The NOT-SO-STUFFY-GUIDE TO PLANNING AN UNFORGETTABLE NEWPORT WEDDING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR GUESTS

Let's Talk Newport Weddings: This was once the stomping ground of the Gilded Age oil tycoons, railroad barons, and investment bankers who came here to play, and party. It’s fantastic that so much of their legacy still endures through the homes they built and the ocean views that they selected for their playground. They chose Newport when they could have chosen literally anywhere. Not only does Newport provide an incredible set for your photographs, but it’s a fantastic place for your guests to spend a week, or a weekend. I encourage all of my clients to come up with options and suggested intenariries for their guests to peruse upon their arrival so that they make the most of their stay. Many people expect to find just another New England seaside town in Newport, but it is SO, SO much more. You will be treating your guests to much more than a party, you will be giving them a unique experience that they will never forget.

My top suggestion: Include a schedule in your welcome bags, and include suggestions for things to do outside of your wedding events. Plan one firm event per day, meaning, one event that will absolutely happen. Ideally, something light and social and boozy; Sandwiches at Fort Adams, or Aperatives at Hammnets. This way, your guests have a starting point around which to plan the rest of their day, and they can mingle and get to know each other before the big day at the firm events.

Your list of activity ideas should be varied and include something for everyone, i.e. mansion tour, trolly tour, historical society tour (the slave cemetery is my favorite), visit America’s oldest synagogue, go for a stroll downtown and do some shopping, take a sunset schooner sail, grab jet skis, kayaks, sailboats or other adventure sport rentals, and of course, plan some time to soak in the sun at the beaches.

Help your guests to experience Newport and make a vacation out of your wedding. By the time the main event rolls around, your cousins will have mingled with your college friends, and your old uncles will have traded stock tips with your coworkers… it makes the main event so much more fun!

And it goes without saying, the events before and after your actual wedding are all part of the story, and so much fun to have documented!