Swept Away

Page 4 of 5

Bristol, Rhode Island

By Tamara Wieder

Blithewold photo by The Bristol Workshops in Photography

There’s more to Bristol than its proud billing as the most patriotic town in America. Think stately mansions, historic museums, quaint shops and restaurants, and stunning views of Narragansett Bay nearly everywhere you look (the perfect backdrop for photos). For couples looking to wed, Bristol offers the best of both worlds: small-town charm and proximity to larger tourist destinations nearby such as Newport and Providence—so there’s a dizzying array of options for guests, from sporting to lodging, culinary to cultural.

Venues
Accommodations: Point Pleasant Inn, 800-503-0627, pointpleasantinn.com
Rehearsal dinner: DeWolf Tavern, 401-254-2005, dewolftavern.com
Ceremony/reception site: Blithewold Mansion (see caption below)
Honeymoon night: The Chanler at Cliff Walk, Newport, 866-793-5664, thechanler.com

Vendors
Cake: The Cake Gallery, 401-254-1911, thecakegalleryri.net
Event design: Sayles Livingston, 401-653-9300, sayleslivingstonflowers.com
Florist: Stoneblossom Floral & Wedding Design (see caption below)
Hairstylist: New Leaf Hair Studio, 401-254-9333, newleafhairstudio.com
Lighting: Ormonde Productions, 401-453-6200, ormondeproductions.com
Photographer: Bristol Workshops in Photography, 401-253-2351, bristolworkshops.com
Videographer: Video Unlimited Productions, Cranston, 401-943-2299, newportwedding.com
Wedding planner: Excelebrations, 888-377-5731, excelebrations.com

Photos from top: It's hard to find a more beautiful reception area than Blithewold, with its grand 19th-century mansion, lush gardens, elegant on-site tent, and 10-acre lawn sweeping down to the Narragansett Bay. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, 401-253-2707, blithewold.org. When is a florist more than a florist? When the aforementioned florist--Stoneblossom--does your flowers and plays interior designer for your wedding, plus creates your invitations and puts together welcome bags for your guests. Stoneblossom Floral & Wedding Design, East Greenwich, 401-884-3220, stoneblossom.com.

Weddings are no passing fancy for Fine Catering by Russell Morin. They've been a family-owned business since 1911, when the owner's grandfather, J.B. Morin, used to drop food in the lunch pails that jewelry workers in a nearby factory would lower from their windows.
Newport, 888-552-7822. morins.com.