Mount Hope Farm, Rhode Island

Joanna and Scott’s story has always been tied to place, to architecture, to the Mount Hope Bridge.

They met at Roger Williams University, both studying architecture. Their first date was at a small wine bar in Somerville. Their first photo was under the Mount Hope Bridge. The story of their wedding comes full circle, marking their love in landmarks.

At their engagement session, we returned to the same place where they had their first date, Gray’s Wine Bar in Somerville, a block from their old apartment. I wanted to understand their story by going back to where it started.

On their wedding day at Mount Hope Farm, that same bridge returned to their story, living as a motif of their love.

Scott waited beneath it for their first look while Joanna arrived by ferry across the water. Watching them meet there brought the whole story into focus. The bridge stood above them, steady and familiar, exactly where their story had first begun.

As a film photographer, these are the moments I’m always paying attention to. Not just what happens, but why it matters. The places people choose, the connections they return to, the quiet meaning behind the decisions that shape a wedding day. Film has a way of bridging and connecting stories.

Joanna and Scott appreciate film in that same way. They often photograph their own lives on an old Olympus point-and-shoot, drawn to the pace and intention that film requires. Because of that, photographing their wedding on film felt natural. They understand what makes film different and why it matters.

That sense of intention showed up throughout the day. The ceremony overlooked the water with the Mount Hope Bridge visible in the distance. Custom matchbooks featured an illustration of the bridge itself. Everywhere you looked, there were small reminders, symbols, of the place that first brought them together. The whole setting felt elevated and calm, almost suspended between land and water.

Film has a way of honoring those details. It slows the process down and asks you to notice what makes a story personal. For couples like Joanna and Scott, the details are not decoration. They are the threads that hold the entire story together.

Inside the reception tent, soft paper lanterns glowed overhead while strings of light crossed the ceiling. Joanna and Scott shared their first dance surrounded by family and friends, the lanterns gently shifting above them as the room settled into the evening.

Thoughtful touches throughout the celebration stood out, like Joanna’s mother’s handmade wedding cake or Dell’s Italian Ice, a small Rhode Island tradition guests stepped outside to enjoy later in the evening.

And for Joanna and Scott, whose story has always been tied to a place, those moments now live alongside the photographs. Together they form a gallery of a day that felt deeply connected to where it all began. Film, bridging the gap between past and present.

Alongside photographing the day on film, I also documented moments on Super 8. Some days deserve a highlight reel that lets you relive them again later. Super 8 captures pieces of the day as they unfold, small movements and interactions that bring back the feeling of the entire celebration.