A newcomer to the wedding scene in South County, Shepherd’s Run is the definition of bucolic elegance. This estate winery, inn, and wedding venue sits on a renovated historic manor in South Kingstown. With options for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies and receptions, you and your guests can sip wine and congregate in rooms that exude New England charm, on the terrace surrounded by manicured lawns, in a vast event hall with high vaulted wood ceilings, or under a sailcloth tent decorated to your heart’s desire. Think early 1900s luxury with understated modern touches and amenities. South Kingstown, Shepherds.run

Mount Hope Farm

Providence Public Library Shepherd’s Run

Looking for advice on how to customize your special day or a photographer to capture it in creative or alternative ways? Make an appointment with Rhode Tripper Photography at RhodeTripperPhotography.com

Five Truths of Dating After Loss

We all enter marriage with a forever mindset. Many relationships end because of either divorce or loss of a spouse through death. We are all made for relationship and our physical and mental health improve dramatically when we share our life with a special someone. Isolation and loneliness come with health risks that affect your immune system, depression and stress.

1. Admit to yourself that you are prepared to start dating again. Give yourself time to grieve the loss of a spouse, but also know when it is the right time for you to take the first step forward.

2. This is a time to reacquaint yourself with fun activities you used to enjoy and the opportunity to try something new.

3. Be prepared to bring someone new into your life. Think about introducing the new person to your children, family and friends. Make sure you have a strong support system that will encourage you and lend an ear when needed.

4. Continue to take time for yourself. Practice self care such as exercise, meditation and a healthy diet.

5. You can enjoy your life and grieve the loss of a loved one simultaneously. Give yourself permission to do this. Realize that moving forward will include times when you move both forward and backwards. Be kind to yourself and take adequate time to heal.

Get Ready To Date introduces clients over 40 who are looking for a second chance for love. This is an easy, effective way to meet relationship minded, financially stable single adults. Debra offers a complimentary consultation to her clients. Services include relationship coaching, an image consultation as well as matchmaking. Clients meet the first time at a high end restaurant and spend time getting to know each other. As a boutique matchmaker Debra takes time to learn what each client is looking for in their next relationship.

Rosie and Jay are two such clients, both in their 70’s. Their first date was at Pizzico on the East Side of Providence. They were as nervous as high school kids on a first date. After a three hour dinner they started dating and seven months later are deliriously in love. They celebrate every 28th of the month, the date of their first meeting. They take time to surprise and delight each other with dining at an exotic eatery, enjoying a Broadway show, or a horse drawn carriage through Central Park. Both were ready to let love enter their lives again and are experiencing a new level of joy and happiness.