Saturday Recap

We had a very productive day in Newport on Saturday. Although we awoke to snow, we were determined to make all of our appointments. Our first, at 41 North, was at 11:30. We met with Leslie at a restaurant called "Christy's" which is apparently part of the "41 North family." Christy's is a cute, casual restaurant, but definitely not something we'd book for our rehearsal dinner. Leslie walked us upstairs, above the restaurant to the 2 rooms they had available for booking. It was sorely disappointing. The rooms were smallish, and the decor was very plain. Although it did have a wrap-around deck, it wasn't directly waterfront, so views were only partial. It seems as though the outdoor, waterfront marina area is undergoing construction and will not be open until June 2009. Bummer. The final nail in this coffin was the lack of an elevator or handicap accessible ramp.

At noon, we met with the lovely event planners at Belle Mer. We had a very interactive discussion about our "vision" for the reception. They had some tablecloths, china, etc for us to look at, and I began to (finally!) solidify my color choices. I think things are coming along swimmingly! After Belle Mer, we met up with the in-laws for lunch at Christy's. They ended up joining us for the rest of the day, as we visited Newport Vineyards and St. Anthony's.

Newport Vineyards was very quaint, as it's a small tasting room with outdoor tent for events. It directly overlooks the vineyards, though, which are lit up at night. Our guests could participate in the tastings, if they wanted, and we would have the entire place to ourselves. FI wasn't too keen on this place, though, because he felt it didn't jive with our overall modern, chic theme. I, and the in-laws, however, thought it would be a good constrast to the following evening's reception. So, basicaly, Newport Vineyards is still in the running.

Finally, we visited St. Anthony's. I was highly anticipating this since it seemed to be our final hope of finding a Catholic church in the Newport area that would marry us. We were very disappointed, though. Although beautiful on the outside, the inside is very dated and the altar is in the middle of the church (i.e. there are pews/people on 3 sides facing the altar). This would make it difficult to choose which aisle to walk down. Disheartened, we left.

On the way back to Newport, we saw a sign for Salve Regina University, which is a Catholic university in Newport. It reminded me about when I was researching Catholic churches in Newport -- Salve Regina has a chapel! We decided to take a last minute detour and see the facilities at Salve Regina. The chapel is located in Ochre Court, which is a Newport Mansion. Needless to say, it is GORGEOUS! Unfortunately, the building was locked, but the outside is fabulous. It's right on the Cliff Walk and overlooks the ocean. It's a beautiful setting. So, now it's just a question of if we can get married there. Lets keep our fingers crossed!! You can see an aerial view of it here: http://www.corbettphotography.net/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=&p=0&a=0&at=0