The Meet Cute : Ben was born and raised in Bridgewater , MA . Before Rhode Island , Amanda lived in Ladera Ranch , CA . They met and started dating while students at Providence College and Amanda stayed in Providence after graduation for work .
The Engagement : After being together for six years , the couple got engaged at Fort Williams in Portland , Maine , on Feb . 6 , 2021 . “ It was a bit of a trick ,” Amanda says . “ I had been talking about wanting to travel somewhere that we felt far away , but still safe in the time of COVID . We had been to Portland once before and fell in love with the food-forward , funky city .” What she thought was a nice weekend getaway turned into an agreement to spend the rest of their lives together . After shopping around and taking in the city , Ben declared he really wanted to see a lighthouse . He proposed on a snowy hill overlooking Portland Head Light . He used to do magic tricks in high school and college , so instead of getting down on one knee , he pulled the ring from behind Amanda ’ s ear and proposed with a 1930s platinum diamond ring from a Michigan-based jeweler that Amanda had her eye on for years . They celebrated with a beer and a homemade cheese board at their Airbnb , just the two of them . “ I always thought there would be tons of bells and whistles when he proposed , but it was so quiet !” Amanda says . “ No one was around , but ultimately , that made it so much better for the two of us .”
The Ceremony and Reception : Since the wedding took place with COVID precautions , the couple had around eighty guests join them at the ceremony at Providence College ’ s St . Dominic Chapel . “ We met at PC and it was important to us to have a Catholic ceremony , so it made sense ,” Amanda says . “ We were so happy to be there and get pictures on campus , as well as be congratulated ( and sometimes whistled at ) by students passing by .” The reception was even smaller , with seventy-five guests at Shepherd ’ s Run in South Kingstown . “ It was important to us to be respectful of people ’ s comfort level of gathering , so we were happy to let our guests be selective in how they would choose to celebrate with us ,” Amanda says .
The Theme : The whimsical vintage decor and attire stemmed from Amanda and Ben ’ s many dates walking through antique markets and yard sales , creating their own scavenger hunts . They chose jewel tones knowing that April weather could go either way . In lieu of real flowers for the groomsmen , they got creative and found ones that will last a lifetime . “ Our original idea was to use 1960s enamel flower brooches as boutonnieres ,” Amanda says . “ We started searching for them last summer at Brimfield Antique Flea Market and instead found lots of big , whimsical jeweled brooches . The one my dad wore belonged to my great grandmother .” To continue the theme , they found game boards and pieces to use as table centerpieces at New Bedford Antiques at the Cove , the Lady Next Door in Warren and thrift shops , along with Trivial Pursuit cards and peg games . “ We also left a secret message on our Scrabble table for Ben ’ s family to decode ,” Amanda says . The answer ? Amanda Talbot x Ben Williams .
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