♥ local love
DANIELLE and WILLIAM
June 3, 2017 // Dawn Temple Photography
T
h e y s ay y o u d o n ' t k n o w
what you’ve got till it’s gone, but William
knew exactly what he could have with
Danielle. They had spent two years crossing
paths while working for different companies that
had dealings with one another when Danielle broke
the news that she was moving to Connecticut for
another job. She remembers: “He said, ‘I need to
get serious about taking you out, then.’” The first
date was a success, as evidenced by the year-and-
a-half relationship that came next, but William
really pulled out all of the stops when it came to the
proposal which involved popping the question at
the top of the Empire State Building at midnight. “I
had no idea what was happening,” Danielle says. “I
thought we were just going to check out the view!”
Come wedding day, the pair exchanged vows at
Bay View Academy’s chapel (Danielle’s alma mater)
and followed up with a nostalgia-laden reception
at the Squantum Association, known for its old-
school New England charm. Rustic Roots Design
took the historic structure’s beauty to a whole new
level, however, by filling every inch of the space with
natural florals and greenery. “Talk about passion
with a capital P,” Danielle reveals. “They totally
understood the romantic, organic look I was going
for. When I saw the room for the first time that day
I literally started jumping up and down.”
But Rustic Roots wasn’t the only vendor that got
people on their feet. Danielle, who plans events
as part of her job, wanted to make her big day as
dynamic as possible, so she hired the talents of
Chifferobe. “I kept it a secret from our guests and
they were completely surprised when the girls came
out,” she says. “They really got the party started.”
Aside from the event itself, Danielle advises newly
engaged couples to “focus on the commitment to
your partner and your union.” In fact, she knows
first-hand how important this sentiment is: Leading
up to the big day, she and William took part in
marital classes. “During those exercises we were
asking each other a lot of important questions,
like, ‘If God blesses us with children, what will
our parenting approach be?’ and so on. It was so
nice to see that we were in sync,” she says. And it
seems it was definitely a good indication of their
future: “I know it hasn’t been long, but marriage
has been such a blast!” Good thing William got
serious when he did.
124 | RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY'S ENGAGED 2018