As many of you know, we have been casually looking for a new summer home, preferably one on the water or with water views. This weekend, we attended the wedding of a very good friend of ours from New York. The wedding took place in Nerwport, Rhode Island, and I think I just my have found the place to live happily ever after.
So this one is not really in our price range, but who wouldn’t want this as their backyard and it accomplishes not one, but both of our “water” criteria. It is on the water and clearly has amazing water views. Oh, the pretty blond in the long, white gown is my friend Tanya aka the bride. She honestly looked like she was starring in an Estee Lauder commercial. The setting, the dress, her hair (think Heidi Klum on the red carpet at the Oscars), and the two adorable flower girls. . . all real and all stunning. The tall, tan guy that she is gazing into the eyes of is Tanya’s new husband, Paul. Lucky devil. He is a genuine guy, a welcomed new friend and as you can see, completed the picture perfectly.
“Black tie optional” in the middle of the summer or anytime time for that matter is standard dress code here. Girls need no excuse to get all fancy pants, the guys on the other hand, hem and haw I think to make them feel more manly. This weekend was no exceptionfor us. I was so excited and Mike, well he was just being himself. Our weekend started by him accidentally dropping the car keys down the elevator shaft. Our spare car key is on the Cape. My parents had just picked up Grover and we had just packed up the elevator. The key fell in slow motion smack down to the bottom floor of our building. I have to say, I handled this very well. Did not yell, did not panic, did not really do anything but laugh. Luckily, the elevator company had a technician in the area (apparently they receive about 30 calls a day like ours) and had us on the road in honestly 15 minutes. Sorry Mike, you did not manage to escape getting all dressed up. And you clean up rather well. Note to me, sprawling lawns mean dynamite wedges. My heels and many others managed to irrigate the greens.
The wedding took place at Rosecliff, one of Newport’s historical mansions. I can only imagine what it was like to live in this era. And every house on Bellevue Avenue is just as opulent and just as majestic. Can you imagine the dinner parties these folks threw? And I am willing to bet the black tie was not optional. They must have been huge events and tons of fun. I mean these homes or rather mansions all had private ballrooms and the fireplaces are bigger than some boutique NYC hotel rooms I have stayed in. Take a look at the below photo of me and my friend Taryn (the two of us have absolutely zero fun together) standing in the fireplace to fully understand the concept. And we have on heels!
We arrived Friday afternoon just in time for late afternoon cocktails at the rooftop bar of the Viking Hotel. Later that night the groom’s parents hosted a cocktail party. The next day was gorgeous weather and everyone either went to the beach or strolled around the town. We explored the various neighborhoods on foot and remembered how much we really love Newport. We walked down the hill to Thames St., across to the marina and then back up to scout out a few of the bars we used to frequent. The Pelham, The Black PearI and The Landing are all still there. I have spent a lot of time there and have so many great and varied memories. One summer my college roomies and I rented a house. Another I spent with a friend I met at BC who was from the area. She lived in one of those ginormous homes on the sea and drove a bright yellow Ferrari Testerosa. And Mike and I used to go for weekends before we got our home on Cape Cod. Whether its ten girls in a two bedroom rental, a romantic weekend in a B & B or two girls out on the town in a hot car, the place is just simply magical. The combination of the sprawling lawns, the open sea, the wealth, the sailing and tennis traditions, the drifters and everything in between make up what the town is all about. It is truly like living in a fairy tale and any place with that much history is an amazing place to start a new life.
Congratulations Tanya and Paul. May you live happily ever after.
Posted on 07/28/2008 at 12:00 AM
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