Nikki: 26, from Sun Prairie, WI
Kyle: 29, from Victor, NY
Now Reside in:  Milford, Connecticut

The Details
Ceremony & Reception: The Sullivan House
Catering: Block Island Gourmet
Rehearsal Dinner: The Spring House
Welcome Event: National Hotel Firepits 
Flowers: La Bella Rose 
Cake: Aldo’s Bakery
Photographer: Michael Benson Photography 
Music: DJ Flip

Before the Ring and Proposal
Kyle had moved to Connecticut to go to Quinnipiac Law school, and a couple of years later Nikki moved to Connecticut to be closer to her family. While Kyle was bartending at a restaurant, Nikki began working as a waitress at the same spot. Hitting it off immediately, this couple has lived together since their first month together. Dating for about three years before their engagement, the couple had always talked about wanting a destination wedding.  With that in mind, during a vacation to Anna Maria Island, FL, Kyle took Nikki for a stroll on the beach during sunset, dropped to one knee and proposed to her.

Block Island Because……
Kyle and Nikki wanted a small and intimate wedding — yet memorable and fun. Kyle took Nikki to Block Island one year for her birthday and fell in love with the place. It was close enough to be comfortable, but far enough to be special.

The Day and Design
One of the  most beautiful memories of the wedding day was their “first look.”  They did this mainly to be able to spend more time with wedding guests after the ceremony. “I will always remember that moment” Kyle remarked. The ceremony took place over-looking the Great Salt Pond, a view the guests are still talking about. A sand ceremony, which was very symbolic to the couple, was a highlight. Though it was not a beach wedding, it was still a reminder that they were on a beautiful island.  Other highlights were the lawn games for guests to play, Nikki serenading Kyle to Celine Dion, and the heartfelt and funny speeches from the Best Man and Matrons of Honor — who did a rap to New Kids on the Block and changed it to Newlyweds on the Block. The couple made nearly all of the decorations for the day themselves and instead of purchasing traditional favors, the couple chose to hand-craft each table setting as a memento for the guests to take home. When the reception was over, the party continued at the Yellow Kittens with live music and dancing.  

The Wedding Weekend
Knowing that destination weddings take more time to plan, Nikki and Kyle made sure to send out the save-the-dates very early to give everyone plenty of time to make travel plans.  They created a wedding website that had helpful information such as directions to the ferry,ferry times, room block information, and a map of the island showing the location of The Sullivan House.
With a bumpy start to the trip, which included several days of ferry cancellations due to a tropical storm the weekend before, Kyle and Nikki made it to the island a day later than planned. The rehearsal dinner was held at The Spring House and the couple met up with guests who had arrived early to have drinks at the firepits behind The National Hotel.

Top 3 pieces of advice:

1.    Send out your save-the-dates as soon as you can to give your guests plenty of time to plan their travel.
2.    If you or your guests are planning on bringing a car, make reservations far in advance.
3.    This might be the most important one of all:  Don’t forget to have late night food for after the reception!