A Whimsical Spring Wedding at the Castle Hill Inn

The couple first stumbled upon Newport after an intense first year of the pandemic which found Amy working on political campaigns and Jon navigating Mondelez’s portfolio of brands (OREO, Cadbury, Ritz). A desire for relaxation drew them to Newport Rhode Island for a much-needed weekend away. After Jon proposed the following April (at Rhode Island’s Ocean House!) they knew that there would be better setting than Newport and Castle Hill Inn for their nuptials. Their wedding was inspired by the famous local film, "High Society". The 1956 musical romantic comedy has long been a favorite in their household. As Jon likes to say; "You have to love a movie where Frank Sinatra is only the third most talented musician!" It's frivolous fun watching these characters sing and dance their way through a weekend in Newport... and that lighthearted joy inspired quite a few elements of their wedding weekend. From the music to the fashion to the views, Casey Stamouli of Casey & Co Events made this sensational event come to life. Although their wedding day was accompanied by an abundance of rain, their vibrant flowers by Fig & Squill Floral Design, elegant decor details and bright smiles made every guest forget entirely about the deluge outside. Under an intimate tent for their ceremony, Amy & Jon exchanged their personally written vows and wedding rings, which both have slices of the Eif el Tower as a token of sentiment. Ever the romantic, the groom attended a charity auction early in his career where he made the winning bid on a piece of the original Eif el Tower. When asked by his friends why he purchased it, he said “I’m going to put this in a ring one day!” and he did; starting with the bride’s custom, solitaire oval engagement ring. Both the cocktail and reception tents were respondent with detail… Whimsical wisteria vines cascaded over the guest tables and wrapped around the tent. Handwritten notes to each guest were displayed upon a custom trellis and floral display as their escort cards. 200 hand-made, floral glass ornaments crafted by the Groom’s sister and glass artist Jennifer Halvorson were hung from a blooming and illuminated spring tree. Custom calligraphed table name frames by Wouldn’t It Be Lovely were a nod to the stars in the film; Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong. And to compliment the tent’s wisteria vines, a romantic vine inspired gobo light began to paint the tent as the evening grew darker, giving those below it the impression that the vines themselves has begun to grow and glow. Amy and Jon incorporated a choreographed first dance that was performed alongside their close friend and international music artist, Ollie Gabriel, to his song “Something New". Guests were transported to another era as they swayed the night away alongside their loved ones to California based jazz band, The Dave Stephen’s Band. It was a magical, whimsical and sophisticated wedding weekend filled with so much love for Amy and Jon.