A Modern Meets Vintage Summer Wedding in Newport, Rhode Island

By Kevin Harson8 May 2026

The colors of Mary & Berkeley’s wedding day consisted mostly of white and sage.

Mary & Berkeley’s vision for their wedding day was to make it classic, timeless, and personal. With touches of the historical Newport,t with photos at The Elms, a vintage Rolls Roy,ce and the details of the florals curated a modern vintage design.

After five years together, Berkeley proposed in Portland, Maine, where he was living at the time. Mary had traveled up to help him pack his apartment as the couple prepared to relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a work opportunity—and to officially live together for the first time. To celebrate the upcoming move, Berkeley planned a special dinner in town. On the walk to the restaurant, he stopped, got down on one knee, and asked Mary to marry him.

Mary selected an Essence of Australia wedding gown that reflected her classic and modern style. Her dress had beautiful and subtle floral accents and a strapless sweetheart neckline.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were intentionally chosen to add the accent color of sage into the design of their wedding day, with alternating solids and florals.

The Wyndham Newport Hotel greeted guests with Mary and Berkeley’s signature cocktails of a Hugo Spritz and Spiked Arnold Palmer upon their arrival from the church ceremony. Cocktail hour included passed hors d’oeuvres, a classic New England raw bar, and a charcuterie table of cheese and cured meats. The reception plated dinner offered guests three entree choices, mini dessert,s and then late night snacks of pizza and chicken tenders once the dance floor opened.

Sayles Livingston Decor provided an elegant and classic design with personal flowers, ceremony florals, and reception florals with candlelight. Drape Art Designs transformed the reception ballroom with the romantic and soft draping on the ceiling. Signs by Viv provided installations such as their welcome sign, seating chart, and pillars to host their After The Tone guest book and card box, along with their bar signage, table numbers,s and other table signage. PEAK Event Services provided the cocktail hour specialty bars, the head table chairs, and all of the beaded chargers. La Affitto provided all of the reception glassware, mixing green and clear. Pranzi Tents and Events provided the guest table, chairs, and the all-white dance floor. Sweetly Designed Events provided the back bar shelving and the rattan lounge grouping in the cocktail hour. Nuage Designs provided the playful cocktail hour linens. Stradley Davidson provided the guest table napkins and the head table linen with their Flora Basil pattern.

A special nod to their wedding cake was having it made by their close family friends, who own Antoine’s Pastry Shop. Mary & Berkeley’s design for the cake was to keep it classic and vintage with the piping, and then, after they cut the cake, they invited their family friends to take a photo with them as a special shoutout.

Music is very important to Mary & Berkeley, so having a cocktail hour with the surprising element of Big Lux Violin, a live electric violinist, to play and work among the crowd provided interactive entertainment for their guests. Then Meritage DJ kept everyone on the dance floor with a collaboration of a playlist.

For Berkeley’s love of golf, there was a mini golf course incorporated in cocktail hour for guests to use. There were custom golf balls and score cards to make it more customized for their wedding day.

Right before dancing began at the reception, Mary and Berkeley wanted to share espresso martinis from their favorite espresso martini bar by using a custom dual ice luge and espresso martini tower for guests to enjoy.

Transforming the reception space was a big design element. Drape Art Designs romantically draped the ceiling while classic all-white flowers from Sayles Livingston Design were on all tables to complement Stradley Davidson’s linens and napkins, and a touch of modern flair with La Affitto stemware and PEAK Event Services silver beaded chargers.