♥ local love
JAMIE and TRAVIS
September 11, 2016 // Melissa Stimpson Photography
“ I
love weddings, they make me
happy,” Jamie says. “I used to watch ‘Say Yes
to the Dress’ long before I was ever engaged.”
And so, after seven wonderful years with her
then-boyfriend, Travis, it was understandable that
Jamie was secretly hoping a fancy anniversary-
weekend date at the Capital Grille might bring forth
a proposal. “But he was so calm that night. He totally
threw me off,” she says. The clever guy had even
ditched the ring box so Jamie was none the wiser
when he instead took a sandwich baggy out of his
pocket during a post-dinner stroll through Waterplace
Park. “I thought I would cry, but I was just really
flustered once I saw the ring,” she recalls.
Their ceremony, though, was a whole different
story. Jamie admits that she struggled to fight back
tears as Ingrid Michaelson’s beautiful cover of
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” accompanied her trip
down the aisle. “But then, if you look back through
the picture progression of that moment, you’ll
see my expression change from ‘Don’t cry, don’t
cry!’ to incredibly happy as soon as I looked up at
Travis.” Meanwhile, Jamie wasn’t the only one
experiencing extreme emotions; halfway through
the ceremony, the bride looked over her shoulder
to find that her maid of honor slash best friend from
high school was sobbing uncontrollably. “She had
nothing to wipe her face with, so Travis’ stepmother
stood up in the first pew to hand her a tissue,”
Jamie laughs. Then, one of the other bridesmaids
asked for a sheet because she was crying too. Before
long, Kleenex was getting passed down the whole
line of ladies clad in mismatched creams and soft
pinks. “It got the whole place laughing and really
helped diffuse the tension,” Jamie adds.
The lighter mood then carried into the couple’s
understated yet classy reception at the North
Beach Clubhouse (a hidden gem if you ask us!)
where they entertained their guests with classic
Gregg’s cakes and a personally curated playlist.
“But the best thing I think that we did was follow
our photographer’s advice and step out for a few
minutes to get pictures at sunset,” Jamie says. “It
was nice to have some extra time alone together
as newlyweds where we could goof off a little bit.”
And if our choice for this year’s cover image wasn’t
indication enough, we’re pretty glad they took the
time to do that, too.
98 | RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY'S ENGAGED 2018