Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” is a wise old quote often attributed to singer-songwriter John Lennon, and it could easily be the motto of the wedding of Leah and Ed Pisari of Providence. Once the couple had set their date, The Wayfinder in Newport was chosen as the venue. The hotel – which had recently undergone a transformation in 2020 – imbued a mid-century modern aesthetic, which appealed to the design-minded couple. The lobby had unique features like a dark blue ceiling, the nearby lounge featured a groovy central firepit in tiger lily orange, and the owners took pride in featuring the work of local artists totaling 1,000 pieces. The groove extended to its onsite restaurant Nomi Park, which had quickly become an “it” place for burgers and more. “We wouldn’t need to do much,” says Leah of the setting made for a graphic designer’s big day.
Two and half months before the wedding, headlines were ablaze with reports that The Wayfinder had succumbed to an overnight four-alarm fire, the property had been gutted – and so it seemed – Pisari’s dream wedding. After 24 hours of brooding time, the bride-to-be knew she had to begin contacting her list of wedding vendors to cancel, and fortunately started by calling Lorinda Constant of Providence-based Sweet Talk Florals.
“Once Leah told me that her original venue had burned down, I immediately went into fix-it mode,” said Constant, a plucky creative whose actions live up to her surname. “Knowing that the couple wanted a more unique venue experience, I had luckily just worked at Dye House – which was newly opened – and realized it could be the perfect solution.”
“Lorinda saved the wedding,” says Pisari, who also credits her many vendors for being nimble, supportive, and adaptive. “The Wayfinder burned down on Monday and we had Dye House by Thursday,” says Pisari of the former Olneyville textile mill reimagined as a boutique hotel and event space that would now be the wedding and reception location. “I went from planning a Newport wedding to planning a Providence wedding. So many things had to change.” Pisari even took a second look at her gown, which never seemed to fit quite right even after alterations, which led her to find the blush pink dress she purchased online last-minute, and adored.
Pisari, who describes herself as “able to make anything,” looked at the pivot like a contractor producing an art installation or editorial dinner. Describing Dye House as a “white cube,” she offers that it provided a blank canvas for her to develop a palette of five signature colors (light blue, dark blue, pink, red, yellow), a font family, and style guide which informed choices from candles to stationery. Inspired by a TikTok video, ideas of disco balls and florals emerged. In a short time frame, there were multiple meetings with vendors (most of which were done via Zoom due to COVID restrictions) and site visits, and she admits that her floral budget tripled. “I didn’t think of myself as a DIY bride but I turned into one.”
One week before the wedding, Ed had an unexpected stroke. As Pisari took care of her fiance, his father constructed a “chuppah” canopy from copper tubing for the couple to be married beneath – a tradition at Jewish weddings symbolizing the home the couple will build together. As Ed recuperated, vendors continued to work their magic with installations over four days, coordinating the arrival of rented furniture, hanging garlands and disco balls, and Pisari busily etching keychains as place cards and favors – a project carried over from The Wayfinder.
On the big day, all of the pieces and pivots came together, resulting in a day that was heartfelt, colorful, and unique to the couple. “Our florist saved our wedding. Two Gals Cocktails made dietary changes after Ed’s stroke, Dye House let us work on the build days prior, Ellie’s created the perfect cake – and treated us to a cake on our first anniversary,” says Pisari, who still feels awestruck by everything. “Designing our wedding was truly a crazy project bringing together all of my interests in art, design, and crafting. Thank you to every vendor and friend who helped put it all together. It ended up being a WaterFire weekend so we were able to show off Providence,” says Pisari. “It was perfect.”
“With the venue being on the smaller side, we decided to focus on adding interest in hanging form, as opposed to installs on the ground and tables. Leah sourced some super fun disco balls and we added in lots of colorful hanging carnation garlands, as well as arrangements on the disco balls. The tables we kept more minimal, but used funky colored glass bud vases with minimal, unique stems, and color coordinated taper candles that matched her invitation suite! Leah and Ed’s wedding was truly one for the books!”
— Lorinda Constant
Owner & Lead Floral Designer, Sweet Talk Floral
SweetTalkFloral.com
“Leah and Ed had the most incredible wedding. Two Gals set up our portable bar in the courtyard for cocktail hour. The vibe of the evening was electric! 401 Gourmet did not disappoint with their presentation of deliciousness! Per the bride’s request, we prepared a fresh-brewed peach iced tea and our signature Cucumber Ginger Cocktail to accompany the full bar offerings. Their choices of food, cocktails, flowers, and glassware paired with the vibe of the venue. This wedding is filed in our memory for ideas for our families for the future!”
— Michelle Martins & Sandra McGovern,
Co-Owners, Two Gals Cocktails
Bristol • 2GalsCocktails.com
“Leah really approached her wedding through the lens of a creative director! She came to us with a fairly clear idea of what she was looking to print and we were able to work together to find just the right papers, ink colors, and print methods to manifest that vision. Leah and Ed had some big setbacks and we ended up reprinting a few pieces as the venue changed last-minute. Wedding planning is already a stressful process and we were glad to be able to help where we could in this unusual situation (one that they handled so gracefully!).”
— Lois Harada
Stationery Manager, DWRI Letterpress
Providence • DWRILetterpress.net
“When I first met Leah and Ed, and heard about their need to change venues, I knew the most I could do for them was help be a place that said ‘yes’ to the things they wanted to do. We were able to give them access to Dye House via a virtual key and allow them to walk the space on their own with their friends, family, and creatives who were bringing their vision to life. Having access to the space on demand is such a huge help for couples who are taking a more DIY approach, and we really love the ability to do that.”
— Kara E. Discenza
Event & Venue Coordinator, Dye House
Providence • DyeHouseRI.com
“Adapting is in our wheelhouse so we made sure we were as helpful as possible while they switched gears. We were able to pick back up planning with their tasting and continued developing their cake design. Their main buzzwords from the beginning were ‘fun, colorful, and electric,’ and their design evolved from borders adorned with colorful sprinkles to an abstract painted look with pops of fresh and painted flowers. Finally, they landed on a buttercream botanical floral print with the colors highlighting the cake flavors themselves, including raspberry, blueberry, and elderflower.”
— Stephanie Pajak,
Ellie’s Catering & Events Leader, Gracie’s Ventures
Providence, ElliesProv.com
Learn more about Pisari and her work at LeahMiriam.com
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