Real Wedding: Kate & Steven
Massachusetts native, Kate, met her husband, Washingtonian Steven, while in California and the pair planned their Bristol, RI wedding from Nevada. So it’s no wonder travel was an ever-present theme throughout the décor at their July nuptials.
This gorgeous couple was married at St. Mary’s Church in Bristol on one of the hottest days of the summer, although Kate is certain the previous day boasted higher temperatures. “The rehearsal dinner the night before felt much worse!” The bride said.
Family and friends traveled from all over the country to celebrate with them both in church and at the historic Linden Place, a Newport mansion and carriage house that perfectly complimented the bride and groom’s classic style and which served as the cocktail hour and reception site for their lovely affair.
“We chose Linden Place because it really had the smaller venue feeling we were going for,” Kate said. “We knew we’d have about 100 guests and the space was really ideal for that. Since we were planning from the west coast, my parents saw and booked Linden Place before us – we actually only saw it in person about four months before the wedding. It was exactly what we were looking for though. I wanted a venue that was unique and at least a little historical, and I knew I definitely wanted an outdoor area for people to mingle for cocktail hour. Linden Place really exceeded our expectations.”
Using vintage travel post cards as table seating cards and vintage maps as the paper for their guest book (guests signed on either Washington, Massachusetts or California) the couple perfectly punctuated their special day with these simple, romantic touches that told the unique story of their love.
During the cocktail hour, which was held out on the lawn at Linden Place, guests nibbled coastal appetizers such as johnnycakes and lobster rolls, enjoyed mini cups of steaming clam chowder and sipped the couple’s chosen signature drink, refreshing mojitos, out of Mason jars. The carriage house reception space was filled with gorgeous tall and short hydrangea arrangements by Sayles Livingston Flowers.
“Sayles Livingston did our flowers and it was incredible how well she was able to capture what we wanted when we never even met her in person!” The bride said. “She is so talented. We especially loved the high arrangements, which we felt really transformed the space. Since we’d been a bit more hands-off with the planning because of the distance, it all felt like a wonderful surprise when we saw it in person.”
All of these elements as well as the bride and groom’s most blissful moments were captured by expert shutterbugs Melissa DeSchamp of Melissa DeSchamp Photography and Alanna Scully of Alanna Scully Photography.
“We just had the best experience overall – vendors, venue, etc!” Said Kate. “Of course, we loved the photographers too!”
Kate and Steven also had quite the sweet tooth as evidenced by the five different cakes they served up during the reception. The Artisan Bake Shop created each confection for them to include a three-tier cake for cutting and four mini cakes in fun flavors like peanut butter chocolate. What a deliciously cute idea!
We here at Newport Wedding Glam want to thank Kate and Steven for sharing their special day with us!
Click here to view the full, glamorous gallery of images!
Credits: Photographer: Melissa DeSchamp Photography & Alanna Scully Photography, Hair: New Leaf Hair Studio, Bakery: The Artisan Bake Shop, Caterer: Blackstone Caterers, Event & Floral Designer: Sayles Livingston Design, Venue: Linden Place
Thanks so much for featuring Kate and Steve’s wedding… it was such a fun and beautiful celebration!
Thank you for sharing with us! You did an amazing job!
Thank you so much for featuring our cakes from Kate & Steven’s wedding! It was a fabulous celebration and one of our favs of 2011!