Ceremony Venue: St. Columba’s Chapel
Reception Venue: The Clambake Club of Newport
Photographer: Meghan Sepe
Florals: Sayles Livingston Design
Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier
Invitations- Paper, Packaging & Panache
Beauty- Jennifer Gonzalez
Event Coordination- Couture Parties
Alex and Chris first met in 1997. They’d both recently graduated from college and had moved to Washington, DC. They had mutual friends, and ended up in the same circle of friends for about two years, but then both went their separate ways and lost touch. Alex had always thought Chris was cute, but her roommate liked him too, so he was off-limits.
In 2009 Alex was finishing her residency in Buffalo, NY, and was getting ready to move to Hartford, Connecticut to start her fellowship, when all of a sudden Chris popped up as “someone you might know” on Facebook. She thought “Wow, I haven’t talked to that guy in 10 years! Wonder what he’s up to! (And if he’s still cute?)” so she sent him a message. Chris responded – and it turned out he was living in West Hartford, one town over! After she got to Hartford, Alex’s girlfriend (and later bridesmaid) Kelly was visiting, so Alex used that as an excuse to send Chris a message, asking if he could recommend some fun things to do, and casually adding that he was welcome to join them.
A few days later, Alex and Kelly were out after dinner, and even after ten years, Alex immediately recognized Chris as she saw him come walking down the street. The “reunion” went well (and he was definitely still cute!), and ended with a “we’ll have to do this again” – and they did.
After finishing her fellowship, Alex took a job back in her hometown of Newport, Rhode Island, and Chris moved with her. They got an adorable French Bulldog puppy named Frank about a year later. Then one Sunday afternoon in June 2011, a few months shy of their 2 year anniversary, Alex was called in to the ER. When she got home, Frank met her at the door, as usual. But she immediately noticed something on his collar, and said “What’s this?” Chris said, “Oh it’s a new toy.” Alex went to look more closely, and it was a little pouch, with a little silver box inside, and inside that was the most beautiful ring! It turned out Chris had worked with Alex’s sister (and maid of honor) Kate to design it, using diamonds of their mother’s, and emeralds (Alex’s birthstone, and favorite color), and he’d been carrying the ring around for almost 3 months, waiting for the perfect moment to set up a surprise. Alex then managed to catch her breath and finish walking in the door, and noticed candles and flowers and champagne set up on the back porch… It was there that Chris got down on one knee, and Alex of course said yes.
They decided to have a traditional ceremony at St. Columba’s Chapel- a beautiful old stone chapel about a mile down the street from where Alex grew up. An old friend from high school officiated, and another friend played bagpipes outside the church. The reception was held at The Clambake Club of Newport- a private club right on the water with breathtaking views (and amazing food!), with a vintage home-like feel. They wanted a sea side, classic, down to earth wedding with a touch of “Newport”- and with the help of some amazing vendors, and some wonderful personal touches from friends and family, we ended up with a gorgeous, dream day. The rest is history!