Half a dozen members of the wedding party were arrested early Sunday morning following a melee with cops outside a Newport restaurant ... and footage shows the incident escalating from a tense interaction to straight-up combat.

In the video, punches thrown by both sides fly and connect ... and a woman in an orange dress, who police later identified as Alexandra Flaherty, is seen kicking a cop in the groin.

Another woman in the wedding party gets knocked out cold ... hitting the deck when an officer throws her to the ground.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, the cop says the woman was reaching for his firearm when he turned around and threw a punch connecting with her jaw. Police say the woman, later identified as Rachael Onik, eventually became conscious and was arrested.

Cops say Rachael's husband, David Onik, started the whole thing when he threw a fit after being denied entry to a bar. Police say David got physical with bar staff, who called the cops.

Police say when officers arrived to talk to David, his wife "began injecting herself into the incident and becoming uncooperative" ... and when an officer tried to move her back, she tripped on the cobblestone street. That's where the video picks up and all hell breaks loose.

Footage also shows a man in a suit and tie, who police later identified as Robert Nash, punching a cop in the face, taking him to the ground and then pummeling him.