When Sam’s mom, Sandy, called me based on a referral from a bride 5 years ago, I was so excited! First, because my bride of 5 years ago is still referring me, and second, because the wedding was going to take place in Newport, RI on New Year's Eve! Sandy started telling me about the wedding and everything that they had already planned, and it just sounded so magical! Sandy lives is Cheshire but Sam and Rob actually live in Newport, so we made plans to meet in my office the next time that Sam was in town. Shortly after our meeting, Sandy contacted me to tell me they would be hiring me! I was so excited! And what a perfect way to end such a fantastic year!
As part of any of my services, I go on a walkthrough with the client to see the venue and get their vision. On a beautiful day in October, I took a ride out to Newport to meet with Sandy, Sam and to meet Rob, and also to see the gorgeous Newport Beach House. It was my first time there and it was absolutely breathtaking! There are 2 rooms - the Surfside (first floor) and the Eventide (second floor). Each had a lovely terrace, and the Eventide had a deck as well. Sam and Rob's reception was going to be held in the Surfside room.
After seeing the venue, we went to check out the church for the ceremony, Jesus Christ Saviour. It was a beautiful, old looking church not far from the Beach House.
When the time came, I was so excited to kick off such a fun holiday/wedding weekend! My assistant, Liz and I hit the road on the morning of 12/30 so that we could be there in plenty of time to check into our hotel, check out the venue to make sure the rentals arrived and to get to the church to coordinate the ceremony. By the time we got to the church, everyone was so happy and looking forward to the wedding. We practiced walking in and out of the church, and the priest went over the ceremony and mass.
On the day of the wedding, Liz and I got up early to check in with Sam and the girls in the hotel to make sure that hair and makeup was well underway. This was nice to see, as we don't normally go to the hotel while the bride is getting ready because we figure this is her time to relax with her girls, and oftentimes, it can be a bit packed, so we don't want to be an extra body in the way. But for this wedding, since we were staying in the same hotel as the bride anyway, we thought it would be nice to pop in and see if they needed anything. Sandy did make a few requests, so we went off to run a few errands for her, since we had time to kill anyway.
After that was done, we went to the venue to begin setup. Julianna, who works for the venue, and her staff were amazing. They helped setup everything that Sam had dropped off the day before (menu cards, favors, table numbers, card box, etc.). We also made sure that the flowers were delivered on time and delivered the boutonnières to the guys at another hotel.
Once we knew everything was running smoothly and on time, we made our way to the church. There wasn't much that we needed to set up there because being a few days after Christmas, they still had holiday decorations up. It looked beautiful!
When we returned to the venue to confirm the reception was ready to go, everything looked stunning!
There were some really great speeches given by Sam's Dad, Rob's brother and Sam's Maids of Honor.
Then it was finally time to party!
And what's a New Year's Eve wedding without the new year countdown, complete with confetti?!
This was one of my favorite weddings ever! What a party it was! We are so blessed to have such amazing clients like this!
Photography: Hilary B Photography
Venue and Catering: Newport Beach House
Church: Jesus Christ Saviour
Hair and Makeup: Allison Barbera Beauty
Florals: Sayles Livingston Designs
DJ and Uplighting: DJ Flip
Bride's Dress: The Plumed Serpent Bridal
Wine Cork Guest Book Sign: Nob Hill Jane
Rentals: Peak Event Services
Transportation: Fisher Bus and Buzzbus
Day of Coordination: Pink Olive Events
