Lucas and Catey's Wedding in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

When we began planning our wedding, there were a few ideas we carried with us from day one. First, we always wanted it to be a true reflection of us as a couple. Although we were having a black-tie event, we really wanted the reception to be a party and wanted all our friends and family to know how important they were to us. In order to achieve this, it took picking the right vendor team and ours was AMAZING.

We started in downtown Newport on Friday night at Bar and Board for a delicious rehearsal dinner, followed immediately by a welcome party in their Leopard room upstairs. The drinks we awesome and it is really worth doing the welcome party because it guarantees you get time to talk to many of your out of town guests.

We had a dream wedding day; the weather was simply perfect. October in New England can be a gamble (like any day in New England) but we lucked out, it was sunny and warm. I grew up in Rhode Island and we chose Glen Manor house for our wedding for a few reasons. We both wanted to be on the water but not fully exposed to the elements. I had always wanted to be married in a Mansion and Glen Manor was perfect because I really wanted unique areas not just one big open room. I started my day at my parent’s rental with my bridesmaids and our incredible beauty team (Allison Barbera Beauty is the best). We listened to music, drank champagne (lots coffee), had a wonderful brunch and just enjoyed the down time. Lucas was at our hotel sleeping and hanging out with friends, it was an all-around great morning. There ended up being an issue with our transportation but our wedding planner seamlessly handled it, so I had no idea there was an issue until she came to me and told me the solution (EXACTLY why you hire an awesome planner, Hidden Host events was a dream to work with).

Your wedding day will go by in the blink of an eye and there is a lot of "hurry up and wait" which can be nerve wracking, but it all works out. For us, we got to Glen Manor, got dressed, started pictures, had a few drinks and before I knew it, we were ready for our first look. Hiring a great photographer is key, Sara Zarrella Photography was ours and she explained everything, took charge, kept us on schedule, took all the pictures I knew I wanted but also incorporated so many that were beyond stunning.

When guests arrived, we were hidden away upstairs and our amazing string trio (Legacy String Trio) welcomed everyone to our ceremony. The ceremony was flawless, our friend married us, so he was able to actually talk about us as individuals and as a couple which was really important to us. Our flowers (Sayles Livingston) were breathtaking, along with many other small details of signs, pashminas, programs etc. Food and drink were super important to us, growing up, my parents threw a lot of parties and I learned young, having well feed, well served guests = happy guests. The food was incredible and as we moved to the reception, my vision came to life in each room. Large romantic Autumn tone boutiques gilled the rooms, hundreds of candles gave the warm glow to accent the beauty of Glen Manor. On the patio was draped in linens, with lights, three large chandeliers and a 30 person head table with floral runner, it was stunning especially as the sun set and the warm glow really set the mood.

Our reception was exactly what we hoped for, a party. Our incredible DJ played an amazing mix that kept all ages happy. Lucas and his fraternity brothers continued tradition and sang to me, almost every single guest utilized our photobooth which made for an AWESOME guest book. It is so hard to summarize your wedding into word, thankfully there are photographers and videographers to capture it all for you but it really was the most amazing weekend of our lives.