Emily Epstein, 28, and James Rouse, 39, met in England, where James is from and where Emily was studying in London for a semester. First chance she got, Emily brought James to her grandparents house on Block Island. Just as she had, says Emily, “He fell in love with the natural beauty and relaxed feel of this special place.” After James proposed on Fred Benson Town Beach, “we both knew getting married here was the only option,” says Emily.

On September 7 at the Spring House hotel, they tied the knot in front of 80 friends and family members who had spent the prior few days falling in love with the island as well.

“The natural beauty and laid back feel of the island made for the perfect setting,” says Emily. “There was something for all of our guests to do, whether it was biking around the island, visiting the various shops and restaurants in town or relaxing on the beach with a drink, everyone really enjoyed their time on B.I.”

Their advice for others planning a wedding on Block Island:

  1.If your budget allows, have an inclusive rehearsal dinner or welcome drinks for all wedding guests before the big day. We were so glad we did this, as it allowed us to spend more time with our guests over the weekend and everyone had a great time getting to know one another, which was especially nice since we had many guests from the U.K.

2.Use local vendors as much as possible. All the local vendors we worked with were fantastic and incredibly professional. They know the island and how things work, so you can put your trust in them and just relax.

3. Enjoy every moment and don’t fret about the small details. The beauty of the island provides the perfect setting, and everything else will just flow from this. 

Everybody is still talking about...

… the perfect weather, it couldn’t have been any better.